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How we handle complaints
Making a complaint can seem difficult, but we want to make it as easy as possible for you so we can get things right.
When you complain we will:
- phone or write to you to acknowledge your complaint within two working days if you have given us your contact details
- deal with you in a polite and professional way
- treat your complaint seriously and keep it confidential
- put right any mistakes as quickly as possible
- let you know the outcome or progress of our investigations within 20 working days of receiving your complaint.
If we have made a mistake we will:
- apologise
- explain what went wrong and why
- make any changes needed to put it right.
We always try to learn from our mistakes.
How do I complain about the service I get from the Statutory Maintenance Service?
If you are not happy about the service you have received from us, you can make a complaint. To make a complaint, you should contact the people dealing with your case, either by phone or in writing. You can find their contact details on any letter we have sent you.
What happens next?
The people dealing with your case will look at the issues you have raised. If they cannot settle your complaint, they will send it to our Complaints Resolution Team at that office.
If you feel that the issues raised in your complaint have not been settled to your satisfaction by the people dealing with your case, you should contact our Complaints Resolution Team and let them know.
Our Complaints Resolution Team tries to sort out the issues the people dealing with your case couldn't settle. You can find the Complaints Resolution Team's address on the letter we will have sent you about how much child maintenance should be paid.
Most complaints are settled by our Complaints Resolution Team within 20 working days. This team will contact you and talk about the issues you have raised and agree how to sort them out. If we think that we cannot sort out your complaint within 20 working days, we will agree a plan with you to sort it out.
What happens if I am not happy with the way my complaint was dealt with?
If you are not happy with the response from the Complaints Resolution Team, you can ask for your complaint to be considered by our Complaints Review Team. They check to see if the complaint was dealt with properly and to see if anything else can be done to help.
You can contact our Complaints Review Team by:
If, after receiving a response from the Complaints Review Team, you still feel that we have not dealt with your complaint properly, you can write to the Independent Case Examiner  Can I get help to make my complaint?
If you would like some help in making a complaint about the service you have received from us, you could do the following:
- Ask an organisation like Citizens Advice. We have links to a number of other organisations you may find useful
- Ask a solicitor. You may be able to get free advice under the Legal Advice and Assistance Scheme (this used to be known as legal aid). Your solicitor can tell you if you are entitled to this
- Speak to your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
Related Information
Independent Case Examiner
If you still feel that we have not dealt with your complaint properly when you receive a response from the Complaints Review Team, you can write to the Independent Case Examiner.
The Independent Case Examiner (ICE)looks into complaints about us from people who aren't happy with how we have handled their case. The ICE service is free and they are not part of the NICSA.
Before ICE will accept your case, they must be satisfied that we have had the opportunity to deal with your complaint. They will look into your complaint as long as you contact them within six months of receiving a final reply from our Complaints Review Team.
The Independent Case Examiner will examine a case if:
- they are satisfied that you have received a final response to your complaint from our Complaints Review Team.
The Independent Case Examiner cannot look at a complaint if:
- the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency has not been given the opportunity to resolve the case first
- it is more than six months since the Agency's final response
- the complaint is about legislation - this includes the amount of the maintenance calculation - see Maintenance Reviews and Appeals
- the specific complaint has been, or is being, investigated by the Northern Ireland Ombudsman
- the complaint is the subject of legal proceedings, such as judicial review.
RELATED INFORMATION
Northern Ireland Ombudsman
Your MLA can also ask the Northern Ireland Ombudsman to look into your complaint.
The Ombudsman investigates complaints from members of the public, referred by a Member of the Legislative Assembly where they have suffered injustice because of maladministration by Government departments or certain other public bodies. Maladministration generally means poor administration or the wrong application of rules.
The Ombudsman is independent of the Government and is not a civil servant. The Ombudsman’s authority is derived from a royal warrant and reports to the Northern Irelannd Assembly. All complaints are confidential, the investigations are private and there is no charge for the service provided.
You can get more information about the Northern Ireland Ombudsman from their website.
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