Complaints procedure

How to make a complaint about a service provided by the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee (OSPT), including what we are unable to investigate.

Types of complaints we can help with

You can complain about the service you’ve received from:

  • the Official Solicitor
  • the Public Trustee
  • the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU)
  • the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) Unit

We are unable to investigate complaints in cases where either the OSPT, ICACU or REMO unit has not provided you with a service.

You have no right to appeal against an OSPT refusal to accept any complaint excluded by the complaints procedure.

The Official Solicitor

You should not complain to the Official Solicitor if you don’t agree with the decision the court has made. To do this, you should ask for advice from a solicitor, local law centre, Citizens Advice Bureau or community legal services. This includes any decision about the appointment of the Official Solicitor as litigation friend or any decision the Official Solicitor makes during litigation.

You also can’t complain to the Legal Services Ombudsman about decisions taken by the Official Solicitor in her capacity as litigation friend.

The Official Solicitor will not accept complaints:

  • about a refusal to act in a case that does not meet the Official Solicitor’s acceptance criteria
  • from parties to the proceedings (other than the person for whom the Official Solicitor has acted or is acting as litigation friend) as any complaint here should be raised with the court
  • about a refusal to act in a trust or estate that does not meet the Official Solicitor’s acceptance criteria
  • about the exercise of the Official Solicitor’s discretionary power to distribute trust funds to persons who are excluded persons under a CICA settlement

The Public Trustee

The Public Trustee will not accept complaints:

  • about a refusal to act in a trust or estate that does not meet the Public Trustee’s acceptance criteria
  • in relation to the action of, or a decision made by, the court

The ICACU

You can’t complain to the ICACU if you don’t agree with:

  • a decision or action of the courts in another country or this country
  • a decision or action of the authorities in another country or this country

If you want to complain about a service provided by the ICACU and you live in a foreign country, you will normally need to send your complaint through the authorities in your country.

The REMO Unit

You can’t complain to the REMO Unit if you don’t agree with:

  • a decision or action of the courts in another country or this country
  • a decision or action of the authorities in another country or this country

If you want to complain about a service provided by the REMO Unit and you live in a foreign country, you will normally need to send your complaint through the authorities in your country.

How to complain

Email the complaints officer at [email protected].

Alternatively, you can write to:

The Complaints Officer
Official Solicitor and Public Trustee
Post Point 0.53
102 Petty France
London SW1H 9AJ

If you can’t make your complaint by email or letter, telephone us on 020 3681 2600.

When you complain, you should:

  • say clearly that this is a complaint
  • include your name and contact details so we can send you a response
  • give the name of your case and the reference number if you have one
  • explain whether your complaint is about the Official Solicitor, the Public Trustee, ICACU or the REMO Unit
  • explain what your complaint is about, giving as much relevant detail as possible including dates and events, and making clear what you feel is wrong

What happens next

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it and respond within 20 working days to explain our findings. If we can’t meet this timescale, we’ll contact you and discuss a revised deadline.

Appealing against a complaints decision

If you are not satisfied with our response you can appeal to the Official Solicitor or the Public Trustee by sending your appeal within 20 working days to [email protected]. The Official Solicitor or Public Trustee will investigate and respond within 15 working days.

If you’re still not satisfied with the response you receive from the Official Solicitor or the Public Trustee, we will provide you with details of any further appeal process appropriate to your complaint.

OSPT’s approach

OSPT is committed to dealing with complaints fairly and impartially. However, we will consider limiting how often and how you communicate with us if you:

  • make repeated, persistent, unreasonable complaints
  • act unreasonably
  • are aggressive or abusive when you contact us

We will not investigate repeat complaints about the same issue after the complaints process has been completed.

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