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Find information on how to make a complaint or provide feedback about the SEND Local Offer.

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Sutton Council and Partners are committed to providing the best possible service. We want to work with you to solve any issues. Where possible we would like to resolve any disagreements as soon as possible with families to avoid worry.

Making a Complaint

If you are unhappy with a service provided by Sutton Council, you should tell a member of staff or the service manager. This includes the service provided by commissioned partners. You should speak to a member of staff as soon as you can and they will see if they can resolve the issues.

Sutton Council - If you feel that a Sutton Council service hasn’t been properly delivered, you can make a complaint. Please note your complaint should be about something that has happened in the last 12 months. To find out how to make a complaint, visit the complaints page on the London Borough of Sutton's website [External Link].

Cognus - For formal complaints about an education service a child has received, please contact Cognus. You can do this using their formal complaints process. To find out more, visit Cognus' Feedback and Complaints page [External Link].

If you are a looked after young person with a child protection plan and aged 8+ you can request support from an advocate. Ask your social worker for further details.

You can also access disagreement resolution. This is free independent support and advice for all parents, carers and young people. This is available through the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS). For more information, visit the SENDIASS website [External Link].

Providing Feedback

The Sutton Local Offer has been developed and published following a series of focus groups around the borough. These involve parent/carer groups, young people and voluntary sector groups. This feedback has been used to shape and develop the Local Offer to meet the needs of local residents.

Sutton is required to keep the Local Offer under review, and we would like your ideas on how we can make it better. All comments and feedback will be considered and used to regularly review the Local Offer. This will enable us to plan future provision and identify gaps.

We publish a report every year using this feedback. This summarises what you have told us and the action we are taking as a result.

If you would like to get involved or make comments and suggestions,  we want to hear from you.

Cognus' Customer Care Standards

Cognus is committed to providing good services to their clients, families and young people. As part of that, they want to communicate effectively with you.

They would like to thank Sutton Parent Carer Forum (SPCF) for the support and feedback they have given to Cognus. They have given feedback on their processes and communication as an organisation. Cognus is now developing a 'Customer Charter' with SPCF. SPCF will consult with wider Parent Carer Networks to develop the final version of this.

Cognus wish to highlight their commitment for responding to day-to-day enquiries. When you contact them, they will respond within three working days. This will be either to

  • Provide the response.

  • Acknowledge that they have received your message and explain when you can expect a full response. This happens because your query needs more detailed information. Due to this it might take longer (up to 10 days) to reply fully. They will keep you informed on the progress.

If a team member is 'out of office', the contact details for urgent queries will be included on their notification. This will also include the date they will be able to reply. Please rest assured they are working on every case all the time to provide the best possible service.