How Are We Doing? - Your guide to making a comment, compliment or complaint

If you have comments or suggestions about how our services could be improved, let us know. We will always acknowledge comments and suggestions and pass them to the relevant service, but we may not be able to take action on your suggestion.
 

A complaint is a way to let us know if you are not happy with some aspect
of our service.

It is helpful if you explain why you are unhappy and what you
think should be done to resolve the problem. We will investigate and try to put
things right.

If your complaint is about social care services (adults or children’s) there are
different complaints processes.

• Children’s social care complaints are looked at under The Children’s Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) 2006
• Adult social care complaints are looked at under the Local Authority Social

Services and National Health Service Complaints Regulations (England) 2009

When you submit your complaint we will advise you of this.
 

You can fill out an online form, email, write or speak to us over the phone:

• we will let you know we have received it within three working days
• we will find out what you want to happen to put things right
• a manager in the service will investigate and respond within 20 working days
• if we need more time to investigate your complaint we will write to you to let you know when we hope to provide a final response
• if we find we have failed to provide the level of service you should expect we will apologise, and look to put things right
• we welcome your views of what needs to be done to resolve any problem

We try to resolve most complaints internally, but if you are still unhappy you can refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), who will carry out an independent review. The LGO will not normally accept a complaint which has not been considered under the council’s internal process first.
 

To send a comment, compliment or complaint, in the first instance, please contact the service concerned, or:

• fill out our online form on our website
• call: 01305 221061
• email: complaints@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
• write to:
  Dorset Council
  County Hall
  Colliton Park
  Dorchester
  DT1 1XJ

Contact the advice team:

• call: 0300 061 0614
• email: complaints@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
• write to:

The Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
 

This publication can be made available in audio tape, large print and Braille, or alternative languages on request.