This page is only for complaints and compliments about children's services.
- If you have a general enquiry about children's social care please call 0121 788 4300
- To report a concern about the safety of a child please visit our safeguarding page
We aim to deliver high quality services with our customers at the centre.
However, we recognise that there are times when we do not meet the standards we set ourselves and that you rightfully expect. So that we can improve and continue to learn, we welcome your feedback.
When we are doing things right, we'd also like to hear from you.
Complaints will only be considered within 12 months of the issues happening, or the complainant becoming aware of those issues. However, this time limit can be extended if it is still possible to consider the concerns raised effectively and efficiently and this will be considered on a case by case basis.
Make a complaint, compliment or comment
You can contact us:
- Online
- By email at candacomplaints@solihull.gov.uk
- By downloading one of our complaints, compliments and comments forms below:
- An adult contacting us in relation to a young person's case
- Children wishing to contact us about their case, please use one of the forms below:
Please note – further information for care experienced children can be found at: Ovos Solihull | CiCC | Care Experienced
- By phone on 0121 704 8296
- Or write to the Children's and Adults Complaints Team, The Council House, Manor Square, Solihull, B91 3QB.
If there are any circumstances that we need to consider when dealing with you about this complaint, such as a disability, please let us know, so that we can do all we can to remove any barriers to you in the complaints handling process.
How we will deal with your complaint
We have a 3-step process for the majority of Children's Social Work Services complaints called the statutory complaints process.
Stage 1
When we get your complaint we will talk to you to make sure we understand what's making you unhappy. When we have done this we will talk to a manager and tell them how you feel.
The manager will look into your complaint and let you know what they have found out. They will try and do this in 10 working days. In more complex cases they can have an extra 10 working days to finish the investigation.
If you feel that your problem hasn't been resolved, you can request that your complaint is escalated to stage 2 by talking to the Complaints Team via the details provided above. You will need to provide the reasons why you wish to take your complaint to the next stage, along with the outcomes you would like to see as a result of doing this.
Stage 2
At stage 2, we need someone who doesn't work for us to look at your complaint. This person is called an Investigating Officer; they will also have someone to help them. This person is called an Independent Person.
The Investigating Officer and Independent Person will then look at your complaint again. When they have done this they will write a report. This report will go to a manager.
When a manager has read the report they will write to you to let you know what the Investigating Officer and Independent Person have found.
We will aim to provide you with the outcome report within 25 working days, however for more complex cases an extra 40 working days can be given to complete the investigation.
If you are still unhappy that your problem hasn't been resolved, you can request to take your complaint to stage 3.
Stage 3
This is our last stage. We will have a meeting called a Review Panel to talk about why you are still unhappy. To do this we need the help of 3 people. Two of them are called an Independent Person and one is called an Independent Chair Person.
You can tell us why you're unhappy, and what you would like to happen. When you have told the panel how you feel, they will check to see if we have looked at your complaint properly.
The Review Panel will make a decision in 24 hours. The Review Panel will then send you a letter with all this information in 20 working days
Complaints concerning:
• Early Help
• Child protection including S47 enquiries and conferences
• Assessments of potential foster carers and adopters
• Foster carer registration
are usually exempt from the statutory complaints process (although there are exceptions about which the Complaints Team can advise).
If the statutory complaints process is not applicable, complaints are often investigated via the Council’s corporate complaints process, along with any other complaints regarding Children's Services including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) complaints.
There are 2 stages to the Corporate complaints procedure:
Stage 1
We register and acknowledge your complaint and agree and confirm your complaints with you.
We will then pass them to a member of staff from the service area to investigate and respond. They may contact you to talk about your complaint in more detail and will provide a written response, aiming to resolve your problem in a maximum of 30 working days.
If you’re unhappy with the result of stage 1, please contact us by email at candacomplaints@solihull.gov.uk or call 0121 704 8296, within 10 working days of our response, explaining why you are still unhappy and what you would like to happen.
Stage 2
We will ask the Head of Service from the service area to look at your complaint again and check that we have done everything we can to try to solve your problem.
We will aim to reply to you within 10 working days, however where a complaint is more complex to review, this can be extended to 20 working days.
I'm still unhappy
If you are still unhappy you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman who will give you independent advice on your complaint.
Data protection
We will share information you give us with the part of the Council you name and other outside agencies. When you make a complaint we may get in touch with you to talk about it.
If you would like to know more please contact the Complaints Manager by email or call 0121 704 8296.