Equality Impact Assessment - Community Services Complaints Procedure

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The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

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Is this a new function or a review of an existing function?
An existing function but recently updated (September 2006) in relation to social services for adults and children and young people.

What are the aims/purpose of the function?
To provide an effective, responsive and fair mechanism for service users/tenants or potential service users of service, their friends, relatives or someone acting on their behalf to complain about services provided by Community Services and Children’s Services and Safeguarding,.

Is the function designed to meet specific needs such as the needs of minority ethnic groups, older people, disabled people etc?
The function is aimed at all residents, existing and potential service users or their representatives. We need to be conscious as service providers that not all individuals are able to exercise their rights to raise concerns or complain about the service they receive due to their disability, especially those who have a mental health condition or learning disability and those who may have language issues. Certain groups within the community can be more disadvantaged due to their perceived status, i.e. travellers or asylum seekers and refugees. This group can sometimes include those who are economically deprived.

What information has been gathered on this function? (Indicate the type of information gathered e.g. statistics, consultation, other monitoring information)? Attach a summary or refer to where the evidence can be found.
Quarterly statistics, annual reports, feedback from complainants.

Does your analysis of the information show different outcomes for different groups (higher or lower uptake/failure to access/receive a poorer or inferior service)? If yes, indicate which groups and which aspects of the policy or function contribute to inequality?
The number of complaints received, when compared to the population of 150,000 is very low. This could indicate that potential complainants are not aware of the procedure or find the process to difficult or inaccessible. From the statistics we have there is an under representation in a number of equality groups such as, older people, disabled children, people with mental health issues, people with learning disability and BME (Black, Minority Ethnic) groups generally.

Are these differences justified (e.g. are there legislative or other constraints)?
There is no justification for the under representation of complaints from the identified groups.

What action needs to be taken as a result of this Equality Impact Assessment to address any detrimental impacts or meet previously unidentified need? Include here any reasonable adjustments for access by disabled people. Include dates by which action will be taken. Attach an action plan if necessary.

Review new procedures
Clarity on what constitutes a complaint especially when there are other legislative processes in place to deal with the situations.
Ensure that all staff in Community and Children’s Services are clear aboutof the complaints process and the internal reporting structures.
Improve data collection across all relevant service areas
Complaints section to have access to relevant computer recording systems
Complaints/compliments fields to be created in SWIFT
Ensure equality monitoring is improved across the board and includes all 6 categories
Ensure new complaints forms are printed and distributed
Ensure complaints data is monitored and analysed and information reports are presented to DMTs
Improve Housing data collection
SW London and St George’s complaints – need more information about the complaints, review protocol and establish who has overall responsibility
Training for staff in the complaints process
To inform Voluntary Sector groups and other groups in the community to ensure that their service users are made aware of RBK’s complaints process
To work towards further minimising complaints by early intervention
Establish joint complaints protocol with KPCT
The language and format used in the publications needs be more accessible to the community as a whole

When will you evaluate the impact of action taken?
Review actions on a six monthly basis and agree dates for other actions.

Assessment completed on 16 March 2007
Reviewed 27 March 2007

The EQIA was scrutinised by a Panel of 5 individuals:

Cllr Rolson Davies
Cllr Penny Shelton
Mrs Jane Lawrence
Mark Lycett
Lin Phillips

They were assisted in the process by Karen Fenwick, Complaints and Information Access Officer and Francis Arokiasamy, Equalities Advisor. This process was carried out on Tuesday 27 March 2007.

The Panel felt that the full EQIA and the identified actions would benefit and enable the community in Kingston to express their views on the services provided by the Council. The action points that have been identified will assist in making this process more open and accessible to all.

The Panel will monitor and review the action points identified above.

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