Download our complaints leaflet in PDF format.

 

Introduction

St. Joseph’s Family Centre recognises that even though it aims to provide a high quality of service in all its work, there may be times when people feel their experience with the Family Centre has not met their expectations.

Complaints are an important aspect of every organisation; they help to inform us of areas of service we may need to make improvements upon.

St Joseph’s Family Centre takes complaints seriously and welcomes feedback on the services provided. 

 

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Confirm who can make a complaint and how they can complain
• Set out the process and responsibilities.
• Set out standards and expectations.

 

Scope

This policy applies to anyone who wishes to raise concerns or make a complaint about St Joseph’s Family Centre or its staff and/or volunteers.

 

Who can make a complaint

• Any person who receives a service from St. Joseph’s Family Centre
• Anyone who has been impacted by St Joseph’s Family Centre in any way.
• A parent/ legal guardian/ carer of a person who is accessing or who has accessed one of   our services.
• A representative for a person who is accessing or who has accessed one of our services (upon their request).

 

How complaints can be made

There are 2 ways to make a complaint:

 

Written complaints

Complaints forms are available for complainants to complete and return by email or post.

 

Verbal complaints

If a complainant prefers to speak with someone rather than write their complaint down, they can speak with any member of staff that they feel comfortable with. This can be in person or over the phone. Staff will listen and complete the written complaints form on the complainant’s behalf. The form will then be submitted to the Centre Manager at the earliest opportunity to investigate.

 

N.B: Complaints about the Centre Manager.

Should a complaint be about the Centre Manager; the form will be directed to a Trustee of the Family Centre to investigate. In this instance, the complaints form should be sealed in an envelope, labelled “Private and Confidential” and addressed to the “Chair of Trustees”. All complaints by post are to be sent to the Family Centre address. Where the complaint is emailed, the email header and document should be titled “Complaint. Private and Confidential – FAO Chair of Trustees” and password protected where possible. Emails can also be sent via Egress for additional security.

 

Expectations

Complainants can expect to be treated with respect and fairness at all times. St Joseph’s Family Centre also expects that complainants will treat our staff with the same respect and fairness.

St Joseph’s Family Centre will:

• Listen to the complainant
• Treat complaints seriously
• Explain to complainants how outcome decision(s) have been made

St Joseph’s Family Centre will not tolerate threatening or abusive behaviour by any complainant in line with our Zero Tolerance Policy.

 

Complaints Process

Complaints will only be investigated by a manager or a trustee in line with the following process.

 

Step 1

Complainants are asked to complete a Complaints Form or ask a member of staff to complete one with them. Should the form be completed by a member of staff, the complainant must sign the form to confirm the complaint is written down as they described it. Complainants will receive acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint within 7 working days. In order to investigate the complaint, the complainant may need to be contacted for more information.

The outcome of the investigation will be sent in writing within 21 days of the complaint being received.

 

Step Two

If the complainant feels the Family Centre has not resolved their concerns, they can escalate the matter to Step 2.

Complainants must contact the Family Centre to request escalation of their complaint, within 7 working days from the date on their initial outcome letter.

A meeting will be arranged between the complainant and their representative (as appropriate) with a manager/ trustee who has not been involved in Step 1 of the investigation.

The outcome of this escalation will be sent in writing within 7 working days after the meeting with the complainant has taken place.

 

Step Three

If complainants are not satisfied with the outcome of Step 2 escalation, they can appeal. This must be done in writing within 7 working days from the date on their Step 2 outcome letter.

An independent panel of Trustees will then review everything which has taken place. The complainant along with their representative (where appropriate) will be invited to meet with the panel.

The panel will then inform of the final outcome in writing within 7 working days of the Step 3 appeal meeting taking place.

 

Further escalation

Complainants also have the right to contact service Commissioning Leads, governing bodies, ombudsmen, and accreditation providers should they feel their complaint has not been resolved.

 

Recording of information

A record of a complaint and its outcome letter(s) must be kept and filed separately from any client records.

Complaints information will be stored in line with the Family Centre’s procedures relating to privacy, confidentiality, data security, archiving and destruction.

 

Sharing of information

There are times when sharing of information contained within a complaint is necessary to:

• Fully investigate a complaint
• Pass on organisation specific concerns raised
• Support effective safeguarding of adults and children

 

Safeguarding

Should a safeguarding concern be identified within the complaint itself or during the investigation process, St Joseph’s Family Centre will refer to the relevant safeguarding policy and procedure to ensure the correct procedures are being followed. This may result in the Family Centre contacting other services in order to safeguard the complainant or others and act appropriately in line with any risks identified.

 

Complaints which cannot solely be resolved by St Joseph’s Family Centre:

It is recognised that there may be times when other organisations are referenced in a complaint and therefore communication with those organisations may be important.

Where a complaint is received and is solely in reference to either commissioning processes, contract lead organisations or other partner organisations, St Joseph’s Family Centre will direct the complainant to the appropriate organisation and their complaints procedure (where possible).

Where a complaint is received and includes (but is not primarily about) concerns/ issues relating to commissioning processes, contract lead organisations, or other partner organisations, St Joseph’s Family Centre will take appropriate action to inform those organisations about the part of the complaint which relates to them. This action will include seeking consent from the complainant to pass on any relevant information. Should the complainant consent to information being shared, any information relating directly and uniquely to St Joseph’s Family Centre will be redacted and only the relevant information relating to the other organisation will be shared.

Should the complainant not consent to the information shared, but it is deemed by St Joseph’s Family Centre necessary to inform the other organisation of the complaint under contractual obligations or to report a concern relating to welfare or the practice of staff, St Joseph’s Family Centre will inform the complainant that the information will be shared sensitively and identification of the complainant will only be disclosed if deemed absolutely necessary for the complaint to be fully investigated by the other party. At all stages, the complainant will be encouraged to contact the appropriate organisation directly to raise their concerns separately.

 

Monitoring and Review

The Centre Manager will oversee complaints received by St. Joseph’s Family Centre. Where a complaint is directly related to the Centre Manager, a Trustee will be designated in this role.

Continued monitoring of complaints will take place within St. Joseph’s Family Centre and forms part of the reporting procedures to trustees, commissioners and accreditation providers (as appropriate).

Arrangements for dealing with complaints will be monitored by the Centre Manager to identify trends and ensure that appropriate action has been taken. Procedures will be reviewed every 3 years or earlier should it be identified any part of the process is inadequate or there has been a change in legislation or commissioning requirements. Any changes to the policy or procedure will be submitted to the board of trustees for review and approval prior to implementation.