Friday 16 October - Sunday 18 October: Complaint form offline

The supplier of our case management system has confirmed that they are experiencing a significant technical issue.

At present, we have no access to the case management system and we are currently unable to take new Public Service Complaints or provide updates on cases. We are planning on the basis that this could continue for a period of time including next week.

Please be assured we are doing all we can and will provide updates on our website.

For an all service update: Service update | SPSO

Support and Intervention Policy

Our Support and Intervention Policy sets out how we will use our statutory powers in a structured way to promote improvement by encouraging good practice or addressing poor performance by an organisation under our jurisdiction. It offers clarity to public bodies regarding what to expect from us, how and when. 

In short:

  • Support action under the policy, gives guidance and support to organisations to help them improve their practice or address poor performance.
  • Intervention action is more formal and usually requires the public body to take specific action to improve performance in relation to complaints or whistleblowing concerns handling, handling of Scottish Welfare Fund reviews or engagement with SPSO investigations and reviews.

This does not replace the advice and feedback we give as part of our handling of complaints, nor does the policy prevent public bodies asking us for help and advice. We still encourage organisations to contact us if they need help in relation to complaint handling. 

The leaflets below give more detail about the policy and what it means for organisations.



Contact us

If on behalf of a public sector organisation you have any questions about complaints handling, or if you require support or guidance, please contact us:

Phone:  0131 297 4863

Contact form 

Updated: May 8, 2024