Our complaints work concentrates on how decisions are made, recorded and explained to children and families.
We cover the whole procedure in one place: complaints training for staff and managers, quality assurance of responses and investigation reports, and a health check of how the process runs, including what the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks for and how the authority learns from complaints. The October 2026 advocacy standards and statutory guidance expect authorities to offer a child an advocate when they make a complaint, and our training covers how to build that into the process.
Each piece of work follows Thinking Differently®, our theory of change: listen, reflect, structure, respond.
Free download. Stage 1 response checklist (PDF), ten things a good response contains. Use it and share it freely. Also free: Statement of complaint template and The Children Act complaints procedure on one page.
When people come to us
- A new complaints manager is in post and wants a fresh look at how the process runs.
- You want stage 1 responses to be clear and right first time.
- Managers who respond to complaints want to understand the statutory procedure.
- You are building the October 2026 advocacy standards into your process.
- You want to show how complaints shape your services.
- You want an independent check of how the whole procedure is working.
Ways to work with us
Training
Short briefings of one to two hours, half days or full days, in person or online, covering stage 1 responses, the statutory framework, investigation and report writing, and quality assurance. Staff come away with tools and templates they can use straight away. Complaints training is also available online, as our own short courses or as a course built for your teams. See online training.
Consultancy
One-off advice on a complex case, support to redesign your process, or a second read of response letters before they go out.
Quality assurance
We sample your responses and give written feedback on each one, then a short report on the themes and a feedback session with the team. It can be repeated over time.
Complaints Process Health Check
A fixed scope review of how your procedure works in practice, set out in full below.
Improving stage 1 responses and reducing escalation
Over eight months we worked with a large unitary authority to improve the way stage 1 Children Act complaints were handled. We reviewed more than 150 stage 1 responses and produced a quality assurance report for the director setting out strengths and areas for development.
We introduced a simple tracking form so managers could monitor progress and spot patterns, and worked directly with responding managers to help them plan their responses, structure their reasoning and write more clearly to families.
The authority reported clearer responses, stronger decision making and a reduction in avoidable escalation.
"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 quality assurance
"I really valued the space to talk openly about what needs to change, and how we can help drive that through complaints, learning and strong partnerships with young people."
Executive director of children's services
Complaints Process Health Check
An independent review of how your children's complaints procedure works in practice. It looks at what happens to a complaint from the day it arrives, what is working well, what could move faster, and what the responses say.
What we look at
- A sample of recent stage 1 and stage 2 responses, read against the statutory framework
- A check of timescales against the regulations, and how well they are being met
- A look at how complaints are logged, escalated and signed off
- Conversations with the complaints manager and two or three officers handling complaints
What you get
- A written report with findings and a short list of changes, in priority order
- A session with the team or senior managers to talk the findings through
Usually four to six weeks from start to report. Every piece of work starts with an informal conversation.
Your questions answered
How do we get started?
Get in touch and we will arrange an informal conversation to understand what you need and agree an approach.
Who do you work with?
Local authorities, children's trusts and the teams inside them, usually complaints and quality assurance functions, sometimes directly with senior managers or a director. Work ranges from a single training session to a review running over several months.
What makes your approach different?
We bring senior, specialist experience built on twenty-five years in children's services, safeguarding and statutory practice. We say what we see, including when something needs to change. The advice comes from current practice in local authorities across England.
Can you help with an urgent or sensitive issue?
Yes. Call 07923 465645 or email office@resolutionready.org.uk and we will come back to you the same working day.
For independent investigating officer and stage 3 panel chair appointments, see investigations and panel chairing.
Every piece of work starts with an informal conversation
Let's talkIf you are not ready for a conversation yet, our free resources are there to use, and the mailing list brings new resources as they are published.