Comments or Complaints

Have Your Say

Aberdeen City Council's Social Care & Wellbeing Service provides some of the most complex, wide-ranging services in the community. Our staff cover a wide range of jobs, and include Social Workers, Care Managers, Occupational Therapists, Home Carers and Care Assistants, as well as Planning Officers, Administration staff, and Drivers.

Help Us - Talk To Us!

We are always trying to improve our services and you can help! We would like to hear your comments or complaints about the services we provide.

If you are pleased with the service we provide, please tell us. You may have a suggestion about how we can improve. Sometimes the most straightforward ideas have the greatest benefit.

To do this you can use the Aberdeen City Council comments card which can be obtained from council establishments throughout the city or by telephoning the Customer Care Centre on 01224 522002.

What If You Have A Complaint?

The Social Care and Wellbeing Service is committed to providing complainants with the opportunity to raise concerns and make a complaint about the services we provide. We view complaints positively and are committed to have in place an effective complaints procedure to handle all issues brought to the attention of staff.

We are constantly seeking to improve the standard and quality of our services and recognise that complaints are an opportunity from which we can learn. It is important to us that people feel satisfied with the service provided. We will treat complaints seriously, giving individual attention to every one received. We aim to put things right where they have gone wrong.

We define a complaint as

"An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the provision or non provision of services, the quality and extent of services, the operation of services and any other service related issue."

Our key principles are that our process will:

• Be quick and simple
• Be objective and transparent
• Seek early resolution
• Deliver improvement
• Be service user focused
• Be accessible.

You will not be discriminated against as a result of making a complaint.

Who can Complain?

A complaint can be made by anyone who is receiving, who has received, or who has been refused a service. Complaints can also be made by someone who is acting on behalf of someone else, if they have authority or permission to do so.

How To Comment Or Complain

In the first instance you should speak to the member of staff working with you, so that we can try and sort things out on the spot. If you are unhappy with their response, you can ask for the complaint to be treated as a statutory complaint. This means that someone will be assigned to investigate your complaint.

You can do this by:

• Completing the pull-out form at the end of the Have Your Say booklet and returning it to the Complaints, Rights & Enquiries Team (the address is given below). The booklet is available from all Social Work Offices. Alternatively you can download the  Have Your Say leaflet.
• Writing a letter of complaint, telling us why you are dissatisfied, and sending it to:
• • Complaints, Rights & Enquiries Team
    Social Care and Wellbeing
    Aberdeen City Council
    Business Hub 8
    First Floor North
    Marischal College
    Broad Street
    Aberdeen
    AB10 1AB
• Asking a member of staff to help you make your written complaint. They will show you a copy of what has been written and ask you to sign it
  
• Asking someone to complain on your behalf - in any of the ways listed above
  
• Phoning your local Social Work Office, or the service at Marischal College (08456 080910 or 01224 522000) or by phoning the Complaints, Rights & Enquiries Team on 01224 523941
  
• Emailing us at scwb_complaints@aberdeencity.gov.uk

You have the right, when complaining, to ask for your anonymity to be preserved to all except those staff directly investigating your complaint. If you do so, your wish will be honoured, but this may restrict officers from fully investigating your complaint.

What Will Happen With Your Complaint?

Once we have received your complaint:

• We will send a letter of acknowledgement within 5 days of receipt of your complaint. If you do not receive a letter of acknowledgement by then, you should contact the Complaints, Rights & Enquiries Team.
  
• A Senior Officer will investigate the complaint. They will aim to finish the investigation within 28 days. If it appears that this will take longer, they will contact you in writing to explain the reason for the delay and negotiate with you to agree how long is required for the response to your complaint to be issued.

If you are dissatisfied with how your complaint is handled, you should contact a Complaints, Rights & Enquiries Officer on 01224 523941.

After your complaint has been investigated we will write to tell you what we have found and what we intend to do.

What If Our Response Does Not Satisfy You?

If you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you can request that the matter be reviewed by the Social Care and Wellbeing Service. Or you can ask that your complaint is referred to the Complaints Review Committee. If you request a Complaints Review Committee, you must do this within 28 days of receiving your response. This committee is independent and is made up of lay people. Details of how to contact the Complaints Review Committee will be included in the response that is sent to you.

If, following the Complaints Review Committee, you are still dissatisfied you may contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman who may decide to undertake an independent investigation on your behalf. Details of how to contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman will be included in the reply which is sent to you by Complaints Review Committee.

For further information go to Scottish Public Services Ombudsman website.

Other People Who Can Help You

You may feel that you want to talk to someone else to help with your complaint. There are a number of people you can approach who will advise you. These include:

• Your Local Councillor
  You can find out the names of your local Councillor in your local library, on the Council website or by contacting:
  Members Support Section
  Town House
  Broad Street
  Aberdeen
  AB10 1FY
  Tel. 01224 522178.
  All Councillors hold surgeries where members of the public can discuss matters with them. Surgeries are advertised in local newspapers, libraries and community centres.
  
• Your Government Representatives
  You can speak to your MP/MSP at their surgery. You can also write to your MP at House of Commons, London, SW1 0AA or your MSP at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.
• Social Care & Social Work Improvement Scotland
  If you receive a service which is regulated by  Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (previously the Care Commission), in the first instance you should take your complaint to your service provider.  If you are not happy with the response or do not wish to do so, you can take your complaint to Social Care & Social Work Improvement Scotland.  Your complaint will then be dealt with under their Complaints Procedure.
  
• Local Advice Centres
  Professional staff at local advice centres offer free and unbiased advice on a wide range of subjects: