Comments, compliments and complaints procedure

We take complaints about our services seriously and deal with them in confidence. We use the information to try to improve our services to prevent the same issues happening again.

Full details of the complaints handling procedure can be viewed in British Sign Language (BSL) on our YouTube film below.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is when you tell us that you are not happy with any part of our service. We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided.

What can I complain about?

• delays in responding to your enquiries and requests
• failure to provide a service
• our standard of service
• treatment by or attitude of a member of staff
• our failure to follow proper procedure
• if you feel you did not get the service, help or information your expected because of your age, gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation or religion/belief
• council policy (we treat this as a policy complaint and will consider your comments when reviewing our policies)

Complaint stages

We have a two stage Complaints process.

At Stage 1, we aim to resolve your complaint within five working days. If you are not satisfied with your response, you can ask us to consider your complaint again.

At Stage 2, we will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to resolve it within 20 working days. We will look to see why you were not satisfied with our first response or may consider your complaint immediately at Stage 2 if it is complex or needs more detailed investigation.

If, after receiving our final decision on your complaint, you remain dissatisfied, you can ask the SPSO to review this. We will tell you how to do this when we send you our final decision. Further information is available on the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman page.

The SPSO offers a range of fact sheets designed to give advice on some common complaints topics. They outline what the SPSO can and cannot do about a specific complaint and provide details of other organisations that might be able to offer help or support to customers. 

Data protection

When you make a complaint, we will log your name, contact information and details about your complaint. Information will only be collected and stored for the purpose of dealing with your complaint and improving our services. Your information will be treated confidentially.

Comments and Compliments

Comments and compliments can be made using our online comments and complaints form. Comments will be reviewed and where it is possible to improve service delivery, the manager will write to you, advising the outcome within 10 working days. Compliments will be reviewed and brought to the attention of the manager and staff member(s) concerned.

How long do I have to make a complaint?

Complaints are easier to resolve if you make them quickly and directly to the service concerned. You should make your complaint within six months after the event itself. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after this time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

Have you been treated fairly?

If you feel you did not get the service, help or information you expected because of your age, gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation or religion/belief, please let us know.

Getting help to make your complaint

If you feel unable or reluctant to make a complaint yourself, please read our page on getting help to make your complaint for help and advice.