10.1 Introduction 

All complaints and comebacks about Intake will be dealt with in accordance with the organisation’s policy for dealing with complaints.

Complaints can be presented to us using the OCS, over the telephone or by post, and can be administered by any member of Intake staff. If the complainant has a reasonable adjustment request to use email, then their complaint can be sent to [email address] once agreed with the ITL.

Regardless of whether it is a challenge to a decision or a service complaint, the matter then will be dealt with by the individual’s line manager in the first instance.

Any challenge to a decision or complaint about staff conduct should be made to us within one month of the event being complained about.

Intake may receive complaints relating to cases that are with Assessment or Investigation. Advisors are generally unable to assist in these circumstances. The person should be asked to send a message through their OCS account if they have one, including for unallocated cases. Or they should be asked to redial and contact the case owner directly.

10.2 Challenges to Intake decisions

There is a one stage ‘comeback’ process for dealing with challenges to Intake decisions. The aim is for responses to be completed within five working days. 

If an advisor receives post decision correspondence, they will first consider whether there is any new evidence that affects the most recent decision. If it does, the advisor will take the appropriate action. 

For example, if the complainant submits a final response immediately after a premature decision, the advisor will send the complaint to the Assessment Team. 

If the latest correspondence is deemed to be a challenge to the decision, the advisor will set the ‘Intake Comeback’ task in ECHO. This should be assigned to the line manager of the person who took the most recent decision. The task has a five working day target date.

If the line manager is absent for more than two days, then the second ITL will accept the task and deal with the comeback.

If an ITL took the most recent decision, then the CSM will respond. As is the case in the unlikely absence of both ITLs.

Responses do not need to be decided in isolation, at any point the Intake managers can discuss cases. If appropriate, an alternative manager will be appointed to respond.  

The response to the challenge will be final. No further challenges about the same issues will be responded to and this will be made clear in our communications. 

Occasionally, complainants will receive their final responses and try to claim they have a complaint about our service. The complaints procedure is entirely separate to the comeback process. Disagreement with the decision is not a cause for us to investigate as a complaint about our service. 

If both the decision and comeback process have been delivered satisfactorily, we will not put the challenge into our complaints procedures. We will advise the complainant as to why we are not dealing with it as a complaint and reiterate there will be no further action.

We may consider managing repeat contacts using the unreasonable behaviour policy.

10.3 Service complaints about advisors

All service complaints about non-Intake staff should be directed to the appropriate line manager.

Service complaints should generally be made in writing, however if a caller is unwilling to do so then the advisor can take brief details of the complaint and record it on the ECHO record.

When dealing with service complaint correspondence, the advisor should set the ‘PA contact requested’ task for the relevant ITL to consider and respond.

When the caller requests a telephone call back to discuss their complaint, the ITL’s are committed to contacting the complainant within 24 working hours.  The advisor should set the ‘ITL callback’ task for the relevant ITL.  

If the ITL is unable to resolve the complaint at this early stage, then the complaint will fall under the normal timescales. An acknowledgment / holding letter will be sent within 5 working days of receipt, explain why that person is responding and that a full response can be expected within 20 working days.

If the complaint can be responded to fully within 5 working days, then there is no requirement for an acknowledgement letter. If extra time is needed, a holding letter should be sent within the 20-working day deadline.

 If the line manager is absent, then it will be for the second ITL to deal with. In the unlikely absence of both ITL’s, then the CSM will respond.

At any point the ITL may also request that the CSM respond.

Any further complaints in relation to these matters will then be escalated to the CSM who will apply the same principles in their own response. Unless the CSM disagrees with the action taken then the response will be concise and supportive of the decision.

10.4 Service complaints about Intake Team Leaders

The advisor/ITL taking the complaint will record the contact on the existing ECHO record and set the ‘PA contact requested’ task for the CSM with a twenty-day target date.

The complaint falls under the normal timescales and the CSM will acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days and provide a full response within 20 working days.

See also: PDR and Service Complaints Manual