Overview
The complainant (Mrs C) said that Glasgow City Council (the Council) had not adequately investigated her complaint, when she complained that the secondary school her daughter (Miss A) attended had failed to meet Miss A's additional support needs.
Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that the Council did not respond adequately to Mrs C's complaints (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council:
- issue a written apology to Mrs C and Miss A for the failings identified in this investigation;
- review the Complaints Handling Procedure (Appendix Two: What is not a complaint) to ensure that complaints about a school failing to meet additional support needs are appropriately signposted to the Additional Support for Learning framework, rather than considered under the Complaints Handling Procedure;
- remind all relevant staff of the alternative dispute resolution avenue available for complaints about schools failing to meet additional support needs;
- remind all relevant staff of the Council's Complaints Handling Procedure on 'what to do when you receive a complaint for investigation', which includes the recommendation to clarify the complaint and the scope of the investigation with the complainant at an early stage;
- review processes and templates for stage two investigations, to ensure that staff are appropriately prompted to consider: what the issues in dispute are; whether there are disputes about facts; and what evidence is required to resolve these; and
- review processes for capturing and reporting information from complaints, including: the root cause of the complaint; and possible action to reduce the risk of recurrence (consideration should be given to these issues regardless of whether a complaint is upheld).
The Council have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.