Model Complaints Handling Procedures
Our Model Complaints Handling Procedures provide guidance to staff on how they should investigate complaints.
We chose local government as the first sector to develop a Model Complaints Handling Procedure, and are currently working with the health sector to launch their own MCHP later this year.
We plan to have all public bodies following broadly the same procedures by April 2027.
To help us create the local government MCHP we set up a Strategic Network made up of senior local government officials, and an Operational Network of staff involved in the handling of complaints. The new Local Government Model Complaints Handling Procedure was launched in July 2023.
The sector was given six months from this date to set up any new IT systems to record and report complaints information, and to provide staff with training in the new complaints standards procedure. From 1 January 2024 all local government organisations have been managing complaints according to the Model Complaints Handling Procedure.
This states that straightforward complaints should be dealt with within 5 working days, with more complicated ones should be passed to a second investigation stage which should take the public body no more than 20 working days to complete.
As well as setting timescales for responding to people’s concerns, we want to change the culture in organisations so that complaints are taken more seriously. Complaints matter because they are an early warning system for public bodies.
Our training and advice to public bodies, including on how complaints should be investigated and how to communicate with complainants, will help support the changes.
