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Consultation on Proposed Amendments to the Scottish Social Services Council’s Complaints Procedure May 2008
Please note:
The Complaints Procedure is about how the SSSC, through members and officers, has carried out its functions. It is not the document that regulates how complaints about workers on the SSSC's Register or other social service workers will be handled.
1. Introduction
1.1 The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) was established under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 and is responsible for registering people who work in social services and regulating their education and training. We were established to raise standards in social services. Our role is to increase the protection of people who use social services, to raise standards of practice and to strengthen and support the professionalism of the workforce.
1.2 The SSSC is committed to carrying out its responsibilities to the highest standards possible and wishes to hear about and address any concerns or complaints in relation to how it has carried out, or failed to carry out its functions. In 2002 therefore we adopted a Complaints Procedure with the consent of Scottish Ministers in terms of the 2001 Act.
2. Why are we proposing to make changes to the Complaints Procedure?
2.1 The Complaints Procedure has been considered during equalities consultations held by the SSSC over the last year in accordance with our statutory duties. Comments were sought from a wide range of stakeholders from the voluntary, public and private sectors, including social service workers, students, users of services, carers and academics. As a result of the consultations some minor amendments are proposed to the Complaints Procedure.
2.2 In addition as a result of the experience of complaints handling that we now have, further amendments are proposed. In particular, in the context of the SSSC’s role as a workforce regulator, it is proposed to revise the Complaints Procedure further to clarify that a complaint about officers’ investigation of an allegation about a social service worker will not normally be accepted for consideration under the Complaints Procedure until such time as the investigation is concluded. To consider a complaint prior to the conclusion of an investigation could be viewed as being potentially prejudicial to, or as having the potential to influence the outcome of the investigation. It is also proposed to revise the Complaints Procedure to impose 2 additional deadlines:-
(i) Complaints must normally be received by the SSSC within 12 months of the occurrence of the event which is the subject of the complaint.
(ii) Where the Complaints Procedure allows a complainant to request a review, a deadline of 28 days is introduced for submission of requests for review.
2.3 A copy of the proposed Complaints Procedure is available here.
2.4 We would like your views on the proposed changes to the Complaints Procedure and would be grateful if you could read the Complaints Procedure and then answer the questions below.
The consultation is now closed.
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