How to complain about a public service - Domestic Abuse Commissioner

Too often victims and survivors are let down by agencies that should be there to protect them. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner is clear that this is unacceptable. Many victims and survivors write to the Commissioner to share their experiences and she is grateful for every piece of correspondence she receives. This helps the Commissioner to be closely informed by the issues facing victims and survivors every day, and is crucial in shaping her priorities.

You can only complain about a public service through their official procedures, which are listed here, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner cannot make a complaint on an individual’s behalf. However, if you would like to tell the Commissioner about the complaint that you have made, and any response you’ve received, information about how to do so is provided at the bottom of this page.

How to complain about an agency

How to complain about the 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 by using the IOPC Complaints Form available on the website of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). A guide is also available on the IOPC’s website: Make a complaint | Independent Office for Police Conduct

How to complain about a local authority

If you would like to complain about how the 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. Details of this process are listed on their website.

How to complain about a court

If you would like to issue a complaint about the administrative service you have received you can follow this link: Complaints procedure – HM Courts & Tribunals Service. If you would like to complain about judicial conduct or 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:

Magistrate 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. Appeals against the decision of the magistrates’ court in criminal cases are heard by the Crown Court. The appeal is made to the magistrates’ court and the papers sent by the magistrates’ court staff to the Crown Court. Appeal a magistrates’ court decision: What you can appeal

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. Applications to appeal, and for leave to appeal against decisions made by the Crown Court are dealt with by the Court of Appeal Criminal Division. Appeals against the outcome of a hearing in a county court or a High Court are mostly dealt with by the Court of Appeal Civil Division. Although HMCTS court staff will be happy to offer procedural guidance, they are not permitted or trained to give legal advice or discuss whether you can or should appeal. For legal assistance, a solicitor should be contacted. Alternatively, you may prefer to contact a Citizen’s Advice Bureau or other advice agency, where advice is generally provided free of charge. Appealing against a court decision in civil and family cases.

Family Court: If you wish to appeal a decision specific to Family court you can find out more here, follow the above guidance. You can find out more here too:Appeals – childlawadvice.org.uk.

Judicial Conduct: If you wish to raise a complaint with regards to the conduct of a specific Judge or Magistrate/Bench you can do that here: Judicial Conduct Investigations Office · Customer Self-Service

How to complain about a domestic abuse service

You have the option to raise a complaint with someone higher up within the organisation that provides the service. Each service will have a complaints process, which will contain the contact details of the CEO or members of the Board, and the complaints policy of the service should be on their website or easily available to all users.

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. Find information about where you can get support on this page.

How to complain about a school

If you would like to complain about how a school has treated you or your child, you can follow the school’s complaints procedure. Every school in England must have one. It’s usually available on the school’s website or from the school office and should tell you the kind of complaints the school deals with.

If the school is an 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 your complaint was not dealt with correctly, you can complain to 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.

Information about how to complain about a private school is available on the DfE website.

How to complain about a GP, hospital or adult social care

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK. Information about how to complain about a health services is online here: How to complain to the NHS – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

How to complain about housing

You can complain about council housing through your council – they should have a complaints policy that you can follow. You can also contact the Housing Ombudsman if you and your council cannot resolve the problem.

A list of letter templates for complaints about private renting can be found online here.

You may wish to visit Shelter’s Housing Advice web page for more information about your rights in a range of different housing types.

How to complain about Children’s Social Services

Your local authority has a procedure to deal with complaints about social services. You can make your complaint to anyone who works for social services. More information about the complaints process is available in this Citizen’s Advice guide.

How to complain about the Child Maintenance Service

Citizen’s Advice sets out detailed advice on how to make a complaint to the CMS. You can complain to the team handling your case and explain why you’re not happy – they’ll try to get back to you within 15 working days. You can call or write to them. You can also contact the CMS using your online account, if you have one. You’ll need the 12-digit reference number that begins with ‘121’ on any letters the CMS has sent you. If you are not satisfied with the initial response you can take things to the Complaints Resolution Team.

What is the Commissioner doing to drive change?

The voices of people subject to domestic abuse are integral in shaping the Commissioner’s priorities. Read more below about how the Domestic Abuse Commissioner is working to drive change in policy and practice across her thematic priorities.

Family Court

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner hears from victims and survivors on a weekly basis about their experiences of re-traumatisation and fear for their children’s safety in the Family Court. The Commissioner is alarmed by these stories, and regularly engages with the Ministry of Justice, CAFCASS and the Judiciary about these concerns. The Commissioner has made many recommendations to government about the Family Court, including calling for a more child centric approach, and the need for domestic abuse to be understood and assessed properly before any life-changing decisions are made. Read more about the Commissioner’s Family Court work here.

Children and young people subject to domestic abuse

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner is working to ensure children and young people who are subject to domestic abuse receive an integrated and comprehensive response, rooted in understanding, prevention, effective intervention and long-term support. This year she will publish a policy report on this issue and map the provision of specialist domestic abuse support for children, as well as pushing for better recognition of children who grow up with domestic abuse as victims in their own right. Read more.

Police and Criminal Justice

The Commissioner’s office is working to ensure victims and survivors are able to access the criminal justice response that they want, with their risk of harm robustly assessed and managed: a response which will enable them to feel protected when they report an incident of domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner meets regularly with stakeholders in government and across the criminal justice system, including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the courts, to help improve outcomes. Read more.

Funding for domestic abuse services

The Commissioner’s mapping research revealed that if you want domestic abuse support, who you are and where you live determines what kind of services you can get. This is a significant concern to the Commissioner, who believes that victims and survivors will be better able to access support that meets their needs if more funding is put into domestic abuse services. This includes services for Black and minoritised, LGBT+, and deaf and disabled victim and survivors.
The Commissioner regularly meets with government decision makers to push for greater funding for domestic abuse services and is hoping to secure landmark changes in the Victims and Prisoners Bill which is in the process of becoming law. Read more about the Commissioner’s work to improve domestic abuse service provision here.

Domestic homicide and suicide

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Domestic Homicides and Suicides Oversight Mechanism is working to ensure there is collective responsibility and accountability for the implementation of recommendations made through Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews. Through this work she hopes to drive positive change for victims of domestic abuse and ultimately prevent future deaths. Read more about the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s work here.

Migrant survivors

The Commissioner has long been concerned about migrant victims and survivors of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds being denied support because of their immigration status. The Commissioner regularly engages with the migrant domestic abuse support sector about and continues to amplify their concerns to central government, and has published several reports on this issue. Read more about the Domestic Abuse Commissioner work to improve support for migrant survivors here.

How to write to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner is grateful for every piece of correspondence she receives from people subject to domestic abuse. Whilst the Commissioner is legally unable to intervene in individual cases, your story is invaluable in shaping the Commissioner’s priorities. If you would like to, you can share your story and/or your thoughts on what needs to change to improve the response to domestic abuse with the Commissioner. You can do this by writing to [email protected].

Confidentiality statement

Whatever you tell the Domestic Abuse Commissioner or any members of her team, will not be shared with anyone else, except in certain circumstances. The only times we will share what you have told us, are:

If you give us specific consent to do so, or
If we believe an adult or child is at imminent risk of significant harm, or
If a court of law instructs us to, for example if evidence is required for criminal proceedings.

This means on rare occasions, we will not be able to keep your details confidential and we may need to involve statutory agencies. Where possible, we will seek to involve you in this process.