Too often victims and survivors are let down by agencies that should be there to protect them.
The Commissioner is clear that this is unacceptable. Many victims and survivors write to the Commissioner to share their experiences which is crucial to keeping our office informed by the issues facing victims and survivors in shaping our priorities.
You can only complain about a service through their official procedures, which are listed below. The Commissioner cannot make a complaint on an individual’s behalf.
Police
If you would like to complain how the police have handled your case, you can contact the police force involved directly; police force websites include information about how to complain.
A complaint can also be made to a police force via the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Local authorities
If you would like to complain about how a local authority has handled your case, you can do this directly through the Local Authority’s website or you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.
Courts and judges
If you would like to issue a complaint about the how your case was handled by court staff (but not the decision in your case or investigate how a specific Judge, Magistrate or Bench acted towards you), follow this link.
If you would like to complain about the conduct of a specific Judge, Magistrate or Bench you can do so here.
If you would like to know more about the appeal process specific to your hearing there are a variety of steps you can take, dependent on the type of complaint and the type of court:
Magistrates Court: There are several ways in which you may challenge Magistrates’ decisions. The most appropriate method will depend upon the type of case and its circumstances. Before you lodge an appeal, you are strongly urged to seek legal advice as to the procedure, merit and cost.
Crown Court: For Crown and County Courts you can appeal both civil and criminal cases, but it would be necessary to seek permission or ‘leave’ from a judge before an appeal can be made against a conviction in a criminal case. For legal assistance, a solicitor should be contacted. Alternatively, you may prefer to contact a Citizen’s Advice Bureau where advice is generally provided free of charge.
Family Court: If you wish to appeal a decision specific to Family Court you can appeal via the same link as above.
Domestic abuse services
If you wish to complain about the service you have received from a domestic abuse service, each individual organisation will have its own process. This process will contain the contact details of the CEO or members of the Board, and should be easily available on the service’s website.
If you would like to take a more informal approach, and have not done so already, you may wish to raise your concerns with a member of staff, in a confidential environment. They should then be able to explain the options available to you.
You may also wish to discuss the situation you are experiencing with a different domestic abuse organisation. They won’t be able to provide direct practical support but could provide some emotional support while you decide whether to take any further steps.
Schools
If you would like to complain about how a school has treated you or your child, every school in England must have a complaints procedure. It should be available on the school’s website.
If the school is a special educational needs (SEN) school, they may direct you to raise the complaint with your local authority.
If you have followed all the steps in the complaints procedure and believe it was not dealt with correctly, you can complain to the Department for Education (DfE).
You can also complain to Ofsted, who will record your complaint, and may use the information you’ve provided to help them decide what areas to focus their next inspection on. Ofsted considers complaints about things that affect the whole school rather than individuals.
The DfE website includes information about how to complain about a private school.
GPs, hospitals and social care
You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service. Click here to find out more about how you complain about different services within the NHS.
To make a complain about chidlren’s If you wish to make a complaint about children’s social care, your local authority will have a procedure in place, which should be easily accessible on their website.
Citizen’s Advice has guidance on making complaints to adult and child social services which you might find useful.
Housing
If you are living in social housing, either through a council or a social housing provider, each should have a clear complaints process on their website.
If this doesn’t resolve your problem, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman.
Shelter have a Housing Advice webpage containing lots of information on your rights in a range of different housing types. This includes a list of letter templates to help you write your complaints about a range of housing problems.
Child Maintenance Service
Citizen’s Advice has detailed advice on how you make a complaint about the Child Maintenance Service. If you are not satisfied with the initial response, the above link details how you can escalate your concerns.