Clarity. Fairness. Stronger Services for Children, Young People and Families

We help local authorities, charities, and community organisations build fairer, more accountable systems for children and families. We believe services work best when people feel heard, respected, and treated fairly – including both the children and families using them, and the professionals delivering them.

Our work is shaped by a rights-based, trauma-informed, and practical approach. We support services to strengthen outcomes by building the tools, structure, and clarity they need to do their jobs well.

We offer practical help across complaints handling, service reviews, quality assurance, and professional learning. Everything we do is grounded in real-world experience and focused on improving confidence, communication, and outcomes.

Whether you’re managing complex complaints, reviewing systems, or building team confidence, our support is clear, human, and focused on what works. We believe better conversations lead to better outcomes.

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Children Act Complaints Specialists

We focus on statutory Children Act complaints, bringing deep expertise in the specific legal framework, operational pressures and improvement approaches that work in English local government settings.
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Proven Cost Reduction Results

Our approach is grounded in research, showing clear evidence that proper training and QA can reduce complaint volumes by up to 25% and escalation rates from 40% to as low as 5-15%.
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Ready to Use Tools and Templates

Every training session and consultancy package includes practical, editable resources that teams can implement immediately. From response templates to investigation planners, our tools are designed for real-world use in busy local authority environments.
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Evidence-Based Training That Reduces Complaints and Costs

Our research across local authorities reveals that only 43% provide formal training for stage one complaint investigators, while 71% lack structured quality assurance processes. Councils that invested in our training approach saw complaint volumes drop by up to 25% in the following year. One authority reduced complaints from 63 to 47 after implementing our structured improvements, freeing up significant resources for frontline children's services.

We’ve relied on James’ input and advice for our most sensitive and high-risk complaints. Having expert advice on hand at short notice has helped us get it right first time and avoid escalation. Calm, focused support at just the right time.

Complaints and Representation Manager

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Comprehensive Training Programme for Every Stage of the Process

We offer three levels of training designed for the realities of local authority work. Snapshot Sessions provide focused 2-hour briefings perfect for team meetings, updates and introductory training. Workshop Sessions deliver 4-hour skill-building experiences for investigating officers and managers. Our Signature Sessions offer full-day intensive development for senior staff, complaint leads and panel members. All sessions include practical tools, templates and real-world examples from over 20 years of Children Act complaints experience.

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Quality Assurance and Consultancy That Prevents Escalation

Councils with low stage one resolution rates see escalation in up to 40% of cases, compared to just 5-15% in authorities with better initial handling. Our consultancy services include mini QA health checks, complaint response feedback, end-to-end reviews and critical friend support. We help identify patterns, strengthen systems and provide independent insight where it's most needed, working flexibly at a scale that suits your team.

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Led by Children's Services Expert
James Anderson FCMI

Resolution Ready is led by James Anderson FCMI, with over 20 years' experience across social care, advocacy, complaints handling and service design. James has chaired numerous statutory investigations and panels, supported service-wide improvement programmes, and held senior leadership roles in both public and voluntary sector organisations. This depth of practical experience ensures our support is grounded in the real pressures that English local authorities face.

Having an external view helped us step back and see the bigger picture. The feedback was practical and clear, with a focus on what really mattered. It’s been an invaluable part of improving our complaint responses.

Service Manager, Safeguarding and QA

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Creative Facilitation and Team Development Support

Beyond complaints training, we design thoughtful facilitation sessions using visual tools, mapped thinking and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® techniques. Whether you need a team away day, strategic planning session or reflective space after difficult periods, we create structured environments that support honest conversation and practical action planning. Our facilitation works particularly well for multi-agency partnerships and cross-service initiatives.

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Flexible Support for Charities and Community Organisations

We provide accessible, affordable support for voluntary sector organisations working with children and families. This includes complaints procedure development, safeguarding policy reviews, staff training and participation tools. We understand resource constraints and offer flexible pricing, reduced rates and pro bono support where this makes a meaningful difference to community services.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Our Children Act Complaints Support

What specific training do you offer for Children Act complaints
We provide three levels of training from 2-hour Snapshot Sessions to full-day Signature Sessions. Our core programme covers stage one response skills, stage two investigation techniques, panel preparation and learning from complaints. All training includes editable templates, planning tools and practical examples specific to English local authority requirements.
How much can proper training reduce our complaint escalation rates?
Our research shows councils with structured training achieve 80-95% resolution at stage one, compared to around 60% for those without formal support. Authorities with better initial handling see escalation rates of just 5-15% versus up to 40% in councils with weaker stage one responses. This represents significant cost savings in staff time and resources.
Do you offer ongoing support beyond one-off training sessions?
Yes, we provide flexible consultancy including critical friend support, live case advice and mini QA health checks. We can work on an hourly basis or as part of longer-term improvement programmes. We also run the free Resolution Ready Connect network with monthly drop-in sessions and early access to new resources.
What makes your approach different from generic complaints training?
We focus exclusively on Children Act complaints and related improvement work for English local authorities. Our training uses real case examples, includes ready-to-use tools and is delivered by practitioners with extensive experience of statutory investigations and panels. We understand both the legal framework and operational pressures specific to children's services.
Can you help with our most complex or sensitive complaints?
Absolutely. We provide critical friend consultancy for high-risk cases, helping you structure responses, sense-check findings and provide independent oversight. We're experienced in handling complaints with significant public interest, complex family dynamics or potential reputational impact.
Do you work with smaller organisations and charities?
Yes, we provide tailored support for voluntary sector organisations including policy development, staff training and safeguarding procedure reviews. We offer flexible pricing and reduced rates for community organisations, with some pro bono support available where this would make a meaningful difference.
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