Our intention at all times is to deal with people fairly and properly. If you feel that we have not met that standard, please let us know. Where there is reason to believe our conduct has fallen short, we want to be able to resolve any issues and learn from what has happened so that we can continuously improve.
This document explains how the organisation deals with complaints about its conduct from all external parties, such as members of the public, service users or subcontractors.
This Notice does not cover complaints made about an external service provider. If you wish to comment on the performance or behaviour of an external service provider, you should raise it directly with that organisation, using their own complaints procedure.
We will treat any expression of dissatisfaction about our conduct as a complaint. However, we ask you to contact us in writing as set out in the next section, so that we can consider the matter properly.
This Notice covers complaints about:
It may be the case that we receive correspondence that, in our view, does not fall under our definition of a complaint or does not raise any issue that calls for a depth investigation. This may apply, for instance, to:
The Notice does not cover matters that are subject to separate procedures, which include the following:
The contact details are available on our website. A complaint may be made by filling in the complaints form, or sent by post to:
124 City Road,
London,
EC1V 2NX
It will help us to deal quickly and fully with your complaint if you can state that you are making a complaint, set out your concern in writing as clearly as possible, and provide your contact details.
Our policy is to take legitimate complaints seriously and deal with them according to the procedures set out in this notice.
We aim to deal with complaints promptly and sensitively, and be courteous and helpful at all times. We would hope, too, that you will be courteous and fair in your dealings with our staff at all times. All complaints received will be dealt with confidentially and in accordance with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
We will keep full and accurate records of all complaints we receive so that we can monitor the types of problems reported to us, the best way to resolve them and how long we are taking to deal with complaints. This also helps us to take a closer look at how we can improve in the future.
If you make a complaint, we will investigate it thoroughly and impartially, without discrimination or prejudice. We aim to resolve matters as promptly as we can, but if a complaint gives rise to serious issues, we may need to take extra time in order to investigate it fully and properly so that, wherever we can, we resolve the issue the first time and learn from it and make improvements.
We will ensure that all decisions we make are proportionate, appropriate and fair given the circumstances of each complaint.
If you have supplied your contact details, we will send an acknowledgement of your complaint within 30 days of receipt. Your complaint will then be passed to an appropriate person who was not involved in the events which led to the complaint and who is in a position and has the relevant experience to consider the complaint. We will aim to respond as soon as possible, and in any event within 20 working days. We may need to contact you to ask for more information or clarity before making a final response.
When we provide you with a final response, we will clearly set out the steps we took in investigating the complaint, along with our views and reasons for this. Where we identify mistakes in our approach, we will acknowledge those mistakes, set out details of remedial steps or changes we think are appropriate in the circumstances, and explain what we will do to prevent the problem from reoccurring. We will also indicate your right to request a review of your complaint if you are not satisfied with our response.
We expect most complaints to be resolved at stage one. However, if you consider the response you have received is not fair or appropriate, you may contact us to request a review of your complaint by the Chair of the Board, or the CEO if the complaint involves the Board. You should do this within 20 working days of receiving a stage one response unless there is a special reason for doing so later.
We will acknowledge your request to review the complaint within five working days of receipt. Again, we may need to contact you to ask for more information or clarity before making a final decision. We will aim to respond within 20 working days of receipt.
We aim to complete all complaints within the timescales above; however, if a complaint is very complex, it may occasionally be necessary to extend the time limit. If this is the case, we will keep the complainant informed of progress with the investigation, the reasons for the delay, and the new deadline.
If, having followed the 2 stages of our complaints procedure, you still remain dissatisfied, you can ask to have your complaint reviewed externally.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Fax: 01625 524510
The Board is informed of any complaints received about the organisation or its staff at each meeting.
The organisation welcomes any comments or suggestions about our complaint’s procedure, to make sure it operates as efficiently and effectively as possible. Please send any comments to us by email or post.