Location: Aylesbury
Overview
We’re seeking an experienced and values‑driven Social Care Complaints and Feedback Lead to play a vital role in ensuring Children’s and Adults’ Social Care complaints are handled fairly and compassionately, and that the learning from feedback is embedded to continuously improve outcomes for Buckinghamshire residents.
This is a specialist, influential role where your expertise will help ensure statutory compliance, promote fair and timely resolution, and translate feedback into meaningful service improvement. You’ll be trusted to lead on complex cases, support colleagues, and champion a positive, customer‑focused culture.
About us
Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.
About the role
Reporting to the Complaints and Feedback Business Partner, you’ll provide expert oversight and leadership on statutory social care complaints and investigations. Acting as a subject‑matter expert, you’ll ensure complaints are recognised early, managed effectively and handled in line with legislation, guidance and safeguarding requirements.
You’ll work closely with Children’s and Adult’s Services and senior leaders, offering clear advice, challenge, and reassurance in often complex or sensitive situations. A strong focus of the role is supporting early resolution, mediation and learning from complaints to reduce escalation and improve outcomes.
Key elements of the role include:
1. Proactively manage and oversee statutory and corporate social care complaints across all stages, ensuring adherence to statutory, regulatory and corporate policy timescales, escalating risks and issues as required.
2. Support the appointment and contract management of Investigating Officers and Independent Persons, ensuring investigations meet agreed quality standards and statutory timescales.
3. Provide expert guidance and advice to staff and managers on statutory social care complaints and complaints handling best practice.
4. Deliver training and ongoing support to enable early, effective local resolution and improve outcomes at the first point of contact.
5. Produce and contribute to high‑quality reports, recommendations and updates for senior leaders, clearly outlining issues, outcomes, risks and learning.
You’ll also contribute to the development of procedures and guidance, helping to embed a culture that values learning, accountability and continuous improvement.
About you
You’ll bring strong professional credibility, sound judgement and a calm, empathetic approach to resolving sensitive and high‑impact issues. You’re confident working at pace, balancing statutory timescales with the need for quality, fairness and compassion.
You’ll have:
6. Proven experience and in‑depth understanding of statutory complaints legislation relating to Children’s and Adult’s Social Care, and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman framework.
7. Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels.
8. Strong investigative, analytical and problem‑solving abilities, with experience handling complex or escalated cases.
9. Sound professional judgement to assess and manage risk in statutory social care complaints, identifying proportionate mitigation and escalation where required.
10. A collaborative, values‑led mindset, with a clear commitment to safeguarding, learning from feedback and improving services.
11. Confidence in engaging with senior leaders, external bodies and members of the public, and the ability to communicate complex or difficult outcomes with empathy and professionalism.
Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience), you’ll be comfortable working independently while supporting others to succeed — and motivated by making a real difference for residents, colleagues and the wider organisation.