Why “Getting It Right” Matters

Across the UK, local councils, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), NHS services, and public contractors make decisions that directly affect families every day.

When those decisions are wrong, people are often forced into:

• complaints
• mandatory reconsiderations
• appeals
• tribunals
• ombudsman investigations
• court hearings
• enforcement action

This causes avoidable hardship, damages trust, and costs public money that could be better spent on getting decisions right in the first place.

Getting it right first time is fairer, safer, and more efficient.

The Problem We See

Too often:

• evidence is overlooked
• shared care arrangements are not properly recognised
• disputed arrears continue unresolved
• cases remain open when they should be reviewed
• vulnerable people are left without proper protection
• public contractors fail to meet their duties
• families are left carrying the burden of proving the system wrong
• people on long waiting lists

The responsibility is too often placed on the public instead of the service.

That must change.

What We Are Calling For

1. Right-First-Time Decisions

Before any enforcement, deduction, or debt action:

• evidence must be properly checked
• the legal basis must be clear
• full notice must be given
• review and appeal rights must be explained

No public body should create hardship through avoidable error.

2. Fairness in Shared Care (CMS)

Where children live across two homes, systems should reflect real parenting arrangements.

Shared care should be fairly recognised and assessed properly.

Children should never be reduced to financial calculations.

3. Transparent Family Courts

Justice should be visible.

We support greater transparency through appropriate publication of anonymised family court decisions so the public can better understand:

• judicial reasoning
• consistency of decisions
• accountability
• patterns of repeated concerns

Families deserve confidence in the process.

4. Accountability for Public Contractors

Where public contractors:

• fail service standards
• miss key obligations
• underpay staff
• create avoidable public harm

there should be:

• contract review
• financial accountability
• proper investigation
• removal where serious failure continues

Public money should deliver public value.

5. Learning From Failure

When complaints are upheld or tribunal decisions expose failures:

• lessons should be learned
• repeated mistakes should stop
• systems should improve

The same failure should not harm families again and again.

Our Standard

We believe every public service should work to one principle:

Right First Time UK

Not after complaints.
Not after tribunals.
Not after lives are damaged.

Our Promise

Right First Time UK will continue through helping campaigns, public awareness, and community support to:

• challenge unfair outcomes
• support families facing difficult systems
• expose avoidable failures
• push for lawful reform
• strengthen the Kellett and Briggs Bill campaign
• promote accountability across public services

Because fairness should never depend on who can fight the longest.

Right First Time UK

Fair Decisions. Public Money. Real Accountability.

Support and Guidance information can be found on our site 

Access our clear step-by-step guidance for complaints, escalation routes, tribunals, ombudsman pathways, and public service challenge processes.

Because people deserve to understand how to be heard.