Make a complaint about Renfrewshire Council

If something goes wrong or you are not happy with our services, please tell us. 

It is important that we hear from you first-hand. You can highlight problems that we might have missed. 

We can then try to resolve your complaint quickly or give you an explanation about a decision we've made. This can prevent the same problems from happening again and will help us provide better services.

We aim to handle complaints in a way that is:

• respectful
• fair
• clear and transparent
• sensitive to people’s experiences.

Making a complaint will not affect how you are treated or the services you receive from us.

Anyone who receives, requests, or is directly affected by one of our services can make a complaint.

This includes someone making a complaint on behalf of another person, such as a relative, friend, advocate or advisor. If you’re doing this, we will usually need the person’s consent.

You can complain about things like:

• a failure or refusal to provide a service
• the quality or standard of a service
• delays in providing a service
• how a policy has affected you or someone else
• how laws, procedures, or guidance have been applied
• how administrative processes have been followed
• the conduct or attitude of a member of staff or a contractor
• a decision you disagree with (unless there is a separate appeals process).

Your complaint may involve more than one service or someone else working on our behalf.

If your complaint is about a care service, you can choose to complain to us or the Care Inspectorate. 

Find out how to make a complaint about a registered care service on the Care Inspectorate website.

What we cannot deal with through our complaints process

There are some things we cannot deal with through our complaints handling process. 

Examples include:

• a first-time request for a service
• a first-time report of a fault, for example, potholes or street lighting
• issues that are going through court or a tribunal
• matters where there is a separate legal or statutory appeals process such as council tax appeals, planning appeals, or appealing a parking fine
• Freedom of Information requests (FOIs), Subject Access Requests (SARs), requests for environmental information, or questions about data protection
• staff grievances or recruitment concerns
• a concern raised internally by a member of staff, such as a whistleblowing concern
• a concern about a child’s safety or an adult's safety
• asking us to reopen or reconsider a complaint where we have already given our final decision
• abuse or allegations about our organisation or staff that cannot be substantiated
• issues about organisations we are not responsible for.

If you are not sure if something is covered by our complaints process, contact us and we can help.  We’ll explain what you can do and help you find the right route.

Contacting the service directly

It’s often quicker to raise your concern directly with the service involved. A member of staff may be able to resolve the issue straight away.

The best way to contact us about one of our services is by visiting the service’s page on our website.

Timescales for making a complaint

Normally, you need to make a complaint within 6 months of the issue happening, or within 6 months of you becoming aware of it.  

We might be able to make exceptions in some circumstances. If you think this applies to you, let us know and we will take it into account.

What you need to tell us

When you contact us, it helps if you can tell us:

• your name and contact details
• what happened
• how this affected you
• what you would like us to do to put things right.
   

Make a complaint online

You can also make a complaint by phone, email, or in writing.

Let us know if you need information in a different format, language, communication method, or additional support.

If you find it difficult to explain or write things down, we can support you with this.

Or, if you would prefer, someone you trust such as a friend, relative, or advocate can support you or make a complaint on your behalf, with your consent.

An advocate is an independent person or organisation who can help you express your views and make sure your voice is heard.

You can find out more through the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance.            

You can also get free, independent and confidential advice from Citizens Advice Scotland.

We will triage all complaints to see whether they require a Stage 1 frontline response or Stage 2 investigation. Some complaints go straight to Stage 2 if they are more complex, or relate to specific areas, such as social work services. 

We can only give you a direct response. If you make a complaint anonymously, we cannot give you a direct response unless you’ve provided us with contact details.

Stage 1: Frontline response

Where possible, we’ll try to resolve your concern quickly, sometimes at the point you raise it. 

This may include 

• an explanation
• an apology
• action to fix the issue.

We’ll respond within 5 working days if we cannot do this straight away.

You can ask us to escalate it to an investigation if:

• you’re not satisfied with our response
• your complaint is more complex
• it has not been resolved.

Stage 2: Investigation

If you want us to investigate your complaint, contact us within:

• 6 months of the issue happening or you become aware of it
• 2 months of receiving your stage 1 frontline response.

At this stage, we’ll:

• acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days
• make sure we have all the details we need from you so that we can investigate fully
• look into the issue in more detail
• keep you updated on progress either on MyAccount or through the contact details you’ve given us.

We normally provide a full response within 20 working days. If it takes longer, we’ll explain why and agree a new timescale with you.

We may also suggest other ways to resolve the issue, such as mediation, if it’s appropriate.

If you are not satisfied once the investigation is finished, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to review your complaint.

The SPSO is an independent organisation.

You can contact them if:

• you have completed our complaints process
• your complaint was made within 12 months of the issue
• your case is not being considered by a court or tribunal.

You can contact the SPSO online, by phone or in writing. They’ll ask you to go through a checklist to work out if they can help. They may also ask for copies of key documents, such as your original complaint and our final response.

If your complaint cannot be reviewed by the SPSO, we’ll explain what other options may be available.