About us
Background
The new post of Service Complaints Commissioner was created by the Armed Forces Act 2006 with a remit which covers any complaint made after 1 January 2008. It follows recommendations made by Nicholas Blake QC in his Review into the deaths of four soldiers at Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut.
![Service Complaints Commissioner, Dr Susan Atkins, with Service personnel [13 KB]](images/8126.jpg)
The Act introduced a number of significant changes to the Service complaints system to make it fairer, more independent and more transparent. As well as the Service Complaints Commissioner, these include new joint standards for the three Services and a new Service Complaints Panel, with an independent member to consider some complaints on behalf of the Defence Council.
Detailed guidance on the Service complaints system can be found in Joint Services Publication (JSP) 831 - PDF [673 KB].
Information on arrangements for dealing with complaints of discrimination, harassment and bullying are contained in JSP 763 (The MOD Harassment Procedure) - PDF [1.02 MB].
The role of the Commissioner
![Service Complaints Commissioner, Dr Susan Atkins, with Service personnel [25 KB]](images/raf4b.jpg)
The Commissioner's role is to provide a rigorous and independent oversight of how the complaints system is working and to report back to Ministers and to Parliament.
The Commissioner also provides an alternative point of contact for Service personnel, or someone acting on their behalf, such as a member of their family, a friend or MP to raise concerns.
The Commissioner has set priorities for the Armed Forces for them to:
- deal with complaints quickly
- at a level which can make fair decisions and make changes where things have gone wrong
- in a way that keeps all those concerned informed of progress and able to understand the outcome and the reasons behind it
Because of concerns that Service men and women should be treated properly, the Commissioner has special powers where a complaint is about unacceptable behaviour such as:
- bullying
- harassment
- discrimination
- victimisation
- dishonest or improper behaviour
In these cases the Commissioner has to be kept informed by law about the handling of a complaint and the outcome.
The Commissioner will present an annual report to Parliament on how efficient, effective and fair the complaints process has been during the year. This report will be available to the public.
About the Commissioner
![Service Complaints Commissioner, Dr Susan Atkins, with Servicemen [23 KB]](images/ly08_096_017_b.jpg)
Dr Atkins has had a wide ranging career which fits her well for the post of the
first independent Service Complaints Commissioner for the Armed Forces.
She trained as a solicitor in local government and was a law academic for 12 years, with a national and international reputation in anti-discrimination law. She joined the civil service in 1989 and held a range of policy and operational jobs, particularly in the fields of criminal justice, personnel and diversity.
In 2003 Dr Atkins was appointed by Ministers to be the first Chief Executive of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, a new body charged with delivering greater openness and accessibility for those making complaints against the police and increasing the confidence of the public and police in complaints procedures. She was responsible for setting up the organisation; establishing new systems and working procedures with the police service and others; and for effective management of day-to-day operations.
She has a wealth of experience in HR and of dealing with bullying, discrimination and improper behaviour. Past roles include Deputy Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Departmental Equal Opportunities Officer for the Home Office and Director of the Women and Equality Unit in the Cabinet Office.
Dr Atkins has held a number of non-executive posts, including Visiting Professor at Southampton University, non-executive member of the Board of Strangeways Prison and school governor at a comprehensive school in Portsmouth. She is currently a non-executive director of the Quality Assurance Agency and of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.
Our Aims and Values
Our aim
To ensure all Service men and women and their families have confidence in the complaints system and are treated properly, by:
- monitoring individual complaints
- focusing on outcomes and improvements
- holding the Services to account for fairness, effectiveness and efficiency in their handling of complaints
- working with the Services and MOD to see that lessons are implemented swiftly and effectively
- accounting publicly to Ministers and Parliament
Our values
- Independence of judgement
- Fairness and justice
- Integrity
- Transparency and accountability
- Respect for diversity
- Humanity
