Introduction
We try to provide the best possible service but accept that sometimes things go wrong. When this happens, we’d like to know so we can try to put things right.
We have a guide for members of the public who want to make a complaint about the SSSC.
Read our full complaints guidance.
How to complain
Complete the form to make a complaint about the SSSC.
If you would prefer to contact us directly, please provide:
- your name
- your preferred contact details
- as much detail as possible on the issues you wish to complain about
- the date the issue occurred, or the date you first became aware of the issue.
Please provide as much detail as possible to help us to investigate your complaint and send it to [email protected] or Complaints, SSSC, 11 Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY.
Is your complaint about a worker?
If you want to raise a concern about a social service worker please complete the raising a concern about a worker form. Our Fitness to Practise department will consider your complaint.
Types of complaint
What do we treat as a complaint?
We define a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction about the way we work, including the conduct of our staff.
Your complaint may involve more than one part of the organisation or be about someone working on our behalf.
Anonymous complaints
We will investigate anonymous complaints if possible, however we may not be able to do a full investigation.
Do you want to make a complaint about a service?
If you have concerns about a regulated care service in Scotland you can:
- contact the Care Inspectorate on 0345 600 9527
- write to any of their offices.
Stages of a complaint
Stage one
We want to resolve complaints as quickly and simply as possible.
Please raise your complaint with the SSSC staff member you have been dealing with. If you feel you can’t complain to them, please complain to their manager. You can find out who this is by contacting us by email [email protected] or telephone 0345 60 30 891.
Let us know what the problem is, how it happened and how you would like us to sort it out.
We will give you our decision within five working days. We’ll tell you if we need more time to investigate.
If we can’t resolve your complaint at this stage, we will explain why and tell you what you can do next. We might suggest you take your complaint to stage two.
Stage two
Stage two deals with two types of complaint, which are those that:
- have not been resolved at stage one
- are complex and require detailed investigation.
When using stage two we will:
- acknowledge your complaint within three working days
- where appropriate, discuss your complaint with you to understand why you remain unhappy and the outcome you want
- respond in full to the complaint within 20 working days from the day we received it.
If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you and agree revised time limits.
If you remain unhappy at the end of stage two, you can complain to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)(Opens new window)
Getting help to make your complaint
We understand making a complaint can be difficult, so we can accept a complaint made on your behalf by a friend, family member, advocate or someone else, if you’ve given them permission.
If you need any help to make a complaint, including getting information in a different language or format please get in touch, so we can help. BSL users can contact us via contactSCOTLAND-BSL.
Get more information on the contactSCOTLAND website(Opens new window)