You can download a copy of our leaflet which contains the following information from this page
What is a Complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by an organisation or its staff affecting an individual, a group of people, or another organisation.
Purpose of the Complaints Procedure
- This procedure will clarify the roles and responsibilities of agencies involved in providing supported housing in Leeds who have to deal with complaints, It also provides information about how they should handle, investigative and process them.
- This procedure will not apply to appeals about commissioning or decommissioning of specific services by the Leeds Supporting People Commissioning Body. These appeals are the subject of a separate procedure.
Type of Complaint
The procedure will deal with three types of complaint:
- A complaint from a service user about a specific service provider.
- A complaint relating to serious abuse or the gross contravention of a contractual obligation.
- A complaint relating to a decision or practice of the Leeds Supporting People team or the conduct of a member of the Leeds Supporting team.
Complaints relating to a Service Provider
- Supported housing services are provided under a contractual arrangement between the Administering Authority and a service provider.
- All service providers are obliged to have a specific organisational procedure for responding to complaints.
- Each provider must ensure that their procedure for responding to service user complaints is accessible and staff employed by the provider must assist service users to register a complaint if such a request is made.
- Each service provider’s complaint procedure must have a number of incremental stages that the service user can use to pursue their complaint. The complaint response made at each stage must be carried out by a different officer. This is to ensure that the procedure is fair and transparent.
- Each service provider will have had their organisational procedure ratified through the Quality Assessment Framework.
- The Leeds Supporting People team will monitor the number and type of complaints received by each service provider through the contract management process.
- Service users who wish to make a complaint about the standard of service that they have received from a particular service provider must initially do so through the complaints procedure of the specific organisation.
It is recognised that the process of making a complaint about a service provider may well be stressful for service users especially if they are still reliant on that organisation to provide them with a housing support service.
Therefore it is essential that:
- It is made clear to the complainant (service user or their advocate) that their complaint will not adversely affect the type and level of support which they receive.
- If a service user wishes to make a complaint about the conduct of a particular staff member then this complaint can not be responded to by that individual; the response(s) must be made by more senior staff members.
- A complainant wishes to make a complaint about any other aspect of service delivery then this must be dealt with in accordance with the organisation’s complaints procedure.
If a service user wishes to make a complaint relating to serious abuse or a gross contravention of the service provider’s contractual obligation, then this can be done outside of the service provider’s complaints procedure.
The Leeds Supporting People team will respond directly to a complaint if:
- It is alerted to a complaint relating to serious abuse or a gross contravention of a contractual obligation on the part of a service provider.
- Examples of such scenarios would include allegations of financial irregularity (Supporting People grant is not being used for the purpose of providing housing support) or serious neglect in relation to the welfare of service users.
- Through the contract management process the Leeds Supporting People team becomes concerned that the service provider is failing to fulfil its contractual obligations.
- The service provider is failing or refusing to let service users pursue a complaint through its organisational complaints procedure.
- The complaint from the service user relates to the most senior manager/owner/management committee of the service and the Leeds Supporting People team believe it would be appropriate to intervene.
The service user has exhausted the service provider’s complaints procedure and the Leeds Supporting People team believe it would be appropriate to intervene
If the Leeds Supporting People team decide that it would be appropriate to respond to a complaint from a service user then the following process should be followed:
- Acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing within three working days.
- Obtain the service user’s consent to ask the service provider to release all relevant information held by the service user relating to the complaint.
- Examine whether (if applicable) the complaint has been dealt with in accordance with the service provider’s complaints procedure.
- Examine whether the terms of the Supporting People contract have been adhered to.
- Examine whether the service offered to the service user reflected best practice standards.
- Carry out the appropriate enquiries, including interviewing the service user and relevant staff members from the service providers.
- Notify in writing both the service user and the service provider of the complaint outcome within fifteen working days.
Unsatisfactory Response
If the service user is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint then they can (via the Leeds Supporting People team) seek to have their complaint considered by the Leeds Supporting People Commissioning Body.
Complaints relating to the Supporting People team
- Complaints relating to the Leeds Supporting team will be dealt with in accordance with the Leeds City Council Compliments and Complaints Procedure.
- A copy of the Leeds City Council Compliments and Complaints Procedure is available from the Leeds Supporting People team.
Housing Ombudsman
If a service provider is a Registered Social Landlord then the service user can contact the Housing Ombudsman at the following address:
Housing Ombudsman Service
81 Aldwych
London
WC2B 4HN
Telephone: 020 7421 3800
Fax: 020 7831 1942
Lo-Call: 0845 7125 973
Minicom: 020 7404 7092
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Local Government Ombudsman
If the service user is not satisfied with the response made by the Leeds City Council – if the complaint relates to the Leeds Supporting People team in anyway – then the service user may contact the Local Government Ombudsman. The Local Government Ombudsman can be contacted at the following address:
Local Government Ombudsman
Beverley House
17 Shipton Road
York
YO30 5FZ
Telephone: 01904 380200
Fax: 01904 380269
Email: enquiries.york@lgo.org.uk