Guides and Information

Complaints and Compliments

To ensure that we provide an impartial service to all our complainants we work closely with the corporate complaints team who monitor our performance, liaise with service users and ombudsman, when appropriate, and provide us with an annual analysis of our performance.  We are committed to learn from complaints and recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible.  Close links are also in place with our Quality Assurance and Audit processes so we can test that improvements have been implemented successfully.  We share any learning from complaints with our partners to inform and improve our professional practice.  

Complaints

The number of complaints received during the last couple of years remains fairly consistent.  There were fewer complaints during the COVID lockdowns.  This could be because fewer people were accessing services at this time as shown by our performance data in section 2.  Generally we are seeing an increase in the number of people complaining about waiting times for assessments of need, lack of response to queries and delays with regard to service delivery.  In many instances these delays can be related to difficulties we are experiencing with regard to recruiting a whole range of job roles in social care. We have a number of initiatives in place aimed at tackling these issues.  This includes recruitment campaigns, increasing the number of trainee social worker positions, commissioning external support to do assessments with grant funding, our preventions strategy and exploring overseas recruitment opportunities. 

 

Table to Show Number and Type of Complaints Received by Year
	Informal			Formal			Ombudsman
	20/21	21/22	22/23	20/21	21/22	22/23	20/21	21/22	22/23
Adult	45	70	64	2	1	5	5	2	5
Child	29	45	43	3	2	4	1	2	5
Commissioning	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	74	115	108	5	3	9	6	4	10

When we compare the number of complaints received to the number of contacts received they remain consistently low.

In adult care we received 6,821 total contacts and 64 complaints this equates to less than 1% of total contacts resulting in a complaint.

In children’s services we received 4,512 total contacts and 43 complaints this equates to less than 1% of contacts resulting in a complaint.

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW)

If complaints are not successfully resolved following the Council’s Complaints Procedure, the Complainant may make a complaint to the PSOW.  Complainants are provided with the PSOW contact details should they wish to pursue a complaint.

During 2022/23 the PSOW received 10 complaints in relation to Social Services as follows:

• 4 were not investigated (2 adult & 2 children’s)
• 6 were rejected as premature (3 children’s and 3 adults)

Compliments

During the year 27 compliments were recorded for adult care and 24 for child care.