• Home Page
• -
• Health and social care
• -
• Social services
• -
• Complaints procedure

Access Tools

Compliments and suggestions

At Knowsley Social Services, we want to make sure we give you the right service to meet your needs. Your suggestions or compliments about a service will help us improve our service to you.

These can be made to the person you deal with in the Department or to their manager. If you would like a written response, please say so at the time.

You can also complete the 'have your say' form which is available from most Council offices. Alternatively, you can download a copy from the corporate complaints page. Please see the related information box which will transfer you to the standard corporate procedure for compliments, complaints and suggestions.

The information below is specific to health and social care complaints and suggestions. We cannot respond to complaints about other council services.

Complaints or issues of concern

The Social Services Department is obliged by law to have a Complaints and Representations procedure. This is operated in line with current legislation and inspected periodically by the Social Services Inspectorate.

If you have a complaint, you should initially speak or write to the person you deal with or their manager. You also have the option to complete the 'have your say' leaflet.

The team manager will address your issues and write to you advising you of the proposed action to be taken. If the matter remains unresolved, you should discuss the merits of taking your complaint further to stage one of the Complaints and Representations proceudre.

Stage one

A Senior Manager with experience in investigating complaints will make a full enquiry into the issues raised and respond to you within 28 days, unless an extension is agreed.

You will be advised of the outcome and notified of the recommended action.

You should be kept fully informed as to how the complaint is progressing. It takes time to investigate a complaint fully, so please be patient. If the matter remains unresolved at this stage you may discuss this with the Service Manager with a view to taking your complaint to stage 2 of the Complaints and Representations procedure. Stage 2 would involve an External Investigation by an Independent Consultant, this may be discussed with the Service Manager.

Stage two

Complaints are formally recorded at this stage and must therefore be in writing. You can request that the Customer Relations Manager or another member of staff records this for you. You will then be sent a copy so you can alter anything that is incorrect. An external investigation may be considered at this stage. The department may also consider or recommend an alternative resolution.

You will of course be fully involved in any external investigation that is undertaken.

If the matter remains unresolved the Directorate will review the outcome of the actions taken so far and consider whether as a department it has acted reasonably. If it is considered that the department has fully discharged its duties, then the complainant will be expected to provide evidence of the department’s failure in order to progress the complaint to the stage 3 review process.

You must notify the Customer Relations Manager of the intention to do this within 28 days of receiving the external investigators report.

In cases involving children, there is a duty on the Department under the Children Act 1989 to appoint an Independent Person. This person monitors the complaint to ensure all the correct procedures are followed.

Stage three

Stage 3 is the final stage in the Complaints & Representations procedure. At this stage in order to progress to the review panel process, the complainants request to proceed to stage 3 must be in writing.

The request must outline the reason(s) and show evidence of one of the following:

The review panel process involves a hearing of the complaint before three people - an Assistant Director in Social Services, the Cabinet Member for Health & Social Services, and an Independent Person to chair the Panel. This will be held within 28 days of your request. The Review Panel makes recommendations to the Director who will respond to these with a final decision.

If after the above process has been followed you remain dissatisfied you can contact the Local Government Ombudsman (please see the corporate complaints procedure for Ombudsman details in the 'related information' box below). You may also wish to seek advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau. At any time you are free to take independent advice.