Kids Short Breaks service for disabled children and young people aged 0 - 25

We welcome comments and suggestions about the services we offer. It is when you tell us that the service is not working quite right or not quite of the standard you expect that we can do something about the situation.

We recommend that you start by talking to the KIDS staff member you know or have regular contact with. The staff member will ensure that their line manager and regional director are informed about your views. The regional director will act upon this as appropriate and inform you of any action taken within 14 working days of receipt. 

If wish to make a formal complaint, please follow the steps below:

1. All formal complaints MUST be made in writing. Write to, or arrange to see the KIDS representative in charge of the service. This person will be able to visit you at home if you wish. Another person may write or call on your behalf and be with you when you meet the KIDS representative, but they must not be your legal representative. 

You may also email enquiries@kids.org.uk  with the subject matter of “Formal Complaint”. This email inbox is regularly monitored and your email will be responded to promptly confirming receipt and informing you to which regional director the matter has been passed to.   

2. If the complaint is about a regional director, then a written complaint will be forwarded to the chief executive at KIDS national office. 

3. Your complaint will be acknowledged within three working days.

4. The complaint remains confidential and will be recorded in an anonymous fashion in the KIDS complaints record.

5. Your complaint will be investigated by an appropriate senior member of staff and you will receive a written response within 28 working days.

If you are not satisfied with the response:

You can request that the complaint and any decision made about the complaint should be reviewed. The review will be undertaken by an appropriate senior manager or the chief executive (unless the chief executive has been involved prior to the review) in which case a KIDS Trustee will review the complaint.

You will be invited to attend the review, and you are welcome to bring a friend or relative with you, but not your legal representative. The review will send you a copy of its recommendations, and KIDS’ board of trustees will receive a confidential summary of your complaint in order to monitor how the complaints procedure is working.

If you are still not satisfied with the response:

Many of KIDS services are regulated by Ofsted or Care Quality Commission (CQC).

If your complaint relates to a service which is registered with Ofsted then you may contact them on the details below:

Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD

Telephone: 0300 123 1231

For textphone/Minicom users: 0161 618 8524  (Prefix for Typetalk: 18001)

Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

If your complaint relates to a service which is registered with CQC then you may contact them on the details below:

CQC, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4PA, 

Telephone: 03000616161

Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk

You may also wish to complain to the local authority or organisation that commissioned KIDS services on your behalf. To do this you must contact the commissioning organisation directly and follow their complaints procedure, you can do this alongside any complaint you make to KIDS.

If you require advocacy, please contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau in the first instance.

They should be able to give you information to access independent advocacy.

Disabled children and young people

The service can offer 1:1 support. Once families choose to use this service a home visit will be carried out to complete the portfolio and risk assessment.  This enables staff and young people to be suitably matched and ensures we meet the child/young person's individual needs.