What we will do after receiving your complaint

If after looking into your complaint in detail we conclude that we cannot take the matter further, we will explain to you why.

If your complaint is one we can look at and we believe that there has been a failing on behalf of the public body, we will see if it is possible to sort out the matter informally.

If we cannot sort out your complaint informally, particularly if it appears that there may have been a serious failure on the part of the public body, we will begin a formal investigation. In doing so, we will listen to both sides of the story – that is, your side and that of the public body. If your complaint is one that involves issues of a specialist nature, we may obtain independent professional advice to help us consider the situation. Having gathered and considered all the evidence available to us, we will weigh up the facts and then reach an objective decision.

We may decide that the public body has treated you fairly or that you have not been disadvantaged in the particular circumstances. If this is the case, we will tell you why we have arrived at this decision.

If we decide that the public body is at fault and that you have suffered because of it, we will make recommendations on what the body should do to put things right.

It is not our role to obtain compensation for people. Our aim is to try to put you in the position you would have been in if the public body had treated you properly and fairly in the first place. This may involve the recommendation of a consolatory payment or making good any losses you have suffered or ensuring you receive payments you were entitled to. Often though, we may decide that an apology is sufficient. Where necessary, we will ask the body to take steps to improve its systems so that no one else suffers in the same way.

Sometimes it can take several months to complete an investigation. However, throughout the consideration of a complaint, we will be in regular contact with you to keep you informed of what is happening.