At Aberdeen City Council, we want to make sure everyone has a good experience when they communicate with us. Sometimes, people might be upset when they contact us, and we want to help them as best we can. At the same time we also have to consider whether the action of an individual impacts the wellbeing of our employees or our ability to do our work.
When we need to manage interactions
Sometimes, we need to manage how we interact with citizens because their behaviour can affect our employees and our ability to help others. Here are some examples of when we might need to do this:
If someone is being violent, aggressive, or abusive.
If someone is contacting us too much or making too many demands.
What we might do
We will try to handle each situation in a way that works best for the person and the situation. We have a rule called the Zero-Tolerance Pledge, which means we won't accept any violence, aggression, or abuse towards our employees. If someone is being abusive, we will take action right away.
Depending on the situation and behaviour, we may take other actions:
Only allowing contact through phone or email.
Not giving out direct contact details or employee names if there's a risk of harassment.
Communicating through a third party, like an advocate.
Directing phone calls to voicemail if they are blocking others from getting help.
Limiting the time or number of contacts.
How to appeal a contact restriction
If you've been told that your contact with us is limited, you have the right to appeal.
You need to write the Customer Feedback Team explaining why you think the decision is unfair within 10 working days of getting the restriction notice.
If you miss the 10-day deadline, your appeal might still be considered, but only in exceptional circumstances.
A Director of the relevant service will look at your appeal. Whether the contact restriction is changed or cancelled depends entirely on the Director who looks at your appeal.
You will get a written response about the outcome of your appeal within 10 working days of us receiving your letter. The Director's decision is final.
All documents related to the restriction decision will be kept by the Council's Customer Feedback Team.
Keeping records
We need to keep a record of what happens, but we will do this carefully and only share it with people who need to know such as other employees to keep them safe. If someone is dangerous and may cause harm to others, we will call the police right away.