This request follows your response to FOI Request WBCIR:20429 and seeks additional information about Stage 2 children's social care complaints under The Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006. Please provide the following information for the period covering the last 24 months:

1. Historical Delays Beyond Statutory Timescales
a) The total number of Stage 2 complaints completed in each of the last 24 months
The data provided in response to this request covers the period between 1st October 2023 and 1st October 2025.

The council has received 14 complaints at stage two of ‘The Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006’.

b) Of these, how many were completed beyond the 65 working day statutory timescale
Of these cases, of those that have been closed, one of the complaints exceeded the 65 day statutory timescale.

c) For each complaint completed beyond 65 working days, the length of the delay (in working days beyond the statutory deadline)
The period of the delay was eight working days beyond the statutory timescale.

d) The average length of delay for complaints completed late
As there was only one complaint within this period that exceeded the statutory timescale, the average length of delay was eight working days.

2. Stage 2 Team Appointment Timescales
For each Stage 2 complaint received in the last 24 months, please provide:
a) The date the Stage 2 escalation was requested or acknowledged by the council b) The date the Investigating Officer (IO) was appointed
c) The date the Independent Person (IP) was appointed
d) The date both appointments were confirmed and the investigation formally commenced
e) The date the investigation was completed
f) The number of working days between Stage 2 escalation being acknowledged and the team being fully appointed
g) The number of working days between team appointment and investigation completion
It is not possible for us to provide individual case data in response to the above questions, in view of an increased risk of personal data being shared. We will, however, provide responses to the questions listed (i) to (l) below.

If providing individual case data is not possible, please provide:
h) The average number of working days taken to appoint a Stage 2 team (IO and IP) from the point of Stage 2 escalation being acknowledged
Based on the number of working days it took to appoint the IOs and IPs for the cases covered by the scope of this request, the average time taken to confirm appointments is approximately nine working days.

i) The longest appointment period in the last 24 months
For the cases covered by the scope of this request, the longest appointment period has been 43 working days.

j) The shortest appointment period in the last 24 months
For the cases covered by the scope of this request, the shortest appointment period has been 1 working day.

k) How many complaints had appointment periods exceeding 4 weeks (20 working days)
There was one complaint where the appointment period exceeded 20 working days.

l) How many complaints had appointment periods exceeding 8 weeks (40 working days)
There was one complaint where the appointment period exceeded 20 working days.

3. Total Time from Escalation to Completion
a) The average total time (in working days) from Stage 2 escalation being acknowledged to investigation completion
To note, the statutory timescales are applied from when the scope/’statement of complaint’ has been agreed – which is what the following calculation has been based on (i.e. from the date the ‘statement of complaint’ was agreed to the final reports being issued). The average total time for those closed cases received within the scope of this request is 59 working days.

b) How many complaints took longer than 65 working days in total from escalation to completion, regardless of whether the investigation itself was within the statutory timescale
Taking the response to point (a) into account, of the closed cases covered by the scope of this request, there was one complaint that exceeded the statutory timescale.

c) The longest total time from escalation to completion in the last 24 months
Again, taking the comments in response to point (a) into account, the longest period of time it took to conclude a complaint considered at stage two was 73 working days.

4. Reasons for Appointment Delays
a) For cases where team appointment took longer than 4 weeks, what were the documented reasons for the delay
For the case that exceeded four weeks when appointing an IO/IP, this was due to the lack of availability of prospective IOs/IPs. There was also oversight by team members in following up with IOs/IPs at a point during the appointment process, which caused further delay.

b) How many appointment delays were due to:
- Lack of available investigators
- Lack of available Independent Persons
- Budget/cost concerns
- Other reasons (please specify)
The reasons for delay have been outlined in response to part (a) of this question.

5. Complaints About the Process
a) How many complaints have been received in the last 24 months specifically about delays in appointing Stage 2 investigation teams
In the last 24 months, the council has received no complaints that have been considered via the formal complaints process specifically in connection to appointments of investigation teams at stage two of ‘The Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006’.

b) How many complaints have been received about the total length of time taken to complete Stage 2 investigations
In the last 24 months, the council has received no complaints that have been considered via the formal complaints process specifically in connection to the length of investigations at stage two of ‘The Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006’.

6. Policy Clarification
a) A copy of the council's policy or procedure document that defines when the 65 working day statutory timescale begins (i.e., from what trigger point)
The council does not have a policy/procedure document that covers the ‘The Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006’, as it works in accordance with the statutory guidance – ‘Getting The Best From Complaints’

b) Whether the council considers the 65-day period to start from the date of Stage 2 escalation acknowledgment or from the date the investigation team is appointed
From our interpretation of the guidance, the statutory timeframe for investigating and responding to complaints at stage two of ‘The Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure (England) Regulations 2006’ commences at the point that the complainant has agreed their ‘statement of complaint’ with the IO and the IP.