Compliments & Complaints Annual Report 2022 to 2023
7. Children’s Social Care (CSC) Statutory Complaints
Statutory Children's Social Care Complaints
| Quarter | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Q2 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Q3 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Q4 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
Stage 1 = 26, Stage 2 = 7, Stage 3 = 1
The Children’s Statutory Complaints process has 3 stages. Stage 1 is the local resolution stage and involves the service responding in writing to the complaint. Stage 2 is an independent investigation of the complaint which is carried out externally. The resulting report feeds into the formal response which is completed by the relevant Service Director. Stage 3 is an independent review panel.
The graph above shows that there were 26 (46) cases received at stage 1 of the process, 7 (13) cases were considered at stage 2 and 1 (3) at stage 3. The previous year’s figures are shown in brackets.
These numbers are more in line with cases received in 2020/21 (2 years ago). There does not appear to be one reason for the drop in numbers from 2021/22 and so could just be coincidental.
Stage 1 of the Children’s Statutory Complaints Process has a target of 10 working days, but this can be extended to 20 working days in certain circumstances; usually where the complaint is complex.
The average response time for responding to a stage 1 complaint for 2022/23 was 31 working days. This compares to 20 working days in 2021/22.