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Help and complaints

Children’s social care

Support for children and families, child protection, fostering and care leavers. This guide explains your rights, where to get urgent help and how to complain.

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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 children who may need care and support, support families, protect children at risk of harm, and look after children in care and care leavers. Complaints and representations follow a two-stage process set in law.

Getting urgent help

If a child 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
NSPCC Helpline
For adults worried about a child. You can also email help@nspcc.org.uk between 11am and 4pm, seven days a week. Source
Telephone: 0808 800 5000 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm)
More information
Childline
For anyone under 19 in the UK, about anything. Free and confidential. Source
Telephone: 0800 1111 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
More information
Meic
Free, confidential information, advice and advocacy for children and young people aged 25 and under in Wales, in Welsh or English. You can also text 07943 114 449. Source
Telephone: 0808 802 3456 (8am to midnight, 7 days a week)
More information

Your rights

An assessment if a child may need care and support

Where it appears that a child may need care and support in addition to, or instead of, the care and support provided by the family, the council must assess whether the child does need it and what those needs are. Source

Reporting a child at risk

A relevant partner of a council that has reasonable cause to suspect that a child in the council’s area is at risk must tell the council. A child at risk is a child who is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse, neglect or other harm, and who has needs for care and support. Source

Enquiries where a child may suffer significant harm

Where a council has reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in its area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, it must make the enquiries it considers necessary to decide whether to act to safeguard or promote the child’s welfare. Source

An active offer of advocacy

Children and young people are entitled to an active offer of help from a statutory independent professional advocate when they become looked after, or become the subject of child protection enquiries leading to an initial child protection conference. Source

A personal adviser when you leave care

The council responsible for a care leaver must arrange for them to have a personal adviser. This includes young people who have told the council they are following a programme of education or training and have not reached the age of 25. 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

  5. Representations about children’s services

    Some complaints about children’s services are called representations. They can be made by a child or young person, a parent or guardian, or someone else the council accepts has sufficient interest in the child’s welfare. At the formal investigation an independent person must take part, and must take part in discussions about what the council does next. Source

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 and safeguarding, and at how it handled your complaint. It does not normally look at a complaint made for a child unless it comes from someone with parental responsibility. 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
Children’s Commissioner for Wales
A free, confidential advice line for children and young people, and for adults who care for or work with them, if they feel a child has been treated unfairly. Source
When: At any point, including for help understanding your options.
Telephone: 0808 801 1000
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, 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

Free, independent advice

NYAS Cymru
Advocacy and support for children and young people in care, leaving care, or involved with children’s services. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm, and Saturday 10am to 4pm. Source
Telephone: 0808 808 1001
Meic
Information, advice and advocacy for children and young people aged 25 and under in Wales. Source
Telephone: 0808 802 3456
TGP Cymru
Advocacy services for children and young people, independent visiting and parent advocacy, in Cwm Taf Morgannwg, Mid and West Wales and North Wales. Source
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