Ealing Council have accepted the recommendations from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over their removal of two foster children from the care of a woman. 

A woman complained to the Ombudsman about the council's decision to remove two foster children from her care and claimed the fostering agency commissioned to place the children said it could not provide all the information requested, which caused the family distress due to the lack of outcome to their complaints. 

The Ombudsman accepted the complaint and made recommendations to Ealing Council, which were to: apologise to the woman for the delay; pay her £500 to recognise the pain and distress she experienced; obtain the outstanding information from the National Fostering Agency and the Independent Review Mechanism Panel to enable investigation of the woman's complaints; and review this information with the National Fostering Agency and encourage the organisation responsible to make any appropriate changes to the cross-borough independent foster care contract the Council uses to strengthen the information sharing clauses. 

At a Council Cabinet meeting on 29 March 2023, Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for a fairer start said: "The Local Government Ombudsman has completed a complaint investigation against the council which found in favour of the complainant.  

"Occasionally the Ombudsman asks the council to formally report the findings of a complaint which has been upheld to Members, and has done so in this case. 

"Full details of the complaint and the Ombudsman's findings are in the appendix to the Cabinet Report, and we have accepted these findings and the Ombudsman's recommendations. 

"This complaint was made against the council in 2021, and since then we have reviewed data sharing arrangements with partner agencies to ensure timely wraparound support, and have put in place structures to ensure that complaints are followed up at the earliest opportunity.  

"We are committed to best practise, and under this administration we've had two focus visits from Ofsted, we've had a visit from the Department for Education, and we have been commended on our progress and on all the work that we are doing." 

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