Educational & Social Services

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Complaints Procedure - Making your Complaint

Complaints Procedure

It is important to provide feedback, in particular, when members of the public have concerns about the delivery of the service. When this happens the user should have easy access to an effective procedure to allow a quick resolution of their complaint. The complaints procedure has 4 stages.

Stage 1 (informal)

The school or service will deal with the complaint at this stage and attempt to resolve the problem at local level. The Head Teacher or the service manager should be the first person to be advised of your concern. They should be given an opportunity to address the issues which are raised. All experience proves that the vast majority of complaints are best resolved informally, and at the point nearest delivery of the service.

Stage 2 (formal)

If you remain dissatisfied, the complaint should be formalised by completing a complaints form or writing a letter. This will be acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt and will be dealt with by a senior officer within the Department of Educational and Social Services. You will be informed of the outcome in writing.

Stage 3 (Chief Executive)

If you continue to be unhappy with the Department's response, you can take your complaint to the Chief Executive for investigation. The Chief Executive will handle your concern within the Council's overall customer care system.

Stage 4 (Ombudsman)

You can choose at any stage of the procedure to take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. This is an independent organisation which will investigate your concerns.

Access to complaints procedure

The complaints procedure is readily accessible to users of the service. Copies are available at all educational establishments and offices, Council Headquarters, local libraries and on the Internet. Copies are available in formats suitable for service users with special needs. If you experience difficulty in obtaining a copy of the Department's complaints procedure, please contact us.