Council ordered to pay mum who ‘took overdose after social worker made negative comments about her parenting’

Bolton Council has been ordered to pay cash to a mum who claimed she took an overdose after an ‘angry’ social worker ‘made negative comments about her parenting’.

The Local Government Ombudsman has published details of an investigation into complaints made against the council by a woman, referred to in its report as Ms X.

Ms X complained that Bolton Council failed to support her when she was having difficulty managing her teenage daughter’s challenging behaviours and says she felt forced to agree for her to be placed in care.

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The ombudsman did not find fault with the council on this aspect of the complaint but stated that the council had previously accepted fault on a matter relating to the behaviour of a social worker and had apologised to Ms X.

Bolton Council has said it accepted the findings of the report and implemented the recommendations.

Central to the complaint was that Ms X remained concerned about the way she felt she had been ‘made’ by the social worker to sign an agreement, placing her child into the council’s care.

Ms X said that this aspect of the complaint was not dealt with fully in the council’s statutory complaint investigation.

The report, stated: “Ms X says that she felt compelled to sign the section 20 form placing her child in care.

“It is during the signing of the form that Ms X says that the social worker raised her voice and made negative comments to her about her parenting.

“Ms X says that the social worker became angry with her.

"Ms X says she was so distressed by the comments made, and by the social worker’s attitude, that she took an overdose and was in hospital.”

The report added that the council was not able to determine what was said