Comments, complaints and compliments about Children's Social Care
We want to listen to your views about the services we provide to you. Your views matter to us to achieve the high standards we aim for.
Set out below are the processes you should follow if you would like to make a complaint, comment or compliment and you are a:
- looked after child
- young person or care leaver
- foster carer
- adoptive parent
- person with parental responsibility or
- any other person with sufficient interest in a child or young person
How to make a complaint
Complaints must be made to the Team Manager or the Children's Service Complaints Officer within 12 months of the event happening. Complaints outside this timescale will only be dealt with at our discretion.
Stages of the Complaints Process:
Stage 1 (Local Resolution)
When we receive your complaint, we will reply in writing to you within 10 working days. If we need more time to investigate your complaint, we will let you know and answer within 20 working days.
Stage 2 (Investigation)
If you are unhappy with our Stage 1 reply, you can contact the Children's Service Complaints Officer and request an independent investigation. We will aim to write to you within 25 days (or 65 working days if it is complicated).
Stage 3 (Review)
If you are unhappy with the Stage 2 reply, you can ask the Children's Service Complaints Officer for a Review Panel, who will meet to review your complaint. This Panel will not investigate again but will decide if the investigation and the results were fair. If you want to go to Stage 3 of the complaints process you must inform the Children's Service Complaints Officer within 20 working days of receiving the Stage 2 response.
If you are still unhappy after the Review Panel you can ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate your compliant.
The Local Government Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Local Government Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
London SW1P 4QP
Tel: 020 7217 4620
Fax: 020 7217 4621
How to make a compliment
If you contact a Team Manager or Children's Service Complaints Officer when one of our employees or teams does a good job for you, we can encourage others to follow their ways of working to provide a better service. It is also good for our staff to know they are appreciated.
We will acknowledge your comment within 10 working days of receiving it.
How to make a comment
You may have an idea for improving our services or if you have a concern. If you do we would like to hear about it.
Please contact the Team Manager or Children's Service Complaints Officer with your suggestion and we will send you an acknowledgement within 10 working days of receiving it.
