Council pays up for flawed investigation

Southampton Council has agreed to pay £1,000 to a family after
they complained about the way it had dealt with a child abuse
allegation in relation to their children.

Local government ombudsman Jerry White found that action taken by
the council into allegations that Mr A was a risk to his four
grandchildren did not accord with the Working Together guidance on
how to conduct investigations.

The family’s GP had alleged that the children were at risk of abuse
from Mr A.

But the claims were unsubstantiated and he never put his concerns
in writing.

Strategy meetings were not held within the advised timescales and
the council interviewed two of the children at school without
parental consent.