We've recently launched a new guide to help local authorities handle complaints under the children’s services statutory complaints process.

Free to download, the short guide shares the lessons from previous investigations about how councils should apply the regulations and statutory guidance. Being the area in which we receive the most queries from local authorities, it addresses the common questions received.

For complaints about many areas of children’s services, there is a statutory, three-stage complaints procedure local authorities must follow. Common questions answered in the guide include basic issues around what areas come under the statutory process along with more detailed questions about young people’s consent, court action, delays and deadlines, and statements of complaint.

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We're urging councils to ensure they have proper oversight of nurseries offering free early years places, after a national nursery chain was found to be charging Leicestershire parents a ‘top-up fee’.

Government guidance states that the free places must be free, but the chain's Market Harborough site was charging parents the difference between the amount Leicestershire County Council paid it for the places, and the amount they charged private customers.

Our investigation found the council did not have sufficient oversight of the way the nursery charged parents when administering the free early years places.

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Our Ombudsman, Michael King, gave evidence to an online meeting of the Armed Forces Bill Select Committee on 10 March.

He spoke about the potential impact to the LGSCO of the proposals to enshrine the Armed Forces Covenant in law.

The small number of investigations we carry out in this area make a big difference to armed forces families – but we think people are not very aware of their rights under the covenant, as well as their right to come to us if they feel unhappy with how they’ve been treated.

In November 2019 we published guidance to local authorities on their responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant.

Watch the session

A recent investigation has highlighted a little-known area of our work in investigating complaints about public health. 

In this case, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham received reports from a resident about a possible cancer cluster. This wasn't picked up by the council and so wasn't investigated, and the resident's complaints were not responded to properly either.

We're pleased to say the council has accepted our recommendations and is improving the way it deals with reports of non-infectious disease clusters in future. 

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During the latest lockdown, we have been operating our telephone helpline on reduced hours.

From this week, we are able to extend our helpline opening hours partially towards pre-Covid levels:

• 10am to 12 noon Monday and Tuesday
• 10am to 4pm Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

These times only refer to the opening of our helpline. Our staff continue to work mostly from home and people can still contact their named investigator where they have one.

If you want to raise a new complaint with us, the easiest way is still for you to complete our online complaint form on our website.

Next week we will stop publishing public interest reports for those local authorities that have local elections in May.