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A decision made on 16 September 2019

Decision Reference: MD-C-2019-0114
Decision Summary Title :	DS – GOJ Customer Feedback Policy		Date of Decision Summary:	6th September 2019
Decision Summary Author:	Project Manager		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	NA
Written Report Title :	WR - GOJ Customer Feedback Policy		Date of Written Report:	6th September 2019
Written Report Author:	Project Manager		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Government of Jersey Customer Feedback Policy
Decision(s): The Chief Minister decided to approve the Government of Jersey Customer Feedback Policy.
Reason(s) for Decision: Implementation of the new Customer Feedback Policy across the Government of Jersey, in place of the historic departmental processes, is part of the One Government modernisation programme, which puts customers at the heart of what we do and makes it easy for them to access government services. The Policy sets out: - How all customers and members of the public (including children, young people and people who require additional assistance) are able to express their views about how our services are provided - Our commitment to dealing with all feedback in a consistent and timely manner - How customer information will be processed
Resource Implications: There are no financial or manpower implications.
Action required: All departments to implement the Government of Jersey Customer Feedback Policy.
Signature:		Position: Chief Minister
Date Signed		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Government of Jersey: Customer Feedback Policy

Government of Jersey Customer Feedback Policy

Report

Following direction from the Executive Management Team (EMT), Customer and Local Services (CLS) has set up a project to introduce a Government of Jersey (GOJ) customer feedback policy, and implement a standardised process for handing and responding to customer feedback across the organisation.
The Chief Minister is being requested to endorse the policy, for implementation by all GOJ departments. CLS will take on the central function of ensuring that consistent standards are adopted, and that customer feedback is used to improve service delivery across the organisation. In order to do this CLS will process some information on behalf of other departments. Data Processing Agreements will be put in place to enable this to happen.

As a learning organisation, we are committed to improving effectiveness and efficiency. We want to get it right the first time. Listening and responding to customer feedback will support us in this aim.

Historically, department-specific processes have been implemented, however this has made it difficult to provide joined up responses, resolution and service improvements as a result.

As part of the One Government approach, we are modernising services and ensuring that customers at the heart of everything we do. The Customer Feedback Policy sets out how all customers and members of the public (including children, young people and people that require additional assistance) are able to express their views about how our services are provided.

The implementation of this policy is related to the broader work being undertaken by the GoJ on administrative redress in response to the recommendations made within the Independent Jersey Care inquiry. The inquiry specifically recommended that:
‘An effective complaints system is one key element in the structures that are necessary to ensure that looked after children are safe, and, to that end, we recommend that the current complaints system is replaced with one that is easily accessed and in which children and young people have confidence. The outcomes of complaints should be reported regularly to the relevant Minister, who, in turn, should present an annual report to the States.’ Independent Jersey Care Inquiry p. 57.

It is also related to the recommendations made by the Jersey Law Commission in the following Topic Reports:
Topic Report 2018 https://jerseylawcommission.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/jsylawcom_designingombudsman_final.pdf
Topic Report 2017 https://jerseylawcommission.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/jsylawcom_topicreport_adminredress_final.pdf

The 2017 report and subsequent response from the then Chief Minister refers more broadly to administrative redress and complaints processes. Three recommendations have particular relevance to the Customer Feedback Project:
Recommendation 2.1:     Create a legal duty on the Chief Minister to issue guidance to public bodies about fair and effective handling of complaints
Recommendation 2.2:     Create a legal duty on the Chief Minister to present an annual report to the States Assembly on administrative justice across the Government of Jersey and other public bodies.
Recommendation 2.3:     The States Assembly should scrutinise the Chief Minister’s annual report on administrative justice.

Should these recommendations be adopted, the implementation of the Customer Feedback Policy by all departments will enable the Chief Minister to present such an annual report to the States Assembly. Data for such a report will be collected in a consistent manner by all departments and reported regularly to the Executive Leadership Team.

Upon the Chief Minister’s approval, CLS will work with other departments to roll out staff training, a new system for recording, monitoring and reporting on complaints, and communicate changes to stakeholders ahead of full implementation on 30 September 2019.

Financial and manpower implications

There are no staff or other resource implications to this proposal.