How we deal with Children's Services complaints
You can make a complaint if you are:
- a child or young person receiving social work services
- someone acting on behalf of a child or young person receiving services
- anyone else — but you’ll need to use the Council’s general complaints procedure.
If you're complaining on behalf of a child
The child or young person should usually be at least 12 years old and able to understand the complaint. We need:
- their signed agreement to the complaint
- their consent for you to act on their behalf and receive the response.
If the child doesn’t have the capacity to understand, we can only accept complaints from:
- a parent with parental responsibility
- a carer responsible for the child’s day-to-day care.
Children and young people can also complain through an advocate if they prefer.
The Complaints Process
Complaints under the Statutory Children’s Services procedure follow three stages:
Stage 1: Initial Response
- We’ll confirm we’ve received your complaint in writing.
- We’ll tell you who is investigating it — usually a manager from the relevant team.
- We aim to respond within 15 working days (up to 20 days for complex cases).
- If it will take longer, we’ll let you know
- Our response will explain what to do if you're not satisfied.
Stage 2: Formal Investigation
If you're unhappy with the Stage 1 response:
- tell us within 20 working days
- we’ll decide whether to revisit the issue with the original team or move to Stage 2.
At Stage 2, your complaint will be reviewed by:
- an Investigating Officer — someone from the Council not involved in your case (this could be someone outside the Council.)
- an Independent Person — someone outside the Council.
We will:
- write to you with their names and role they will be undertaking.
The investigation should take 25 working days, but may be extended to 65 working days if needed.
Once complete:
- a report will be sent to a senior manager (Adjudicating Officer)
- you’ll receive the report and a letter explaining any actions taken
- the letter will also explain what to do if you're still unhappy.
Stage 3: Review Panel
If you're still not satisfied:
- you can request a Stage 3 Review Panel
- the panel will meet within 30 working days of your request.
You can:
- attend the hearing yourself
- bring or send an advocate
- submit written comments (though attending is usually better).
The panel will:
- review the Stage 2 investigation
- ask questions to the Investigating Officer, Independent Person, and Adjudicating Officer.
After the hearing:
- the Panel Chair will write a report within 5 working days
- the Head of Children’s Services will respond within 15 working days
- their letter will explain how to contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if you're still unhappy.