Complaints Procedure

Help us to put things right

The complaints procedure for services provided by the Department for Education and Employment
The following procedure covers complaints which are about the services that the DfEE provides directly to the public (not complaints about related organisations, issues and decisions - see next page for details). These services generally involve providing relevant information and answering queries, but also include a number of specialist services - for example, those delivered through the Overseas Labour Service. If you have a complaint about a particular Government policy, you would normally contact the Minister for that area of policy, or your local MP.

How do you make a complaint?

What happens next?

Additional procedures for specialised services within DfEE

Complaints about related organisations and issues

The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) is committed to providing a quality service and achieving the highest standards of conduct (and has adopted these commitments as Departmental values). One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our customers. Therefore we aim to ensure that:

• making a complaint is as easy as possible;

• we treat as a complaint any clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for a response;

• we treat it seriously whether it is made in person, by telephone, by letter, by fax, or by e-mail;

• we deal with it promptly, politely and, where appropriate, informally (for example, by telephone);

• we respond in the right way - for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken etc;

• we learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and publish information on complaints - for example, in our Departmental Report.

How do you make a complaint?

• You can make a complaint in writing, by fax, by e-mail, by telephone or in person (by appointment please). If you are writing, faxing or e-mailing your complaint, please provide your telephone number if a response by telephone would be convenient. If you are e-mailing, please state if a reply by e-mail is required and, if not, please provide a full postal address.

• If you know the part of DfEE which is relevant to your complaint, or the name or title of an appropriate member of staff, please make your complaint direct to them (referring to this complaints procedure would be helpful).

• If you do not have this information, please get in touch with the DfEE's Public Enquiry Unit, which will give you the contact details for the most appropriate person. The Unit can be reached at:

Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT
Tel. 0870 000 2288
Fax. 01928 79 4248
E-Mail (for complaints only) complaints.peu@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Minicom 01928 79 4274

What happens next?

• We will reply within 15 working days from when we receive your complaint. If it is not possible to give you a full reply within this time - for instance, because a detailed investigation is required - we will give you an interim response, telling you what is being done to deal with your complaint, when you can expect the full reply and from whom.

• That full reply will include details of who to contact next if you believe that your complaint has not been dealt with properly. This will normally be the appropriate senior DfEE official (a Divisional Manager).

• If, following that second response, you are still not satisfied, you can ask for your complaint to be referred to Michael Bichard, the DfEE's Permanent Secretary.

• You can, of course, ask your MP to request the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman) to review your complaint and how it has been handled. (If the Ombudsman is satisfied that your complaint has been dealt with fairly, he will close your case and, normally, we will not respond to further approaches about the matter.)

Additional procedures for specialised services within DfEE

Home Office, Work Permits (UK)

This service for employers has its own appeals procedure. When a work permit application is refused the employer is advised how to appeal against the decision. More information on the procedure is available by contacting Customer Relations on Tel: 0114 2594074 e-mail:customrel@dfes.gsi.gov.uk Fax: 0114 259 3776

Race Relations Employment Advisory Service

This service for employers has its own complaints procedure, which is set out in the leaflet available from RREAS, 4th Floor, 2 Duchess Place, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8NS; tel. 0121 452 5447/8/9; fax. 0121 452 5485; hq.rreas@dfes.gsi.gov.uk.

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Information Line

Any complaints about this service, which provides booklets, information sheets etc. on the DDA, should be addressed to the contractor: DDA Information, Freepost MID 02164, Stratford upon Avon CV37 9BR; tel. 0345 622 633; textphone 0345 622 644.

Complaints about related organisations and issues
Some DfEE programmes and services are delivered to the public through a range of other organisations. There are separate arrangements for complaints about individual schools, colleges, universities, Jobcentres, TECs etc. Brief details and relevant contacts are given below. There are many other organisations connected in some way with the DfEE - for example, non-departmental public bodies (contact details for these bodies are available from the Public Enquiry Unit), and their arrangements for dealing with complaints can vary.

Schools

Advice is given in the parent's factsheet 'What to do when things go wrong' (PPY103). This is available on this website, from the Public Enquiry Unit, and from DfEE Publications
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annesley
Nottingham
NG15 ODJ
Tel: 0845 60 222 60
Fax: 0845 60 333 60
Email:dfee@prologistics.co.uk

Further Education

Advice on what to do when things go wrong is given in 'Further Choice and Quality , The Charter for Further Education'. This includes what to do if you have a complaint about the availability of courses, about colleges, about course content, qualifications and results, about your local education authority, or about student unions. Copies are available from:
DfEE Publications
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annesley
Nottingham
NG15 ODJ
Tel: 0845 60 222 60
Fax: 0845 60 333 60
Email:dfee@prologistics.co.uk

Higher Education

Advice on what to do when things go wrong is given in 'Higher Quality and Choice, The Charter for Higher Education'. This includes what to do if you have a complaint about your local education authority, about student loans, about universities and colleges, and about student unions. Copies are available from:
DfEE Publications
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annesley
Nottingham
NG15 ODJ
Tel: 0845 60 222 60
Fax: 0845 60 333 60
Email:dfee@prologistics.co.uk

Jobcentres

The Employment Service welcomes complaints, suggestions and compliments. A range of leaflets under the banner 'The Jobseeker's Charter' is available from Jobcentres explaining the standards of service and what you should do to complain, make a suggestion or tell them when they get things right. If you experience problems getting hold of the leaflets please telephone 0207 389 1366.

Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs)

The fundamental principles of openness, integrity and accountability adopted by TECs are set out in the document - 'A Framework for Local Accountability of TECs'. A key principle in the Framework is that dealings with customers by TECs will be on the basis of openness and high quality service, with a robust complaints procedure. Further details can be obtained from the TEC National Council, Westminster Tower, 10th floor, 3 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SX; tel. 0207 735 0010; fax. 0207 735 0090.

Government Offices

Government Offices for the ten English regions manage programmes for the DfEE, as well as for the Departments of the Environment, of Transport, and for Trade & Industry. Each Government Office has a complaints procedure which is available on request. Your local telephone directory or Directory Enquiries will have contact details for your region's Office.

Note:
A copy of this procedure is available in large print format, in Braille and on audio cassette. It is also available in the following languages: Arabic, Bengali, Greek, Gujerati, Hindi, Chinese, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu, and Welsh.