LGO sink to new lows

[inappropriatelyemployed]

The saga continues but the depths to which this organisation will sink are astonishing.

You may remember, two and half years on, 3 provisional judgments, 2 final decisions (all on the same case) the LGO still believe it is ok to leave a child without provision for no particular good reason.

I said I would want to complain about their handling when our JR pre action protocol letter had been responded to.

They ignored me. An AO got involved and completed a review when I hadn't even set out my complaint and told me they were ace and to get lost.

Had to get solicitor to write to their solicitor as LGO woman was ignoring my protests about this. A month later, she gets in touch and says ok you have 14 days to send in your complaint. After two and a half years!

She says I can ask for more time.

I write and ask.

She ignores me.

I have to get solicitor to write to her.

She responds yesterday and says I've til next Friday. She'd already wasted a week.

I've asked for 28 days which given the boxes of info about their mishandling of the case is more than reasonable. I couldn't prepare a complaint until the JR response was received.

She says 'I've waited for months for you' so tough! I ask again explaining that DS is out of school and I have a big meeting tomorrow and I can only work at weekends and I can't do it in a week.

She says tough. She has even ignored my request to send a copy of their complaints policy.

I am so shocked, and sick of being treated like shit by them. Like I have done something wrong by having to force them over two years to do their job properly.

I'm hardly going to get a fair haring from her as the complaint is now going to have to be about her too.


Seriously,what is wrong with that office. Does she think I am joking about the stress of this while having a kid of school and trying to educate him while working myself? I'm outraged.

[babiki]

Who's the LGO boss? There must be some body resoonsible for them. You are so brave, that's why most people give up complaining at much earlier stages, it's just too much. I have no idea where you live, but I'm in central Essex if that's any help childminding etc. i really feel for you :(
Bloody solicitor never available when one needs them urgently..

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Thanks. There are 3 Ombudsmen but my MP wrote directly to one about the way they had misused his letter. He got no reply.

Until I put it all on my blog and started tweeting about the LGO. He got a letter shortly after. Of course, what it said was a load of rubbish because what they had done couldn't be justified

They really are lawless. There is nothing to restrain their actions. They don't act like you are a complainant they act like you are the enemy.

Maybe I should add to blog and tweet again about their crapness.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Oh and sorry, we are west so bit far for childminding but thank you so much for offering

[TOWIELA]

Honks for you today IE. Don't let the bastards get you down!!

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Thanks and honks for you too..

[MumuDeLulu]

IE I have no doubt that some of this is personal /deliberate.

But I think you massively underestimate the amount of sloppiness / incompetence and sheer stupidity which you're dealing with. It's more than likely that the people you deal with have never properly addressed a complex, well-evidenced complaint like yours. They simply don't have the experience or skills to do it right, and there is no mechanism, inclination or precedent for sorting this out.

The nastiness is (more than likely) a defence mechanism. Don't waste your time expecting the emperor to look in the mirror and announce he's naked.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

That is a very good way of putting it!

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Yes. I think a lot of it is CBA rather than sinister, and then becoming more active in their defence of CBA as a culture.

Making an assumption that people are motivated to act to remove their discomfort, it is very worrying that they are seeing what they are currently doing as their fastest path to this. It HAS to be because the alternative seems just too big a mountain.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

what is CBA??

[bochead]

can't be ar%%&d

Can you move? Serious question as it should be obvious by now that your current LA can't/won't ever provide the support your child requires.

The thought of the same 'ol nonsense continuing for at LEAST another decade is what prompted me to attempt to "escape Alcatrez" (DS's phrase not mine). At least it'll be a change of accent in the new locale, even if they parrot the same old crap. At this point a change is as good as a rest iykwim for us. There's only so many times you can rinse/repeat the same old arguments before YOU go gaga yourself.

We are in the Wild West without any bullets in our revolvers, standing in front of some very vulnerable children.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

The trouble is we are in the middle of trying to create a package for DS and he has lots of people onside. It would be really hard to move and start again and gather helpful therapists.

[MumuDeLulu]

How near are you to the county border?
If they're NHS therapists, and your GP practice will keep you registered with the new address, you might get to keep them.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Wouldn't keep LA EP and she has been good. DS's school where DS2 goes is lovely but over the border but we couldn't afford to live there.

[2tirednot2fight]

Am so sorry you are facing this IE don't have any pearls of wisdom I am exhausted just reading your thread, it's a nightmare but I do think they are possibly being so difficult because they are possibly concerned that you have valid points in your argument. Good luck with it, anything I can do to help let me know.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Thanks. They just leave you speechless don't they?

I have spent all day working on the working document and costings to try and get DS' provision sorted before the end of term - next week!

I have told the woman this but she still doesn't give a toss. Extraordinary.

I know, when challenged on bias, it can be said they are short of resources or have tight mandates and this causes misunderstandings, but nothing explains this other than a complete lack of understanding or the rules of fairness and scant regard for due process.

These things should be at the heart of an oversight system.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

The whole purpose of a complaint policy (which you haven't see iirc) is to demonstrate that complaints are encouraged in order to improve practice and service, not dismissed.

If I were running that service I would WANT to know what my failings were ffs. That would be my fecking JOB.