Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek approval
to recruit a temporary, fixed-term Senior Complaints Officer via
the Council’s agency staffing contract (Reed) for a six-month
period. The role will be contracted for 2.5 days per week (18.32
hours) to provide additional capacity in response to increasing
demand within the Complaints Team in Children’s Social Care
and school contract SLA delivery. Details on how this time will be
managed are outlined within the report. Between January and March
2025, the service received 45 complaints and 16 representations,
compared to 23 complaints and 32 representations during the same
period in 2024. This reflects a marked increase in formal
complaints, many of which are complex and require statutory
investigation. This represents a 96% increase in complaints and an
11% overall increase in total casework. This shift in both volume
and case type has placed increased pressure on the team’s
capacity to meet statutory timescales and maintain quality. The
immediate additional support will help ensure that complaints are
managed effectively, statutory deadlines are met, and complainants,
particularly children, young people, and families, receive timely
and appropriate responses. Failure to act will likely result in
further breaches of statutory timescales, increased risk of
escalation to the Ombudsman, reputational damage to the Council,
and reduced confidence from both residents and school
partners.

Content

RESOLVED - That:
Approve the appointment of a temporary Senior Complaints Officer,
on a part-time (18.32), six-month temporary contract, to assist
with Children’s Social Care, complex cases, and school
contract SLA-related complaints

Reasons for the decision

Option 1 - Approve the appointment of a
temporary Senior Complaints Officer, on a part-time (18.32),
six-month temporary contract, to assist with Children’s
Social Care, complex cases, and school contract SLA-related
complaints