Rating categories
When you rate a council service, we ask about six areas of your experience. This page explains what each area means, so that everyone rates the same things.
How rating works
You rate each area on a scale from 1 to 5. If an area did not apply to you, or you are not sure, choose "Not applicable / don't know". You need to rate at least 3 of the 6 areas.
If you are rating on behalf of someone you support, think about their experience as well as your own.
We use the same six areas for every council department, so that scores for different services can be compared. The wording and examples are tailored to each department. The questions and descriptions below are for adult social care and children's social care, which use our original wording. Other council services use the wording for other council services, with examples added for each service.
| Rating | What it means | Points used in scores (0 to 100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very poor | 0 |
| 2 | Poor | 25 |
| 3 | Neither good nor poor | 50 |
| 4 | Good | 75 |
| 5 | Very good | 100 |
| — | Not applicable / don't know | Not counted |
Communication
We ask: How would you rate how they communicated with you?
Whether you could get in touch, got replies, were kept up to date, and were given information in a way you could understand.
What this covers
- being able to contact the service, including the right person or team
- replies to phone calls, emails and letters
- being kept up to date, including about changes
- clear information without jargon
- information in Welsh, another language or an accessible format, if you needed it
What this does not cover
- how quickly things happened (see Timeliness)
- whether decisions were explained with reasons (see Transparency)
- how you were treated as a person (see Respect and dignity)
Timeliness
We ask: How would you rate how quickly things happened?
Whether things happened within a reasonable time, and whether you were told about delays.
What this covers
- how long it took to get a first response
- waiting times for assessments, reviews and meetings
- how long it took for support to start or change
- being told about delays and the reasons for them
What this does not cover
- delays caused only by other organisations, such as the NHS
- how easy it was to get in touch, or how clear the information was (see Communication)
Professionalism
We ask: How would you rate how professional they were?
Whether the service was well organised and reliable, and did what it said it would do.
What this covers
- staff being prepared and knowing about the options available
- doing what they said they would do
- following proper processes
- handling your information carefully
- things continuing smoothly when staff changed
What this does not cover
- the behaviour of a named or identifiable member of staff. Please never name or describe individual staff
- staff employment or disciplinary matters
- how you were treated as a person (see Respect and dignity)
Transparency
We ask: How would you rate how open and clear they were about decisions?
Whether you understood what was happening and why, and whether you were told about your rights.
What this covers
- decisions being explained, with reasons
- clear information about assessments, eligibility and any charges
- being told how to complain, ask for a review or see your records
- being told about advocacy
- honesty about what the service could and could not do
What this does not cover
- whether a decision was the one you wanted
- how quickly information arrived (see Timeliness)
Respect and dignity
We ask: How would you rate how well they treated you with respect and dignity?
Whether you, and the person you support, were listened to and treated as individuals.
What this covers
- being listened to and taken seriously
- being involved in decisions, and talking about what matters to you
- respect for your culture, faith, identity and language, including Welsh
- respect for your privacy
- reasonable adjustments for disability or communication needs
- a child's or adult's own views being heard
What this does not cover
- claims that a named person acted unlawfully. If you believe you were discriminated against, see our complaints guide or get legal advice
- whether the support itself helped (see Quality of support)
Quality of support
We ask: How would you rate the support you received?
Whether the support helped, met the needs that were agreed, and made a positive difference.
What this covers
- support that fitted your needs
- whether support made a difference to what matters to you
- reliability, for example visits or respite happening as planned
- support the council arranged with other organisations, such as a care provider
- how well things were planned when support ended or changed
What this does not cover
- NHS treatment, or services the council did not arrange
- how the service kept in touch with you (see Communication)
Wording for other council services
For council services other than social care, such as housing, planning or libraries, we ask about the same six areas using the wording below. The rating form for each service adds examples that fit that service.
| Area | We ask | What this means | Code used in our open data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | How well did the council communicate with you? | Keeping you informed, replying to calls, emails and messages, and explaining things clearly, including in another language or an accessible format if you needed it. | communication |
| Timeliness | How promptly did the council respond and act? | How quickly the council responded, and whether things happened when they should, without unnecessary delay. | timeliness |
| Professionalism | How professionally was the service delivered? | Whether the service was knowledgeable and reliable, kept appointments and followed through on what was agreed. Rate the service as a whole, not an individual. | professionalism |
| Transparency | How open was the council about decisions and processes? | Whether decisions and the reasons for them were explained, and whether you were told about your rights and what to expect. | transparency |
| Respect and dignity | How far did you feel listened to and treated with respect? | Whether your views were heard and taken into account, and whether you were treated fairly, politely and without judgement. | respect |
| Quality of service | How good was the service you received? | Whether the service did what it should, met your needs and made a positive difference. | support_quality |
Overall experience
We ask: Overall, how would you rate your experience?
This helps us understand the whole picture. The score itself is calculated from the six areas above.
How the categories are used in scores
Each area gets its own score from 0 to 100. The public feedback part of a department score is the average of the six area scores, with each area counting equally.
An area is only included when enough people have rated it (an effective sample size of at least 10), and at least 4 of the 6 areas must be included. Find out how scoring works.
Before you rate, please read our submission rules.