Warning about local authority complaints

[MarkEd]

Be aware that the local authority complaints procedure is not legal process - and you are under no legal obligation to comply with it. If you do go through it and do not get satisfaction you may, by the time it is completed, have lost the opportunity to challenge what they have done, the decisions that have been made, at judicial review. As one solicitor said when I asked about these matters, saying that the council had advised me to make a complaint:
"It is never a good idea to take the advice of your opponent."
My advice is. Get proper legal advice from someone well equipped to assist you, as soon as you can. Certainly within 3 months of any decision you disagree with.

[ange301126]

dear mark-ed, further to what you say,when I told the key social worker we were going to put in an official complaint this is what he said verbatim as far as I can remember.

" do so , you're quite welcome to,we have our ways of dealing with them"!

Clearly this is another example of their warped integrity and corruption. By delaying the progress of any complaints deliberately ,they are deliberately thwarting you in any appeal or judicial review because of the time limits.

I hope suzie will consider this thread carefully.She may be of the opinion that the complaints system is a genuine one when she advises parents of their right to make an official complaint to the Local Authority. In a lot of cases it isn't! Perhaps parents would be better advised to take out an application for legal review etc. first. Complaints to come afterwards where court proceedings are concerned.