Please note that due to industrial action there will be a disruption to our normal service on Wednesday 26 April.

Please note that our office will be closed to the public on Friday 7th April, but we will still be taking calls and enquiries.

Our latest Bulletin provides updates on our most recent work, including our new Case Digest which contains guidance for schools on managing complaints.  It also highlights some of our recently published reports, including our investigations into complaints about health trusts, a GP practice, and a local council.

A guide to best practice for complaints handling in schools has been launched today (21/03/2023). The guide which is being issued to schools throughout Northern Ireland, will provide school leaders and Boards of Governors with an insight into the key issues which have arisen from complaints.

Councillor Padraig McShane (Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council) has been suspended for two months following an Adjudication Hearing held today (3 March).

Former Councillor Jolene Bunting has been disqualified from holding the office of councillor for 3 years following an Adjudication Hearing held today (8 February).

This Bulletin highlights some of our most recent investigation reports, including those which found serious failings in two care homes, and into complaints about the Department for the Economy and the Department for Communities.  It also provides other updates on our work.

Our Complaints Standards team are continuing to work with the local government sector in Northern Ireland to change the way they deal with complaints.

At an Adjudication Hearing held yesterday (28 November) former Councillor Ruth Wilson (Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) acknowledged that a comment she made on Facebook in 2018 was a breach of the Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors.