§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many complaints have been received by the Birkenhead CSA in each month since May 1997; how complaints are classified; and what proposals(a) have been implemented and (b) are proposed to reduce the number of complaints. [91258]
§ Angela EagleThe administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mrs. Claire Curtis-Thomas, dated 19 July 1999:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency Centre at Birkenhead.The annex to this letter contains 2 tables. Table 1 is arranged to readily allow month on month comparisons of the number of complaints received from May 1997. Table 2 shows the general classification of complaint and for your information I have included the percentages for the last complete financial year.Birkenhead Child Support Agency Centre (CSAC) has introduced a number of initiatives to improve customer service and reduce complaints which I have listed below. Many of these have been implemented nationally and others are local improvements.Extending the opening hours of Client Helpline—now open 8.00am-8.30pm Mon-Fri and 9.00am-5.00pm Saturday.Decision-Making and Appeals (DMA)—a more direct and responsive service to address client concerns. Simplifies the procedures for clients to report changes to the Agency. The emphasis of the new scheme is to enable parents to have direct telephone contact to discuss their case, wherever possible with the person who has actually been dealing with it.Direct Telephone Numbers—staff are giving out their direct telephone numbers to customers. This ensures that clients can contact their case officer when needed to discuss their case and to resolve queries. Personal explanation of the decisions made in customer's cases should resolve the problems and queries of most parents.Positive Customer Contact—the Agency is using the telephone as the primary means of contacting customers. This enables staff to gather information more quickly and to explain to clients the reason why information is needed. Customers are being contacted before a final calculation is made to ensure that the maintenance assessment is based on correct and up to date information. Customers are being contacted earlier by telephone at all stages of the process. This will reduce delays and aid in compliance. Staff in Birkenhead have received appropriate training.Process Management Checks—team leaders have been given the freedom to target areas of work. In practice this means that cases are checked much earlier in the process to improve accuracy.Face to Face—customers have always had the opportunity to speak to a member of the Agency's staff at their local child support office. However, in the past customers faced difficulties in arranging this. The Agency has committed approximately 600 staff (Wales and North West Business Unit has approximately 106) to face to face contact with its customers. This initiative is currently being rolled out nationally. Interviews can either be conducted at the local child support office or the customer's home.Contacts with local stakeholders such as CAB—Birkenhead CSAC has dedicated customer service telephone numbers for CAB, New Deal for Lone Parent Advisors and MP's. CAB, New Deal Advisors and MP's have been invited into the CSAC. CSA staff have visited CAB and New Deal Advisors in order to forge closer links.Meetings with customers—forums have been held with MP's and Customers—two in Lancashire, one in Wales. Open meetings have been arranged where customers could raise 442W issues and ask general questions. Customers were also given the opportunity to speak to individual CSA staff who took away their queries and responded to them.Forces Focal Point—set up to meet the specified needs of Forces Personnel. A member of staff acts as liaison between the Business Unit and the various armed forces. A dedicated telephone number is available to forces welfare offices, the Police and Prison Service.Closer working with Benefits Agency—BA staff are completing CSA forms on the initial visit. They are also advising customers on CSA procedures in order to promote understanding and to simplify the information-gathering process.Customer Service Workshops—staff are attending a one day seminar in improving customer service.Customer Service Focus Group—staff meet to discuss customer service improvement initiatives. This group has conducted a Root Cause Analysis of customer complaints and has been tasked with devising and implementing solutions to the common complaints in order to reduce numbers.For the future Birkenhead and the rest of the Agency will continue to build on improvements already made.Customer Service workshops are continuing and further meetings are being arranged with clients and MP's.Staff will be attending BA stakeholder liaison meetings to foster good relations between CSA staff and stakeholder groups.Staff will be given customer focused performance indicators which will encourage practices which meet the needs of our customers.A programme of visits, talks and surgeries is planned by the Forces Focal Point for police welfare staff, prison officers and armed forces personnel.All computer generated notifications will provide the direct telephone number of an officer dealing with a client's case.On 1 July the Secretary of State announced the publication of the White paper which sets out the plans for Child Support reform. In the long-term, with a simplified scheme, benefits from DMA, focus on customer service and a new computer system, the number of complaints about CSA should reduce significantly.I hope you find this reply helpful.
Table 1-Number of complaints received by Birkenhead CSAC 1997 1998 1999 Month Number Month Number Month Number - - January 287 January 179 - - February 274 February 180 - - March 303 March 212 - - April 247 April 217 May 342 May 178 May 164 June 272 June 214 June 155 July 314 July 232 - - August 238 August 186 - - September 245 September 207 - - October 235 October 211 - - November 224 November 228 - - December 211 December 164 - -
Table 2-Classification of complaints and percentage of total received 1998–99 Reason Percentage of total Delay/failure to take appropriate action 45.2 Incorrect action 15.8 Child Support Policy 17.7 Communication 16.1 Complaint about staff 4.0 Disclosure of information 1.0 Good cause 0.2