Complaints and compliments (Social Services)

The first step in resolving a problem is to contact someone involved in providing the service or, if you prefer, our Complaints Officer. This is called a local solution.

Don't be afraid to complain. We will take your complaint seriously and welcome your comments about our service - positive or negative. You will not be disadvantaged in any way because you made a complaint.

You can contact us in any way you like - you don't have to write your complaint. You are welcome to contact us in Welsh or English. You will receive the same standard of service in both languages ​​and correspondence in Welsh or English will not lead to any delay.

Once we have received your complaint, the relevant manager or senior practitioner will contact you to offer a meeting with you within 10 working days in order to be able to discuss your complaint. This meeting can be either face to face or on the phone if you prefer. The manager will discuss what can be done to resolve your complaint with you.

We will then write to you within 5 working days of the discussion to confirm the terms of resolution of your complaint.

You have the right to ask someone else to support you in making your complaint.

If you are under 18, we will arrange an advocate from TGP Cymru for you if you are happy for us to do so. We provide information about organisations that can help you make your complaint.

We aim to try to solve the problem and provide you with a letter confirming the solution within 3 weeks (15 working days) of receiving and acknowledging your complaint. If we cannot resolve the issue within this time frame, we may ask for your agreement to extend the time frame slightly.

If you remain dissatisfied following your discussion with the relevant officer and receiving their letter under Stage 1 of the Complaints Procedure, you can ask to have a meeting or another telephone discussion with a manager from Social Services.

If you have tried to do this and you are still not satisfied or you would prefer your complaint to be dealt with by a person who has no connection with the service at all, you can ask for an independent investigation to be carried out. This is called Stage 2.

If you are not satisfied with the way your complaint was resolved under Step 1 of the Procedure, you can ask us to consider it under Step 2 or you can bypass Step 1 and go straight to Step 2.

At this stage, the person dealing with your complaint will not be an officer in Cyngor Gwynedd.

The Independent Investigator who will consider your complaint at this stage will be:

• Offer to meet with you to discuss your complaint.
• Look at relevant records held by Social Services
• Talk to those involved, such as staff, looking at the facts.
• Write a report and present recommendations.

You will normally receive a full copy of the investigation report. If it contains information that you are not entitled to see such as information about a 3rd party or information provided by those who have not given their consent to share it, we will provide the rest of the report.

If you are under 18 we will also ask an Independent Person who is completely independent of the Council to oversee the investigation. This person will not investigate the complaint themselves but will ensure that all parties have had their say, and that the complaint has been handled in a thorough and fair manner and that the report is accurate and complete.

The Head of Service and/or the Director of Social Services will read the report and inform you of their response and any action that will be taken by Social Services.

We will respond to you within five weeks (25 working days) of receiving a confirmed list of the complaints you wish to be investigated under Stage 2. If this is not possible, we will write to you at explain the delay and notify you of a new date for receiving a response.

Social Services work closely with many other organisations. If your complaint is about something we have provided jointly with another organisation, e.g. care package from health and social care staff, we will look at your complaint together and usually send you one response.

You may have a complaint about a service we have arranged (commissioned) for you with another care provider, such as a nursing or residential care home, a home care agency, or a day service. Each organisation will have its own complaints process and we will usually send your complaint to them and ensure they deal with it. We will tell you exactly what we are doing.

If you have already complained to another organisation commissioned by us to provide your care, and are unhappy with their response, we will deal with your complaint under Step 2 of the Procedure if appropriate.

Organisations that can help you make your complaint.

• Advice on Citizens of Gwynedd
  www.cabgwynedd.wales
  0808 27 87 922

• Age Wales Gwynedd and Anglesey
  The Home, Bontnewydd, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL54 7UW
  01286 677711
  info@acgm.co.uk
  www.ageuk.org.uk/cymru/gwyneddamon

• North Wales Council and Advocacy Association
  14a Ash Court, Parc Menai, Bangor, LL57 4DF
  01248 670852
  enquiry@nwaaa.co.uk

• Carers Support Service (Gwynedd, Conwy & Anglesey)
  01248 370797
  help@carersoutreach.org.uk
  www.carersoutreach.org.uk:

• Centre of Sign Sight Sound
  01492 530013 / 07719 410355
  Textphone: 01492 524983
  info@signsightsound.org.uk
  www.centreofsignsightsound.org.uk

• RNIB Wales
  0303 123 9999
  helpline@rnib.org.uk
  www.rnib.org.uk/nations/walescymru

You can complain to the Public Services Ombudsman in Wales if you believe we have mis-administered in any way. However, the Ombudsman usually prefers that people use the Council's statutory Complaints Procedure to start.

The Care Council for Wales regulates social care professionals and this body has the right to look into allegations of misconduct.

The Children's Commissioner can also investigate complaints relating to aspects of the care or welfare of children and young people.

When matters are being considered at the same time, it may be necessary to delay attending to your complaint until the concurrent activities have been completed. These activities could include legal, disciplinary activities, child protection investigations or adult protection.

If this is the case, we will inform you and give the reasons why we cannot consider your complaint under the Social Services complaints procedure at the time.

In such cases, you can, if you wish, resubmit your complaint after the process of considering joint complaints has been completed.

If you do not wish to complain about a service received by a social services user, or if you wish to complain to another department, please use our Corporate Complaints Procedure.