Mrs X complained about the way in which the Council had handled a safeguarding concern she had raised about her father, including in respect of record-keeping, decision-making and a failure to issue to her previously agreed information about case law relied upon and financial redress in recognition of her time and trouble in pursuing her complaint.
The Ombudsman declined to investigate the substantive complaint issues, which had already been examined under the statutory Social Services complaints procedure. However, in respect of the Council’s failure to meet with previously agreed obligations, the Ombudsman asked the Council to, within 20 working days, provide Mrs X with an explanation of the application of the case law it was relying upon, together with £500 and an apology for the failure to provide both the information and the previously agreed financial redress.
The Ombudsman considered this to be an appropriate settlement and did not investigate.