This report for 2022/23 shows an overview of the complaints received in Childrens Social Care. There has been a slight increase in the total number of complaints, but the majority were resolved at Stage 1 and only a few progressed to the Ombudsman. Some degree of fault was found in many of the complaints and service improvements have been made through the year to try to avoid similar shortcomings recurring to improve service delivery.

A total of 90 complaints of all kinds were received, with 55 being corporate complaints and 35 being statutory complaints. This represents a slight increase from the previous year.

Most complaints were resolved at Stage 1 with a total of 73, while 14 complaints proceeded to Stage 2. No complaints escalated to Stage 3 Panel, and the Ombudsman reviewed only 3 complaints. 

The service areas with the highest number of complaints were Looked after Children, Permanence and Specialist Services, and Mash, Referral & Assessment, Family Support and Child Protection, with a combined total of 70 complaints at Stage 1.

The root causes of complaints were diverse, with service quality and communication cause being the most prevalent.

The outcomes of complaints showed that 28 were not upheld, 19 were partly upheld, and 11 were upheld, demonstrating a commitment to addressing and resolving issues openly and honestly.