The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has decided not to investigate a complaint against Bedford Borough Council over the handling of a child protection case.
The complaint, made by a resident referred to as Ms X, alleged that a social worker had lied about the advice given to her during a police visit and that the council had wrongly substantiated a safeguarding concern against her.
Ms X said that the police were responsible for the incident in question, but the council refused to view the whole police footage that she believed supported her account.
She also claimed that she was not allowed to present her version of events at a safeguarding meeting, and that her former employer was invited to attend, which led to the sharing of personal information in an inappropriate manner.
In a decision issued on 10 July, the Ombudsman stated that there was insufficient evidence of fault by the council to justify continuing the investigation.
The Ombudsman also explained that it cannot investigate the actions of a school representative and that another body would be better placed to consider whether a data breach had occurred.
The case has therefore been closed after initial enquiries.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
