What Happens When I Complain?

We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint and provide contact details. Our complaints procedure has two stages.

Stage 1: Frontline response

We aim to respond to complaints quickly (where possible when you first tell us about the issue). This could mean an on-the-spot apology if something has clearly gone wrong, or immediate action to resolve the problem.

We will give you a decision at Stage 1 in 5 working days or less (unless there are exceptional circumstances).

If you are not satisfied with the response we give at Stage 1, we will tell you what you can do next. If you choose to, you can take your complaint to Stage 2. You must normally ask us to consider your complaint at Stage 2 either:

within six months of the event, you want to complain about or finding out that you have a reason to complain; or
within two months of receiving your Stage 1 response from us (if this is later).

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a Stage 2 complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

Stage 2: Investigation

Stage 2 deals with two types of complaint: those that have not been resolved at Stage 1 and those that clearly require in-depth investigation, and so are handled at this stage following discussion and agreement with you. If you do not wish your complaint to be handled at Stage 1, you can ask us to handle it at stage 2 instead.

When using stage 2:

we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days.
we will confirm our understanding of the complaint we will investigate and what outcome you are looking for.
we will try to resolve your complaint where we can (in some cases we may suggest using an alternative complaint resolution approach, such as mediation).
where we cannot resolve your complaint, we will give you a full response as soon as possible, normally within 20 working days.
if our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will tell you our revised time limits and keep you updated on progress.

What if I'm still dissatisfied?

After we have given you our final decision, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) to review it.

NIPSO is an independent organisation that investigates complaints across the public sector. The service provided by NIPSO is free.

NIPSO generally expects complaints to be brought to it within 6 months from us informing you that the complaints handling procedure is complete and of your right to refer your complaint to NIPSO. You will need to provide details of your complaint and a copy of our final response.

NIPSO's contact details are:

The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman, 33 Wellington Place , Belfast, BT1 6HN

Tel Freephone: 0800 34 34 24 / Email: nipso@nipso.org.uk / Web: The Office of the Northern Ireland Ombudsman

If you would like to visit in person, you must make an appointment first

The freepost address is FREEPOST NIPSO

If NIPSO cannot investigate your complaint and your complaint requires an alternative route for independent review, NIPSO will tell you and provide you with the relevant contact details.

Please note: NIPSO is not an advocacy or support service. You may wish to get independent support or advocacy to help you progress your complaint. See the Help to Make a Complaint Section for more details.