RQ1656412 – Complaints Officer

This is an active role in the Central Complaints Teams (Information and Records Management) that provides a citizen-focused and efficient complaints handling service that meets the requirements of all related legislation and guidance under statutory and non-statutory complaints policies and procedures. This involves working closely with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Housing Ombudsman (HO). The role will be involved in education, training and awareness to everyone in the council on the requirements on complaints and formal enquiries handling and relevant legislation and best practice to facilitate and embed learning from all areas of formal enquiries handling that promotes continuous improvement across the council and learning from complaints.

About you

• You keep up to date with legislative changes, specialist/technical advice and guidance, appropriately challenge, research and suggest options which promote best practice and learning, leading in one and having knowledge of one or more of the specialist complaint areas – corporate (including housing, planning, environmental, etc.), children’s and adults’ social care services.
• You comply with the relevant legislation and the requirements as laid down by the LGSCO and HO and interpret policy and legislation to arrive at the correct outcome.
• You promote, facilitate and support effective complaints handling across the council and with partners that is citizen-focussed, simple, open and transparent.
• You are able to resolve issues and recommend solutions to ensure effective resolutions of complaints that promotes shared learning and directly leads to service improvements.
• You actively participate in service improvement projects.
• You act as an objective investigator at the relevant stage as per the council’s policies and the Ombudsman’s recommendations.
• You work with senior managers to ensure they fulfil their role of adjudicating officer following a complaint investigation including preparing draft adjudications under statutory procedures for senior management final approval.
• You assess, investigate and respond to Stage 2 non-statutory complaints, identifying key issues and making confident decisions based on policy, and legislation.
• You provide education, training and awareness to all members of staff on effective complaints handling alongside the relevant legislation in order to ensure that relevant business functions are made aware of their responsibilities and how to comply.
• You promote best practice in the specialist complaints area across the council and proactively work to identify and promote better service delivery, performance and efficiencies.
• You work with a case management system that delivers statistical and performance data relating to complaints and formal enquiries, showing trends to ensure performance measures & standards (statutory and non-statutory) are met.

Work Environment

You will be required to work in line with Camden’s agile working framework including flexible and remote working patterns which are a combination of office-based and home working, as required by the service and the effective delivery of services within that framework.

People Management Responsibilities:

This role has no formal line management responsibilities. However, there is a requirement for informal coaching, mentoring, supervising and inducting of staff at the same or lower job level in the service area as part of working as one team and sharing expertise and knowledge.

Technical Knowledge and Experience:

• Knowledge of UK statutory and non-statutory procedures for handling complaints legislation.
• Knowledge of LGSCO and Housing Ombudsman good practice.
• Knowledge of the Data Protection Act 2018, General Data Protection Regulation UK and all subordinate legislation.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral) including literacy, tact and diplomacy and ability to explain complicated and technical things in plain, simple English.
• Ability to train and advise other people across the organisation either individually or in groups across various media (face to face, webinars etc.).
• Ability to work on own initiative and with minimal supervision and able to make accurate, considered judgements and decisions.
• Ability to deal sensitively and discretely with confidential matters with an appreciation of confidentiality requirements and data protection principles within the workplace.
• Experience of investigating and responding to UK statutory and non-statutory complaints.
• Research and analytical skills and good attention to detail.
• Willingness to gain experience and expertise in other specialist areas.

If you think this job role is for you, please send your CV to rebeccabentum@carringtonblakerecruitment.com.