Ms B complained about the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service's (Cafcass) decision not to consider her complaint about allegations made about her because the complaint was outside the six-month permitted time limit.
What happened
Ms B complained to Cafcass about information, including allegations of violence by her, that had been included in a letter to the court. Cafcass refused to consider her complaint as it said it was made after the six-month time limit had passed.
What we found
We partly upheld this complaint. Cafcass had decided not to investigate Ms B's complaint because she was not a party to the complaint, rather than because the complaint fell outside the period for complaining. Cafcass made a mistake by giving Ms B the wrong reason for not investigating her complaint.
It was reasonable for Cafcass to have included information about Ms B in the letter. These were allegations, rather than fact, and the purpose of the letter was to tell the court about any safety issues.
Putting it right
Cafcass apologised to Ms B for not explaining properly the reasons why it did not investigate her complaint. It reassured Ms B that it had not put her name on any register as a result of the allegations made in the letter.
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass)
UK
Not applicable
Apology
Taking steps to put things right