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Help and complaints

Adult social care

Care and support for adults, disabled people and unpaid carers. This guide explains your rights, where to get urgent help and how to complain.

We cannot make a complaint for you

SocialCareScore cannot make complaints for you or take up individual cases. Rating a council is not the same as making a complaint. To have something put right, contact the organisation that runs the service.

Councils in Wales assess adults who may need care and support, arrange and often pay for that support, and must make enquiries where an adult is at risk of abuse or neglect. Complaints follow a two-stage process set in law.

Getting urgent help

If someone is in immediate danger
Call 999 if a crime is happening now or someone is in immediate danger. Call 101 to report something that is not an emergency. Source
Telephone: 999 (24 hours a day)
More information
NHS 111 Wales: press 2 for mental health
Urgent mental health support for people of all ages in Wales. Free to call from a landline or mobile, even with no credit. Source
Telephone: 111 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
More information
Hourglass
Support where an older person is being harmed or is at risk of harm, across the UK. You can also text 078 6005 2906. Source
Telephone: 0808 808 8141
More information
Live Fear Free
Help about domestic abuse and sexual violence, for you or someone you are worried about. Calls in Welsh are welcome. You can also text 07860 077333. Source
Telephone: 0808 80 10 800 (24 hours a day)
More information

Your rights

An assessment if you may need care and support

Where it appears to a council that an adult may have needs for care and support, it must assess whether the adult does have such needs and, if so, what they are. Source

An assessment if you are a carer

Where it appears that a carer may have needs for support, now or in the future, the council must assess whether they do and what those needs are. Source

Enquiries if an adult is at risk

If a council suspects that someone in its area is an adult at risk, it must make whatever enquiries it thinks necessary to decide what action to take. An adult at risk is someone who is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, has care and support needs, and cannot protect themselves as a result. Source

How to complain

  1. Complain within 12 months

    A complaint must be made no later than 12 months after the thing you are unhappy about happened, or after it came to your notice. A council can still look at a later complaint if there were good reasons for the delay and it can still investigate fairly. Source

    Time limit: 12 months

  2. The council must acknowledge within 2 working days

    A council must acknowledge receipt of your complaint no later than 2 working days after the day it receives it. Source

    Time limit: 2 working days

  3. Stage 1: local resolution

    The council must offer to discuss your complaint within 10 working days of acknowledging it. If it is resolved, the council must confirm what was agreed in writing within 5 working days. Source

    Time limit: 10 working days

  4. Stage 2: formal investigation

    The council must send a written response within 25 working days of the start date, signed by the Director of Social Services, telling you about your right to complain to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. In exceptional circumstances it can take longer, but no later than 6 months after it received your complaint. Source

    Time limit: 25 working days

If you are still unhappy

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Can look at how a council carried out its social services work, such as assessments, reviews, safeguarding and contract monitoring, and at financial assessments. It cannot deal with staff disciplinary matters or tell a council to give you a different social worker. Source
When: After the council’s complaints process, or if you think it is taking too long.
Time limit: Normally within 1 year of knowing about the issue
Telephone: 0300 790 0203
Care Inspectorate Wales
Registers and inspects care services and inspects council social services. It asks you to complain to the service or council first, and uses what you tell it to decide what action to take. Source
When: If you are worried about the quality or safety of a service.
Telephone: 0300 7900 126
Social Care Wales
Deals with concerns about whether a registered social care worker is fit to practise. It cannot look at unregistered workers, at organisations, at an employer’s disciplinary process, or at things that happened more than five years ago unless it is in the public interest. Source
When: If you are worried about a registered worker’s practice.
Time limit: Normally 5 years
Telephone: 0300 303 3444
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales
Its Advice and Assistance Team helps people aged 60 and over in Wales who are having problems with services, including social care. Source
When: At any point, including on behalf of an older person.
Telephone: 0344 264 0670

Free, independent advice

Llais
Free, independent and confidential help to make a complaint about the NHS or social care in Wales. Advocates cannot investigate your complaint or make decisions for you. Source
Telephone: 029 2023 5558
Age Cymru Advice
Confidential, impartial advice for older people, their families, friends and carers. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Source
Telephone: 0300 303 4498
Carers Wales
Information and support for unpaid carers. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. The Carers UK Helpline is 0808 808 7777, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Source
Telephone: 029 2081 1370
Advicelink Cymru (Citizens Advice)
Free advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment, education and discrimination. Source
Telephone: 0800 702 2020

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Last reviewed: 15/09/2026