If we decide to take on a complaint, our next step is to investigate.

We tell the person who has made the complaint and the organisation complained about that this is what we are doing.  We explain to both parties exactly what we are investigating. 

We usually ask the organisation complained about for their complaint file, and for information about what happened and how they dealt with it.  Depending on what that information shows, we may ask for more information or explanations.  We may also need to ask the person making the complaint for more information. 

Our investigation process is outlined in our leaflet  'What happens when you bring your complaint to the SPSO'.  You can find the leaflet on this page.