Childrens Social Services : Neath Port Talbot Council

Mr A complained about care and support provided to his son by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Social Services Department and an associated agency. Mr A said that he was dissatisfied with the Council’s response to his complaint, and in particular, its failure to notify the associated agency of his complaint.

The Ombudsman found that although Mr A had submitted a complaint to the Council, he had not submitted a complaint to the local authority with responsibility for oversight of complaints about the associated agency. However, she also found that the response from the Council had not informed Mr A about his right to escalate his complaint nor did it inform him about the correct process for submitting a complaint about the associated agency. The Ombudsman concluded that Mr A could not have been expected to be aware of the jurisdictional setup of the associated agency.

The Ombudsman contacted the Council and sought its agreement to confirm to Mr A within 10 working days that it would progress his complaint. Following this, the Council agreed to liaise with the local authority with oversight of complaints about the associated agency to provide a co-ordinated and meaningful response to Mr A, addressing all of the issues he raised.