Miss A complained that the records held by the Council’s Social Services Department’s relating to her daughter were inaccurate, incomplete and that false information was recorded. She also complained that the Council did not appropriately declare potential conflicts of interest with persons involved in her daughter’s case.
The Ombudsman decided that whilst the Council had ensured an independent investigator had carried out an investigation of Miss A’s complaint, it had not provided an action plan in response to there commendations within the resulting report and did not offer Miss A the opportunity to discuss the findings of the report.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement that it would write to Miss A to explain what action it will take in response to the recommendations and to offer her the opportunity to discuss the response and report with an appropriate officer. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without investigation.