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Case ref:201003190
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Date:June 2012
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Body:Fife Council
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Sector:Local Government
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:Children in care; taken into care; child abuse; custody of children
Summary
Mrs C's children were in the care of an afterschool club. While walking to the park, staff overheard the children say something which, Mrs C said, was misconstrued. As a consequence, a child concern referral form was completed and the matter was reported to the social work department. Mrs C said that when she went to collect her children the next day, the issue was raised and she was questioned about it. She said that she was given only vague information in return and she was concerned that the children's conversation had been incorrectly reported. Mrs C complained that the council treated both her and her family unfairly and did not properly investigate her concerns. She also complained about the way in which the council handled her complaint.
We looked at all the relevant documentation including the council complaints file, complaints policy and relevant procedures. However, we did not uphold Mrs C's complaints as we found that the council acted in accordance with their stated policies and those which applied nationally. We found no evidence to suggest that the council treated Mrs C and her family unfairly or were less than objective. Mrs C was concerned that a record of the situation would remain with her children indefinitely, but we did not find this to be the case. Finally, we found that the council dealt with her complaint in line with their complaints policy.