Finally ... At Last ... After much Consideration ...
I have, Finally, At Last, After much Consideration,
made my Complaint
about Dorset Social Services
to the Local Government Ombudsman
in the form of
14 pages of text answering their standard questions
(and let my MP know)
(but not Social Services)
Now, put the kettle on, and most importantly
DON'T PANIC SALLY, DON'T PANIC
its o.k. really it is, to complain, and right and proper.
posted by Sally at 7:42 pm
10 Comments:
Yay! Well done that woman, a plague on all their houses!
Cheers Lily !
Excellent! Best of luck that this has the desired effect!
Way to go, girl. Dig your toes in and have at em!
You are the one that is aggrieved, dammit, not the useless jobsworths who have been f***ing you about.
If you end up with any official personal confrontation, get yourself an advocate via the CAB. Someone who is not intimately involved and on brain-fogging drugs provides helpful backup and also hopefully spots any attempt by DSS to confuse the issue or be economical with the truth.
Thank you Goldfish, I now hope to have some brain left for BADD !
Thanks Charles, I am I am, the aggrieved, but why why why are they not worried at their blatant flouting of (my understanding of) the legislation. We shall see.
Very early on I did try to get someone from the CAB to support me, but they did not know as much as I did about 'Fair Access to Care' and I didn't want a repeat of a past experience of finding my advocate was not up to speed, and I was spending energy checking they knew what they were doing !!!!!!!!!
Maybe there is an advocacy service (for adults of working age with physical disability) out there that I do not know about ... if you do, please email me.
I hope that now I have involved the LGO there will be no official confrontation - and I have GP instructions to avoid all sources of stress !
So, day off tomorrow ... (liquorice icecream anyone ?)
Thanks to all, I will be posting updates, if only to record it for myself. (Also, I have a regular lurker from a government department server !!!!!!!)
(You know who you are.)
Sorry, Sally, I don't know of any such service. I imagine this is why one has recently been set up dedicated to NHS complaints: a lack has been recognised.
Quite possibly the reason they are not bothered is that they don't know what the law is, themselves. Possibly your action will cause them to consult someone, like a solicitor, who does know, in which case the next stage is usually panic, denial, and huffing-and-puffing. Followed by ignominious back-down, I hope.
I have had such an experience myself with a LA not a million miles from yours, and if mine is anything to go by, don't hold your breath for an apology.
Charles, it is good to hear, in a depressing sort of way, that someone else has had experience with a LA - county or district ?
Now that I have involved the LGO, huffing-and-puffing will no longer do - it really is out of my hands - the LGO investigate and the LGO (if my case is found to be valid) tell DCC SocS what they must do, and how quickly, to put it right - not just for me - but for all their social services procedures that I have found lacking. Quite a big thing, because their findings are also published, publicly!
I think you are right ... they don't know what the law is, they do what their bosses tell them to do, and my social worker and OT were a bit taken aback when I showed them the Fair Access to Care legislation, which they had never read and never seen. They agreed with all the sections I said SocS had not complied with. But I know that would have carried no weight if they had reported it to their boss ... see next post about her, the big boss lady.
Thanks for continuining support Charles, and all other visitors. It is very helpful to know you are all out there.
(If I am arrested and carted off to the Social Services dungeons, could you all please arrange a virtual protest, with banners and a band, please.)
County, sadly. Fortunately I happened to consult an excellent local Councillor who apparently (judging by their reaction) eats maladministering officials for breakfast.
Again, it was a simple matter of ignorance of the Law.
Now then, that is interesting. My understanding is that I can ask my representative councillor to look into it, but not any other councillor, unless they are on the social services committee.
So who was that councillor ? For future reference. Initials are sufficient, I can then look it up on their web site.
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