Council apologises after complaint handling failure
A South London resident has been awarded £100 in compensation after Lewisham Council took too long to process her complaint during the final stage of the children's statutory complaints procedure.
The unnamed woman, referred to as Miss X, had escalated her grievance to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) after experiencing significant delays in her case progressing to stage three of the official complaints process.
What went wrong with the complaint process?
Under the children's statutory complaints procedure, councils must follow strict timelines. A stage 3 review panel should convene within 30 days of the complainant requesting it, followed by a report provided to the complainant within five working days.
The council then has 15 days to respond to the panel's recommendations. In this case, Miss X asked Lewisham Council to progress her complaint to stage three in July, but the process experienced substantial delays.
Ombudsman's ruling and council response
The LGSCO determined that investigating would likely find the council at fault, stating Miss X had spent "significant time and trouble pursuing her complaint". The watchdog upheld the complaint and ordered specific actions from the council.
A Lewisham Council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We agree to and accept the decision made by the LGSCO, recognising that our performance in this case wasn't acceptable."
They added: "We would like to apologise to the family for the distress caused and assure them that we will learn from this outcome."
Resolution and next steps
The Ombudsman required the council to arrange the stage three panel meeting within one month, provide a formal apology to Miss X for the delay, and pay her £100 to remedy the time and trouble incurred pursuing her complaint.
The council has agreed to all requirements, including the payment, and has scheduled the stage 3 panel for the following week. The case highlights the importance of local authorities adhering to statutory timelines when handling sensitive complaints about children's services.
