Complaints - How does the complaints procedure work?

There are three stages to the procedure and if you are not happy with the council's response at any stage you can choose to take your complaint further.

You can also withdraw your complaint at any stage. However, if we consider your complaint is about a serious matter, we may still decide to follow it up.
 
Complaining will not guarantee that you get new or alternative services but you will get an explanation about the lack of services or decisions made.

Your complaint could help us to improve our services in the future. 

Stage 1 - Local resolution/problem solving stage

Most complaints can be settled quite simply by:

• discussing your problem with the member of staff you are dealing with; or
• contacting your local Cumbria County Council Adult Social Care and Children's Services office.

Alternatively, you can contact our Complaints Team by:

• writing to us;
• returning a completed complaints form enclosed in our 'Compliments, comments or complaints' leaflet;
• sending us an email; or
• telephoning us - see our contact details below.

We will aim to settle your complaint as quickly as possible. This will usually take us between 10 and 20 working days.

If it is not possible to settle your complaint locally, or you remain dissatisfied with the answer you receive, you may want to make a Stage 2 complaint.

Stage 2 - Investigation stage

If your complaint can't be sorted out locally, you can make a Stage 2 complaint.  To do this, please contact:

If you would like someone to help you write down your complaint you can ask a friend or relative or one of our Customer Services staff based at local offices. You may also choose to get an advocate to help you make a complaint.  Details of advocacy organisations which may provide support are available from Customer Services staff based at local offices.

When we receive your complaint, we will make arrangements for somebody who hasn't been involved in your case or complaint to investigate it.
 
It will take us between 25 and 65 working days to report on and respond to your stage 2 complaint. We will keep you informed of progress throughout this period.