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Case summaries

These short, anonymised stories show the profound impact that failures in public services can have on the lives of individuals and their families.

Please note we have not published any new case summaries on this page since 2015. In April 2021 we began publishing our casework decision statements and investigation reports on our decisions portal. 

 

Type
Type
Health cases only
Cafcass did not deal adequately with mother's complaints
Summary 985 |
Ms G said the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) did not properly investigate her concerns about the cause of her son's stammer. She also complained that the Cafcass officer acted inappropriately at court. Ms G wanted her concerns to be addressed.
Woman left out of pocket by court's mistakes
Summary 984 |
Mrs A was owed money. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) instructed bailiffs to collect the debt and Mrs A had to pay £100 for this. The court should have added this to the amount the debtor owed, but it failed to do this.
Cafcass apologised for an inaccuracy in a report
Summary 983 |
Ms F complained that the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service's (Cafcass') report to the court was biased, contained numerous inaccuracies and failed to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of her son. She said Cafcass dismissed her complaint and as a result she felt exhausted and emotionally drained by the process.
HMCTS should not have referred case to bailiffs
Summary 982 |
Mr S complained that HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) referred his case to bailiffs when it should not have done so. As a result, the bailiffs harassed him for the payment of their fees. Mr S wanted a consolatory payment for the inconvenience caused.
Legal Aid Agency's miscalculations caused financial worry and distress
Summary 981 |
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) unfairly refused to accept Miss T's rent as part of her monthly outgoings when calculating her legal aid contributions because she did not pay the rent on a monthly basis. She wanted the LAA to use its discretion to reduce the amount she needed to pay.
Cafcass wrongly intervened in case
Summary 980 |
The Children and Family Court Advisory Service (Cafcass) took action outside of its professional role. It also failed to keep a proper record of its contact with Mr H.
Poor handling of complaint about mine shaft searches
Summary 979 |
The National Coal Board (NCB) did not tell three neighbouring property owners about mine shafts on their properties, when they purchased them between 1974 and 1980. They wanted payment to cover what their surveyor said was the loss in market value of their properties due to the presence of mine shafts.
Cafcass' delay and poor complaint handling caused distress and frustration
Summary 978 |
Ms B said that the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) severely delayed court proceedings and then failed to deal with her subsequent complaint about that. Ms B said she was mentally and physically drained by the situation and incurred significant financial costs.
Poor service from Jobcentre Plus led to inconvenience and frustration
Summary 977 |
Ms Y complained that Jobcentre Plus and the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) both failed to deal properly with her complaints about how an assessment to decide whether she was too unwell to work was carried out. She said that her experience with Jobcentre Plus left her traumatised.
Poor cancer treatment did not lead to patient's death
Summary 976 |
Dr L complained about his late wife's care between 2007 and 2008. He said the Trust failed to diagnose and treat her, delayed her treatment, failed to give her chemotherapy, discharged her inappropriately, and handled his complaint poorly.