What you should do?
Contact the Complaints Officer on:
Alternatively complete the online form:
or send a completed Compliments and Complaints (PDF) form to:
Statutory Complaints Officer
Social Services Department
PO Box 1
Conwy
LL30 9GN
This is also available in easy-read format.
The people who may put forward a complaint
Any member of the public, including a child, who has received, or was entitled to receive, a service from Social Services may make a complaint. The same applies if they have suffered due to the inappropriate action of Social Services.
The Social Services Complaints Procedure (Wales) Regulations 2014 make provision for a representative to make a complaint on a person’s behalf. A representative may make a complaint on a person’s behalf where that person:
- is a child; or
- has requested the representative to act; or
- lacks capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005; or
- has died.
Any representative making a complaint on a person’s behalf must be considered by Social Services to have sufficient interest in that person’s welfare and be a suitable person.
Timescales to resolve your complaint
If we receive your complaint orally, and you are in agreement, we will aim to solve it within 24 hours by having a relevant manager contact you to discuss the concerns and resolve them.
A Stage 1 complaint will be acknowledged within 48 hours and a relevant manager will seek to contact you within 10 working days, to discuss your complaint and agree a resolution. If this is agreed they will then write to you in 5 working days (so a Stage 1 complaint should take no longer than 15 working days to resolve).
If we cannot resolve your complaint at stage 1 we can escalate it to stage 2 where an Independent Investigator will be appointed to investigate your complaint and report what they find and make any recommendations. At stage 2 we aim to respond to you within 25 working days, starting from when you agree the statement of complaint.
Ombudsman
If your complaint is still not resolved you have the right to go to the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales at:
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
1 Old Field Road
Pencoed
Cardiff
CF35 5LJ
Help with complaints advocacy
If you need to raise a concern about an NHS or social care service, Llais North Wales can provide you with free, independent, and confidential support. Contact them by telephone on 01978 356178 or 01248 679284, or by e-mail at northwalesadvocacy@llaiscymru.org.