Complaints and compliments

If you are under 18, you have the right to tell us if something is wrong.

You can complain if you are unhappy with a council service. You can also complain if you feel you have not been listened to, treated fairly or given the help you need.

We will listen to you and take what you say seriously.

You can make a complaint

You can make a complaint yourself.

You can also ask someone you trust to help you, such as:

• a parent or carer
• someone in your family
• a friend
• a teacher
• a support worker
• an advocate

An advocate is someone who can help you share your views and make sure your voice is heard.

You will not be in trouble for complaining

It is okay to tell us when something has gone wrong.

We will try to make the complaints process feel safe and easy to use. We will explain things clearly and tell you what will happen next.

What you can complain about

You can complain about a council service if:

• you think something has gone wrong
• you feel you have not been listened to
• you feel you have been treated unfairly
• you are unhappy with a decision or service
• you have had to wait too long for help
• you think we could have done something better

What happens when you complain

When you make a complaint, we will:

1. listen to what you tell us
2. ask questions if we need to understand more
3. look into what happened
4. explain what we find
5. tell you what will happen next

We will try to explain things in a way that is easy to understand.

If you need help

Tell us if you need help to make your complaint.

For example, you can ask us to:

• explain things more clearly
• speak to someone helping you
• give you information in another format
• help if English is not your first language

For parents, carers and advocates

Parents, carers, family members, friends or advocates can help a child or young person make a complaint.

A complaint can be made:

• by a child or young person
• by someone helping a child or young person
• about something that affects a child or young person

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has guidance for adults supporting children and young people through the complaints process.

Download the SPSO guide for parents and carers

Our child-friendly complaints process

We follow guidance from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. This guidance is based on children’s rights in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This means children and young people should be able to complain in a way that feels safe, fair and easy to understand.

Download the SPSO Child Friendly Complaints Handling Principles

Download the SPSO Child Friendly Complaints Handling Process Guidance

Make a complaint

If you want to make a complaint about a council service, you can use our complaints form.

You can also contact us by phone, email or post.
Start now