20 October 2009

Mr A Freeman

Via email ([FOI #18689 email])

Our ref: CS/09/099/HJP

(Please quote our reference when contacting us)

If telephoning contact Hilary Pook on 020 7217 4734

or if using email send to: [email address]

Dear Mr Freeman

Request for information

In your email of 29 September you asked us to “provide all information that has lead to this decline in children's services”. I am afraid you would need to be a little more specific about what you want. And, in any case, I do not think the Ombudsman's office can explain what you perceive to be a decline in a service - so I cannot respond to this part of your request.

You go on to ask how many complaints have been received about unlawful practices of judges; council social services legal teams; barristers; and CAFCASS legal teams; regarding children taken into care by Kent County Council. Of this list, we would only deal with complaints against the council - we hold no information on complaints about the other bodies/services you refer to.

When we get complaints against councils, they are considered to be against the council as a whole body, not specific teams of staff within the council, so we have no information on complaints specifically against Kent County Council social services legal team. I can give you figures on the number of complaints we have received about `Children and family services' but I cannot give you figures specifically about children taken into care. Our Children and family services category covers:

In addition, the Ombudsman's remit is to look for `maladministration' - not `unlawful practices'.

You have not specified a time period you want these figures for, so I giving you the statistics for the last five years. Our year runs from April to March.

* Please note that the way we receive and record complaints changed in 2008/09, so that this figure includes some telephone enquiries which may not have gone on to be investigated as complaints.

That concludes my response. If you feel I have not dealt properly with your request, you have the right to appeal and, should you wish to do so, I can supply a copy our internal complaints procedure. If you do request an internal review - can you please indicate why you are unhappy with my response. You also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner to determine whether your request has been properly dealt with. You should note however that the Commissioner will not consider any complaint where you have not first exhausted our internal complaints process or where there has been undue delay in contacting him. You will be able to obtain further details of the Information Commissioner's role from the website on www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook

Hilary Pook (Ms)

Communications and Records Manager

LGO 01 (03/08)