Help us improve services by telling us what we're doing right and tell us when you are unhappy with them

We recognise that, in providing services to you, there may be times when things go wrong. You should receive services from us regardless of age, disability, race, gender, language or religion and you should be treated with courtesy and respect by our staff.

If things do go wrong, your complaint is the first step in helping us to put matters right.

By making a complaint, you will not put your rights to services at risk, so don't be afraid to tell us about your concerns.

Please note, however, that the department's complaints procedure cannot be used to appeal about a decision made in a court of law.

You can complain without telling us who you are. Anonymous complaints will be investigated but, if your complaint is about services which you, yourself, have received or the way you have been treated, it will be difficult to investigate your complaint fully unless you identify yourself.

• For Home Care complaints please ring 020 8871 8914/6267/8911* or make an online complaint. 
• For Meals on Wheels complaints please ring 020 8871 6245/6269* or make an online complaint.
• For all other complaints about services that we are providing to you or the people you are caring for, please ring freephone 0800 389 8257  or make an online complaint.
• If you are a child or young person wanting to complain about services please use this special form

* You may of course complain directly to our Complaints Team about these services on the freephone number shown above.

Set out below is further information on the following topics:

• Our commitment to your complaint
• Help in making your complaint
• What you should do if you wish to make a complaint
• Other ways of pursuing complaints

Our commitment to your complaint
We value your comments and will thoroughly investigate your complaint. In particular, we will ensure that your complaint is:

• dealt with fairly and openly and that you receive a full explanation.
• dealt with quickly and that you receive a written reply within the timescales outlined below. (You will be kept informed if we cannot provide an answer within this period).

Help in making your complaint
On 1 September 2006, the procedures for making a complaint about either Adult care services or services to Children and Young people changed. The Key principles of  these changes are to ensure that :

• Complainants should have their concerns resolved swiftly and, wherever possible, locally (i.e. by the team or unit where the reason for complaint arose)
• Complaints should be used as part of a listening and learning culture, and should be a basis for improving services
• Procedures should give people the chance to say what is good, as well as bad, about the service they have received.

Leaflets explaining the social services complaints procedure will be available shortly from the Town Hall concourse, local libraries and from Careline. Detailed briefly below are the new timescales, for further information and guidance please contact the Social Services Complaints team on freephone 0800 389 8257.

The Wandsworth Interpreting Service provides assistance to service users who do not speak English as a first language.

Information about organisations which can help you with making a complaint can be obtained from the Careline Information Centre on 020 8875 0500 (Minicom - 020 8875 0900).

If you are unable to make a complaint on your own behalf; you can ask someone to represent you. This may be a relative or a carer, an advocate.

Write to us at:

Adult Social Services
FREEPOST
The Town Hall
Wandsworth High Street
SW18 2PU

Email: socialservices@wandsworth.gov.uk

What you should do if you wish to make an official complaint

Stage 1
If you are not satisfied with a service or do not agree with a decision, tell the member of staff you are most often in touch with. If you are not able to sort things out with this person, your complaint should be passed to their manager.

You can do this by talking to the manager in person on the phone or by writing or you can contact the Complaints Team direct.

You might also want to seek the support of your local councillor, a friend, relative or neighbour.

You can expect a reply to your complaint within 10 working days, in some more complex cases this may be extended to 20 working days. If the manager cannot respond to your complaint within this timescale, you will be kept informed of progress by letter or by telephone. If you are unhappy about the progress of your complaint at Stage 1, you have the right to ask for your complaint to be dealt with under the Stage 2 process.

Stage 2
If you are still dissatisfied after you have received the letter from the manager at stage 1 you can take your complaint further by writing, within 20 days of receiving the manager's reply, to:

The Director of Adult Social Services
Wandsworth Borough Council
The Town Hall
Wandsworth High Street
SW18 2PU
Email: socialservices@wandsworth.gov.uk
Telephone: 0800 389 8257

Inform the Director that you wish to make a stage 2 complaint.

Your complaint will be investigated by a senior officer that is independent of the line management of the service that your complaint is about. In some cases we may appoint a person independent of the Council to work with you and the investigating officer to try and resolve your complaint. In respect of complaints concerning children and young people an independent person will always be appointed. If the complainant is a young person the Council will also work with the young person to provide an advocacy service to help them deal with their complaint. In some case this way also be provide to complaints in relation to services to adults
 
The timescale for dealing with a stage 2 complaint will normally be 25 working days from receipt of your complaint. However in some circumstances this period may be extended, in discussion with yourselves and the Complaints team to ensure that all aspects of the complaint are investigated. Any extension of the timescale will be to the maxium of 65 days from receipt of your complaint.

Stage 3
If you are not satisfied with the reply you receive in stage 2, you have the right to appeal. You must write to the Director asking him to arrange a review of your complaint. You must request this in writing within 20 working days of the date shown on the letter of reply to your complaint at stage 2.

A panel will review your complaint. The panel will be made up of people who are totally independent of the Council.
You can come and present your case and bring a person of your choice with you.

The panel will make recommendations to the Director within 5 days of the panel meeting . After considering the recommendations of the panel, the Director will write to you within 15 days with  the final decision of the Council.

Other ways of pursuing complaints
You have the right to contact your councillor, your MP or the Ombudsman (an independent, free and confidential service).

The Ombudsman only deals with 'maladministration'. This is when the Council does something in the wrong way, does something they should not have done, or fails to do something they should have done. Under the new regulations the Ombudsman may consider complaints that have been referred to them after the Stage 2 process.

For details contact:

The Local Government Ombudsman
The Oaks No. 2
Westwood Way
Westwood Business Park
Coventry
CV4 8JB
Telephone: 024 7682 0000
Fax: 024 7682 0001
Adviceline: 0845 602 1983 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 4.45pm)
Visit: www.lgo.org.uk