Compliments & Complaints Annual Report 2023 to 2024
6. Children’s Social Care statutory complaints
The Children’s Statutory Complaints process consists of three stages. Children's Social Care complaints that do not qualify as statutory complaints are handled under the corporate procedure. Stage 1 involves local resolution, where the service provides a written response to the complaint. Stage 2 is an independent investigation conducted externally, with the findings contributing to a formal response from the relevant Service Director. Stage 3 involves an independent review panel.
The graph below illustrates a rise in overall complaints, although the total number of complaints is still lower than those received in 2021/22. There is also an increase in the number of complaints processed at Stage 2; however, some of these Stage 2 complaints are escalations from Stage 1 complaints reviewed in earlier years. Out of the Stage 1 complaints received in 2023/2024, only 4 have advanced to Stage 2 investigations.
Bar chart
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 46 | 13 | 3 |
| 2022/23 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 2023/24 | 27 | 14 | 6 |
Childrens Act complaints by year and stage
Stage 1 of the Children's Statutory Complaints Process aims for a response within 10 working days, but this period can be extended to 20 working days under specific conditions, typically when dealing with complex complaints. In the 2023/24 period, the average response time for addressing a Stage 1 complaint was 25 working days, an improvement from the 31 working days in 2022/23. This reduction is due to ongoing reviews and enhancements to the processes.