What should I do if I am concerned about the service I or someone I know is receiving from a social worker?
If you want an apology, explanation or review of your case, you should contact the organisation which employs the social worker.
How do I make a complaint or raise a concern about a registered social worker to the General Social Care Council (GSCC)?
Most complaints about social workers can be settled locally by the social worker’s employer. Therefore we ask that you complain initially to the employer and take your complaint through this process as far as possible before you contact the GSCC.
There are exceptions to this. If the concern you wish to raise is to do with you or any other people who use services being put at risk of physical, emotional, sexual or financial harm, please contact us straight away so that we can decide if we need to be involved at an early stage.
If you do not resolve your complaint through the local complaints process and you feel that the social worker has committed a serious breach of the codes of practice you can make a complaint to the GSCC by writing to us at the General Social Care Council Conduct Referrals Team, Myson House, Railway Terrace, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 3HT
When making a complaint you will need to provide us with:
- the social worker's name (and work address if known)
- an explanation of your concerns – providing as much detail as you can, such as the dates on which the alleged misconduct took place
- copies of any supporting documents such as the outcome letter from the local complaints procedure
- the names and addresses of anyone else who can support the facts of your complaint.
In order to progress your complaint we will need to make enquiries and gather evidence. This will involve contacting the social worker’s employer and any other people or organisations who may be able to provide us with information about the issues you have raised. We also contact the social worker to inform them that we have received information about them. The registrant will have an opportunity to respond to the allegation about them later on in the process.
Sometimes people who use services feel that by sharing information with us they could be put at risk, or there are other sensitivities which make it difficult for them to provide us with certain details. If this is the case then please contact one of our caseworkers to discuss your concerns on 01788 532 405 or by emailing conduct@gscc.org.uk
Can I make an anonymous complaint?
We aim to be open and transparent in the way we operate the conduct process and are not usually able to progress anonymous complaints.