The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about Mr X’s time in care. There is no good reason to exercise discretion to do so.
The complaint
Mr X said he was bullied in care and in school.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The information Mr X gave me shows he left care more than a decade ago. We would not expect him to have complained while he was in care. And there are reasons that might have prevented him from complaining straight away. However, these reasons would not have prevented him from approaching us for more than a decade.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman