Make a complaint about child social care

Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Stages of making a complaint
  3. Other ways of getting people looking at your complaint

Overview

If you are still unhappy, you can use our complaints procedure to let us know. If the thing you are unhappy about happened more than a year ago, we may not be able to investigate it.

If you want someone to help you when making your complaint, we can arrange this for you. Please get in touch with us. You should contact:

Complaints and Feedback Manager, Children, Adults & Families
Strategy & Performance
Level 0, Broughton Road
Town Hall & Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields
NE33 2RL

Tel: 0191 424 4679
Email: complaints@southtyneside.gov.uk

Stages of making a complaint

The procedure has three stages

Stage one

You can make a complaint by:

  • Completing the form online
  • Telling the person you are unhappy with or their manager
  • Telephoning, writing or emailing us. You should use the details given further up this page or in the booklet
  • If you want someone to help you when making your complaint, we can arrange this for you. Please get in touch in the same way.

Once we get your complaint, a manager will look into it and write to you to explain what they have found out. You will usually receive a reply within 10 working days of us receiving your complaint, but sometimes it may take longer.

If your complaint isn't just about something we've done in children and young people services and includes someone else, we may need to involve other people when we look into it. If this happens we will write to you and let you know how we will deal with it.

Stage two

If you're still unhappy with what we say, you may want to take this further. You should let us know why you are still unhappy. You can do this by phone, e-mail or post (see the contact details).

Your complaint may be formally registered and a full investigation will take place, by someone different from the person who looked at it first. They will work with an "independent person". This is someone who does not work for us, but looks at your complaint as well.

We aim is to complete the investigation within 25 days but sometimes it may take longer. When this is completed we will send you a copy of the written report.

Stage three

If you're still unhappy, you can request that an "Independent Review Panel" looks at your complaint. The panel will include a chairperson and two independent persons. They will look again at the result of your complaint. The panel will listen to why you are not satisfied. They will not investigate it again or look at anything new. The panel will then write a report and make recommendations to the executive director. You will then receive a letter explaining the outcome.

Other ways of getting people to look at your complaint

You may want to look for your own legal advice. Or, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman may be able to help. You can contact them at:

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Advice Team
PO Box 4711
Coventry
CV4 0EH

Tel: 0300 061 0614 or 0845 602 1983