Complaints by and for Young People

If you are a young person and want to complain, you can be supported to make a complaint or you can ask somebody else to make a complaint on your behalf. You will be told how you can access an independent Advocate to help you with this.

It should also be detailed in the Young Person’s Guide/Welcome pack how you can complain, which you should be given when you first move into the supported lodgings placement.

You can also complain to Ofsted, the Children's Commissioner or your social worker/accommodating authority.  See Important Contacts, above.

The person who the complaint is about will not be involved in the investigation of the complaint.

Your complaint will be taken seriously and you won’t be in trouble if you make a complaint.

How and what will happen should be explained to you so you know what is going to happen.

Any action agreed should be explained to you.

Remember it is your right to complain if you are not happy about anything.

Your supported lodgings host /social worker will guide you about what is a complaint and what could be an allegation and a safeguarding matter.

A complaint could be about issues such as:

• An unwelcome or disputed decision;
• The quality or appropriateness of a service;
• A delay in decision making or the provision of services;
• The attitude or behaviour of hosts and other workers who are supporting you;
• Delays in dealing with problems or resolving concerns.

Your role is to:

• Listen to the young person, take them seriously and try not to be defensive about what they are saying;
• Tell others like the young person’s social worker or your Supervising Worker - they might see something in the complaint that you don’t;
• Try to help the young person sort out the problem;
• Advocate (speak on their behalf) for the young person where appropriate;
• Help the young person to access the formal complaints procedure for the Service or their local authority;
• Ensure that they get feedback on what happens.

Most issues can be sorted out informally and speedily through discussion with either the young person’s social worker or your Supervising Worker, depending on what the problem is. Sometimes, the Service's Registered Person may be the most appropriate person to speak to about the concerns.

It is important not to confuse complaints with allegations although there is sometimes an overlap. Any concerns in relation to a young person who may be in need of protection must be dealt with under the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Children Procedures.

Stage 1 - Local Resolution:
At Stage 1, the complaint should be passed to the manager with responsibility for the services provided to the young person. The manager will look at the complaint, and provide a response to the young person, including what will be done to resolve the complaint. The Manager may arrange to visit the young person to discuss the complaint.

Wherever appropriate, young people should be asked to agree to a 'local' resolution.

Timescale: 10 working Days from the receipt of a Stage 1 Complaint (with the possibility of 10 further days for complex complaints or if an Advocate is required).

If the matter cannot be resolved to the young person’s satisfaction within 20 working days, they must be advised that they have a right to proceed to Stage Two and given assistance to do so as necessary.

Stage 2 - Investigation:
If after Stage 1 the young person is still unhappy, they can ask that the complaint be investigated further by someone who is independent of the supported lodgings Service. They will produce a report for the Service with their findings of the investigation and any recommendations on how to sort out the complaint. A senior manager within the Service will write to the young person saying what will be done to sort out the complaint.

Timescale: 25 working Days from the receipt of a Stage 2 Complaint.

Stage 3 - Review Panels:
Most complaints are sorted out after Stage 2, but in some cases, if the young person is still not happy they can ask for the complaint to go to a Review Panel. A Review Panel is comprised of people independent of the Service/local authority and makes decisions about the complaint. The panel may make other recommendations for the Service to think about. At Stage 3, a service manager has to respond to the Review Panel's decision and any recommendations.

A request for a Review Panel must be made within 20 days of the end of the Investigation Stage. The Panel must meet within 30 days of a request.

Ofsted and the Children’s Commissioner

With regards to supported lodging services with either a local authority or independent provider you can contact Ofsted if you have continued concerns about the service.

Complaints may be made to Ofsted as the Regulatory Authority. Their contact details are:

Ofsted
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Tel: 0300 123 4666
E-mail: CIE@ofsted.gov.uk

Click here for information on how to complain to Ofsted about a provider they inspect or regulate.

Click here for the online complaints form.

However, Ofsted will not be able to consider any complaints until this internal Complaints process has been fully completed.

You can also contact the Children's Commissioner for England.

See also: Involving Young People in Decision Making.