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Has the organisation assessed its current complaint handling against the expectations set out in the Complaint Standards?
- It should use the organisational assessment tool to identify what it already delivers and uncover any areas it would like to develop.
- It should share the assessment and any development plans with you so you can discuss, constructively challenge, advise and support.
- You can then agree any review stages you would like to set and how often it will repeat the assessment.
Does the organisation have a complaints procedure in place and has it compared this to the model complaint handling procedure?
- You need to make sure any complaint procedure works with the Complaint Standards and your department’s expectations for dealing with complaints.
- The organisation should share its procedure with you, along with any changes it wants to make.
Tip
You can use this conversation to reassure yourself that the organisation:
- has a robust complaints procedure in place, with appropriate resources
- will make sure learning from complaints is captured and acted on to continuously improve services
- will be able to provide examples of this learning going forward.
Has the organisation reviewed and understood the Complaint Standards supporting guides?
- This is an opportunity for it to ask you any questions so it understands what you expect and to make sure its colleagues have the support and guidance they need.
- You can raise any questions or concerns with the Ombudsman’s Stakeholder Engagement. Email stakeholderengagement@ombudsman.org.uk and include any ideas for other guidance and support materials that would be helpful.
Has the organisation thought about any changes it needs to make to its training?
- After completing the steps above, the organisation must think about any changes it needs to make to its training so everyone can successfully meet the Complaint Standards.
- You can support them by making sure all your related organisations have suitable complaint handling training in place, either as individual organisations or through cross-departmental training. This should be available to everyone who needs it, from frontline staff who may receive complaints (and could resolve them quickly if trained and supported) to those who regularly investigate and respond to complaints.
- You can also talk to the Ombudsman’s Stakeholder Engagement Team about any training needs or book onto their free training courses.