Overview
The complainants (the Solicitors) brought a complaint to my office on behalf of their clients, the aggrieved (Mrs A) and her son (Mr A). Mrs A raised a number of concerns about a school trip that Mr A attended in February 2009. Mrs A's concerns were subsequently investigated by the Council. There was also an investigation undertaken by the police into an alleged incident on the trip involving a number of pupils, including Mr A, and a report was sent to the Procurator Fiscal.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that the Council failed to:
- (a) manage and investigate the complaint properly and within the time frame specified (upheld);
- (b) respond adequately to the complaint (upheld);
- (c) provide Mrs A with sight of relevant documents (not upheld); and
- (d) indicate when their recommendations would be enforced (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council:
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council:
- (i) should, when preparing risk assessments for off- site activities and education trips, include more detail on the supervision arrangements, in particular, during 'free time' and bed times;
- (ii) introduce a policy which formalises the action taken at paragraph 16 to deal with situations such as this, involving allegations of a serious nature;
- (iii) ensure that adequate guidance is given to staff on managing complaints which are high risk, complex or of a sensitive nature and are likely to take longer than the stated timescales; and
- (iv) when making recommendations in response to a complaint, should state the date by which the recommendation will be implemented.