Ms A complained that the Council had not taken her complaint seriously. She complained about the conduct of a social worker and that the Council had said she was not allowed an advocate.
The Ombudsman found that Ms A had raised these issues with the Council and that she had requested that her complaint be escalated to Stage 2 of the Social Services Complaints Procedure. The Ombudsman found that the Council had not escalated her complaint as requested. The Ombudsman said this caused frustration to Ms A and decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 2 weeks: a) Contact Ms A to set a date for a meeting to determine which elements of the complaint should be escalated to Stage 2 of the Social Services Complaints Procedure.
Within 2 weeks of the meeting referred to at a) above, the Council will: b) Write to Ms A outlining the complaints subject to the Stage 2 investigation and explain the process and next steps in the complaint process.