Ealing Council failed a mum and baby when denying her the right to complain after placing them in care with a lack of heating and hot water.

After the woman, referred to as Miss X in the report, gave birth, an Interim Care Order was granted for her child. This means that parental responsibility is shared between Miss X and Ealing Council, while a court investigates ongoing welfare concerns.

The mother and child were then placed into a specialist unit and subsequently moved into a mother-and-baby foster placement. During this time, Miss X complained to the council about the foster placement, alleging that there was a lack of hot water and heating.

She also complained to the council about alleged religious discrimination which prevented her from travelling due to racial profiling. She said that the council failed to properly investigate her concerns.

Ealing Council eventually investigated her complaint and partially upheld it. Unhappy with the result, the mother asked for a Stage 2 investigation. The council upheld all four of her complaints and provided Miss X a written apology.

The council also agreed to five recommendations, and agreed to provide additional training to staff.

During the complaints process, Miss X requested financial compensation for “the emotional distress, inconvenience and hardship suffered and the disruption and loss caused by denied travel plans”. The council agreed to pay 10 per cent of what she had requested.

Later, the council offered to increase the compensation, but Miss X pushed for a Stage 3 complaints panel to review this – the council refused. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman ruled that this was a fault on the part of Ealing Council.

Once a council has accepted a complaint under the statutory procedure, the complainant has a right to pursue it through all three stages. Ealing Council denied Miss X this right.

The local government watchdog asked the council to hold a Stage 3 Panel and complete the statutory process without delay. It also called on Ealing Council to make an additional symbolic payment to Miss X in recognition of the stress and uncertainty caused by not accepting her request to escalate her complaint to Stage 3 of the statutory complaints process.

The ombudsman also asked the local authority to provide guidance and training to relevant staff. Ealing Council agreed to all of the recommendations.

Ealing Council have been contacted for comment.