Click here to complete the Compliments, Comments & Complaints form
Our commitment to you
We, Staffordshire County Council, are committed to providing the best possible service. Teachers, social workers, engineers, library staff, architects, economists, town planners, school-crossing patrols, scientists, community carers, cleaners and drivers are just some of the members of our team working for you.
We welcome your compliments, complaints and suggestions as part of our
commitment to provide a service which meets your needs.
We need to know when we have done things well, when things are not right or when you have a suggestion, so we can continue to improve the services we provide. We will handle all complaints fairly and within agreed timescales. We will also pass on all compliments to relevant staff.
There is a statutory procedure for handling complaints made by, or on behalf of, people who use Social Care and Health Services and Vulnerable Children's Services within the Directorate for Children, Young People and Families. Leaflets are available from the county council's Directorate for Children, Young People and Families and the Social Care and Health Directorate. They explain how your 'Compliments, Comments and Complaints' will be dealt with under these regulations.
In addition, there is also a statutory process for complaints relating to decisions about the assessment of pupils with special educational needs. This falls outside the county council's complaints procedure, but further details can be obtained from the Directorate for Children, Young People and Families.
If you are unhappy about the way a Member of the County Council has behaved, you may complain to the Standards Committee of Staffordshire County Council. For more information please click here
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New customer care standards launched
As part of our continuous improvement programme, and making sure that your needs are at the heart of absolutely everything we do, the county council has now implemented a higher, more consistent standard of customer care.
This means that you will receive a high standard of care no matter what service is being delivered or where it is being delivered in Staffordshire.
The new standards set out a number of standards across telephone and written communication including email and those services delivered face-to-face and will help us deliver the promises we've made to the public in the county council's Customer Charter.
Read more about the new Customer Care Standards
(Please note that documents on this site are provided in PDF format. This document can be viewed using Acrobat Reader).
If you do not have Acrobat Reader, it can be downloaded here.
Microsoft Word version - Customer Care Standards
Read more about the Staffordshire County Council Customer Charter
Microsoft Word version -
What is the Customer Charter about?
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What if you feel you are being discriminated against?
We are determined that everyone should be treated equally. If you feel that you have been discriminated against please tell us :
Click here to complete the Compliments, Comments & Complaints form
Equality & Diversity Information
Sometimes, things can go wrong. We are sorry when this happens. We want to make sure we investigate every complaint and that we take action to improve our service as a result of your feedback.
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Who should you contact and when?
• Try local staff first - the engineer, the architect, the teacher or the local manager should be able to help.
• Fill in the feedback form online,
or a paper version which are available on most public service desks.
• Write, text, phone, use the minicom, make a comment online, e-mail or visit us in person.
• Your county councillor may also be able to help you.
You can contact all our directorates by writing to or calling:
The Monitoring Officer
Staffordshire County Council
Peel Building
St Chad's Place
Stafford
ST16 2LR
Phone our contact centre on 0300 111 8000
For mini-com users please contact: 01785 276207
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What should you expect from the customer feedback procedure?
We will thoroughly and fairly investigate all complaints. If we don’t agree with your complaint, we will tell you and explain how you can take the matter further if you are not satisfied with our response.
It would be helpful if you could provide personal details in case there are any points we need to clarify.
There are four separate stages that any complaint may go through. The stages are explained briefly below. If you need more information, you can contact us at the address or phone number given at the bottom of this page.
Stage 1* is when the staff who provided the service being complained about, or their managers, are given the opportunity to sort out any complaints. You will receive an acknowledgement to say we have received your complaint. You should expect a full response within 15 working days. We aim to sort out most complaints satisfactorily at stage 1.
*An individual Service Manager who is the subject of a complaint will not be directly involved in the investigation. Any such complaint will be dealt with by an appropriate Senior Manager within the council, similar to Stage 2 of the complaint procedure but answered within 15 working days.
Stage 2 is when someone is not satisfied with the outcome of stage 1. We refer a complaint at stage 2 to the relevant corporate director, who will arrange for the complaint to be reviewed by a senior member of staff. You should expect a response within 20 working days.
Stage 3 is when someone is still not satisfied with the outcome of stage 2. They can ask for the matter to be reviewed by the Monitoring Officer who is our Corporate Complaints Officer. You should expect a response within 25 working days.
Stage 4 is when someone is still not satisfied after stage 3. They can then refer the complaint to the Local Ombudsman – the independent local government watchdog.
You can write to the Local Government Ombudsman at:
Local Government Ombudsman
The Oaks No 2
Westwood Way
Westwood Business Park
Coventry
CV4 8JB.
Phone: 024 7682 0000
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Contact us
You can contact all our directorates by writing to or calling:
The Monitoring Officer
Staffordshire County Council
Peel Building
St Chad’s Place
Stafford
ST16 2LR.
Phone our Contact Centre on 0300 111 8000
E-mail: customer.feedback@staffordshire.gov.uk
Text: STAFFS CORP followed by your message to 60003 (standard network charges apply)
Last Modified:
10/08/2010 10:56:06
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