The key points of the report are provided below:

• a total of 124 complaints were received, consisting of 75 corporate complaints and 49 statutory complaints, a 44% increase from the previous year (86 in 2022/23)
• just over 75% of complaints were resolved at Stage 1, with just 24 complaints proceeding to Stage 2, and only 3 escalated to Stage 3. Only 2 complaints were investigated by the Ombudsman in the period and fault was found in one of these
• the highest number of complaints were in, MASH, Referral & Assessment, Family Support & Child Protection and Looked After Children, Permanence & Specialist Services with a combined total of 92 complaints at Stage 1
• the root causes of complaints were primarily service quality and communication issues, reflecting ongoing issues with how services both deliver and engage with individuals
• some degree of fault was found in 38% of all Stage 1 complaints investigated. This is down from 47% in the previous year
• a total of 17 compliments were received in the period, 15 of which were about the service provided by MASH, Referral & Assessment, Family Support & Child Protection