Oversight of complaints systems

The Complaint Handling Code says the Council ‘should appoint a suitably senior person to oversee its complaint handling performance. This person should assess any themes or trends to identify potential systemic issues, serious risks, or policies and procedures that require revision.’ (Paragraph 9.4 of the Complaint Handling Code)

This role may be carried out by one of the three statutory officers or it may be delegated to another senior officer in the council. We believe it is important that the person is able to report information about complaints directly to either the Chief Executive or Monitoring Officer to support good governance and oversight arrangements.

The suitable senior person should have oversight of the whole complaint system, including interactions with the Ombudsman. Statutory complaint processes set out requirements for reporting annual performance on complaint handling performance and this is mirrored in recommended reporting arrangements set out in the Code. Reporting performance of all complaints processes together not only meets statutory requirements but supports effective governance and oversight arrangements of the council’s complaint system.