Agenda item

To present the findings and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group.

a.  To ask the Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families and the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being to correspond with the Welsh Government to express concern that complaint handling guidance has not been updated since 2014 and that social media is not properly considered as a means for complainants to contact with complaints.

 b.  To reconcile the information presented in tables in future social services complaints reports to reflect the situation in a comprehensive and up-to-date manner.

c.  To recommend that the relevant Cabinet Member reviews the corporate complaints recording form and its format and amend it to be more similar to Social Services complaints recording forms in order to promote and increase the accessibility of Welsh-language forms.

ch.      To ask the departments dealing with complaints to indicate that the             
Council can be contacted through social media on the complaint recording forms.

d)       To ask the Council to consider ways for carers to submit complaints.

The report was presented by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group namely on the Report on Complaints of the Adults, Health and Well-being Department and Children and Supporting Families Department

An overview of the discussion that took place at the meeting of the task group was given, which was set up to discuss issues raised from the annual report on Social Services Complaints, Enquiries and Gratitude on 25 September 2026. The officers were thanked for being so willing to share information. The main points raised at the meeting were outlined;

-       The complaints were discussed in the context of the 2024 National Guidelines and concern was expressed that the guidelines were outdated.

-       The nature of the complaints and the manner in which they were resolved by the Council were considered.

-       The rationale behind the complaints and some of the regular complainants was considered. It was discussed how the officers deal with regular complainants efficiently and how an acceptable resolution reaches the threshold of being a formal or official complaint.

-       The efficiency and accessibility of the complaints record sheets of both departments in question, and the corporate white leaflet were discussed.

-       The complaints were looked at in terms of themes and whether any specific themes appeared. It was understood that many complaints were submitted at random and did not follow a specific pattern.

-       The number of complaints received in English were considered. It was mentioned that officers anticipated more complaints in English with the increasing use of artificial intelligence. It was noted that some complaints had obviously been already formulated with the help of artificial intelligence.

-       Consideration was given to whether there was any link between the Our Bravery Brought Justice report and the complaints protocol and policies.

The recommendations received were presented to encourage more residents to submit complaints and compliments. The report was welcomed and there was a discussion about the findings and recommendations. A Member expressed frustration that unpaid carers cannot make a complaint on behalf of an individual who receives care or a specific service.

In considering the recommendations, a Member expressed that he was keen to add a recommendation that unpaid carers looking after individuals could make a complaint on behalf of a vulnerable individual. It was explained that this was not possible, but it was accepted that it was frustrating and very difficult for carers. It was elaborated that consideration could be given to what may improve the situation to ensure better care for vulnerable individuals who do not receive quality care or service. The observations were accepted.

DECISION

a. To ask the Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families and the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being to correspond with the Welsh Government to express concern that guidance on handling complaints has not been updated since 2014, and that no appropriate consideration has been given to social media as a means for complainants to submit complaints.

b. To reconcile the information presented in tables in future social services complaints reports to reflect the situation in a comprehensive and up-to-date manner.

c. To recommend that the relevant Cabinet Member reviews the corporate complaints recording form and its format and amend it to be more similar to Social Services complaints recording forms to promote and increase the accessibility of Welsh-language forms.

ch. To ask departments dealing with complaints to note on the complaint recording forms that the Council can be contacted via social media.

d. To ask the Council to consider ways for carers to submit complaints