STAGE
1 - Registration
If you want to complain about CAFCASS, You must first make your complaint
in writing to the Regional Complaints Manager for your local area. CAFCASS
should acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and also enter
it onto their complaints database. CAFCASS will then decide whether
or not to register your complaint. If they do register it, it will then
been passed to a Regional Director for investigation.
If they decide not to register it, they must inform you of their reasons
in writing within 10 working days. You then have the right to ask for
your complaint to be reviewed by a Regional Director. The Regional Director
will then make a decision about the complaint and will inform you and
the Regional Complaints Manager of his decision. if still unhappy you
may contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman through an
MP.
Regional
Complaints Managers
You can contact the Regional Complaints Managers through your regional
office below.
CAFCASS
England National Office
8th Floor Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SH
Tel: 020 7510 7000
feedback@cafcass.gov.uk |
CAFCASS
Wales National Office
Grosvenor Lodge
1 Grosvenor Road
Wrexham
LL11 1DB
Tel: 01978 368 479 |
East
Midlands Region
2nd Floor New Enterprise House
St Helen's Street
Derby
DE1 3GY
Tel: 01332 866 480 |
North West Region
6th Floor Byrom House
Quay Street
Manchester
M3 3JD
Tel: 0161 830 5733 |
Greater
London Region
14th Floor Archway Tower
2 Junction Road
London
N19 5HQ
Tel: 020 7210 4100 |
South East
Region
8th Floor Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SH
Tel: 020 7510 7000 |
North
East Region
38 Saddler Street
Durham
DH1 3NU
Tel: 0191 383 9279 |
West Midlands
Region
1 Printing House Street
Birmingham
B4 6DE
Tel: 0121 710 1830 |
Yorkshire
and Humberside Region
1 Park Cross
Mews Park
Cross Street
Leeds
LS1 2QS
Tel: 0113 394 7474 |
Eastern Region
St Mary's House
90 Victoria Road
Chelmsford
Essex
CM1 1RD
Tel: 01245 255 660 |
South
Region
1st Floor Grosvenor House
Basing View
Basingstoke
RG21 4HG
Tel: 01256 392 770 |
South West Region
6 Mendip House
High Street
Taunton
TA1 3SX
T el: 01823 340 205 |
STAGE
2 - Problem-solving
At stage two the Regional Manager will meet you and also the person
you have made the complaint about. He should then write to you with
any agreed solution, and any remaining issues. This process should take
20 working days from receiving the complaint.
If you are not satisfied you can ask the Regional Manager for your complaint
to proceed to stage 3 of the Complaints Procedure. He will consider
whether or not more can be achieved by further investigation, how serious
the complaint is or if it would be in the child’s best interests
to further investigate the complaint. If the Regional Manager decides
not to investigate your complaint further they will write to you with
their reasons.
You can then ask the Regional Director to review this decision, and
decide whether this has been fair or not.
STAGE
3 - Investigation
At this stage an independent investigator will be brought in, who is
not an employee of CAFCASS. He will carry out an investigation, talk
to the people involved, look through all the documentation, and then
write a report on his findings. If all or part of the complaint is withheld,
the Regional Director will send you all or parts of the report explaining
his recommendations and what CAFCASS will do about these.
This stage should be completed within 30 days of your complaint being
registered at stage 3.
If you are still unhappy at how your complaint has been investigated
you can move on to stage 4 of the complaints procedures, by writing
to the National Complaints Manager. This must be done within 20 working
days of receiving the letter from the Regional Director.
STAGE
4 - Review
A review is carried out by a review panel. This will consist of a board
member, and a Regional Director or Children's Rights Director. There
is no hearing at this stage, but the review panel will provide written
conclusions, which will be sent to you through the National Office.
If you are still not happy, you can contact The Parliamentary and Health
Service Ombudsman.
THE
PARLIAMENTARY AND HEALTH SERVICE OMBUDSMAN
This Ombudsman deals with complaints from members of the public who
feel they have suffered unjustly because of maladministration by government
departments such as CAFCASS. They can examine how CAFCASS have handled
situations, but cannot comment on professional opinions and outcomes
in court proceedings.
The Parliamentary
and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
0845 015 403
phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
