The Social Services Complaints Procedure (Wales) Regulations 2014

PART 2 SETTING UP THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Duty to establish a complaints procedure

3.—(1) Each local authority must make arrangements in accordance with these Regulations for the handling and consideration of complaints.

(2) The arrangements made in accordance with paragraph (1) must be in writing.

Senior officer responsible for complaints

4.  Each local authority must designate a senior officer of the local authority to be responsible for ensuring compliance with the complaints procedure made by the local authority under these Regulations.

Complaints officer

5.—(1) Each local authority must appoint a person, in these Regulations referred to as a complaints officer.

(2) The function of the complaints officer is to manage the procedures for handling and considering complaints.

(3) The function of the complaints officer may be performed by any person authorised by the local authority to act on behalf of the complaints officer.

(4) A complaints officer need not be an employee of the local authority and may be appointed as a complaints officer for more than one local authority.

Publicity

6.—(1) Each local authority must ensure that there is effective publicity, in a variety of media, formats and languages, about its complaints procedure.

(2) Each local authority must take all reasonable steps to ensure that information about its complaints procedure is available to service users and their carers, if any.

(3) The information referred to in paragraph (2) must include the name of its complaints officer and an address at which the complaints officer can be contacted.

(4) A copy of the complaints procedure must be given free of charge to any person who requests it, in the format that has been requested.

Form of communication

7.—(1) Any communication which is required by these Regulations to be made to a complainant may be sent to the complainant electronically where the complainant—

(a) has consented in writing ; and

(b) has not withdrawn such consent in writing; and

(c) has provided the local authority with a suitable electronic mail address.

(2) Any requirement in these Regulations for a document to be signed by a person is satisfied, in the case of a document which is sent electronically in accordance with these Regulations, by the individual who is authorised to sign the document typing their name or producing their name using a computer or other electronic means.

Information and training of staff

8.  Each local authority must ensure that its staff are informed about and appropriately trained in t0he operation of the arrangements for the handling and investigation of complaints.