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Compliments and Complaints Policy

This policy covers St Rose’s and St Martin’s and will be referred to as the organisation

POLICY STATEMENT

The organisation seeks to maintain and develop its internal and external relationships.  The success of the organisation is founded on the quality of those relationships.  Parents, students, staff, governors, or others with an interest in our community, have a right to complain when concerns remain unresolved.

AIMS

  • To give a structured framework to aid resolution of a complaint
  • To improve the efficiency of the organisation by listening to those complaints, and instigating the appropriate process to deal with them.
  • To protect all from complaints that are unfair, unfounded or malicious.
  • To ensure that everyone knows how to provide feedback and specifically how a complaint will be handled;
  • To ensure that complaints are dealt with consistently, fairly and within clear timeframes;
  • To ensure that feedback is monitored and used to improve our services and celebrate our successes.

SCOPE

  • The organisation strives to operate to the highest standards. We welcome feedback from individuals and organisations we work with, including parents and carers, stakeholders and from our neighbours in the local community. Such feedback is invaluable in helping us to evaluate and improve our work.
  • The organisation has a single Compliments and Complaints Policy covering all of its activities and services.

The Compliments and Complaints Policy will:

  • encourage resolution of concerns by informal means where appropriate;
  • be easily accessible and publicised;
  • be simple to understand and use;
  • be impartial and non-adversarial;
  • allow swift handling with established time-limits for action and keeping people informed of the progress;
  • respect confidentiality and data protection;
  • provide information to the Trustee Board, Governing Body and Senior Management Teams so that services can be improved;
  • collect positive feedback about services that support and encourage staff teams

COMPLIMENTS PROCESS

It is the responsibility of all staff to record verbal or written compliments in their service’s compliments record. Managers are responsible for ensuring that the staff named within a compliment are informed and thanked. Compliments will be recorded on staff records and staff PDR’s with a record of when it is fed back.

COMPLAINTS PROCESS

All complaints should first be made to the senior manager with responsibility for that curricular, care or organisational aspect of the organisation.  Though such complaints may be copied to the Principal for information, it is unlikely that she/he will be directly involved in the first instance.

Should the complaint be unresolved after the efforts made by the appropriate manager, then it must be referred to the Principal and/or Chair of Governors

In the rare event where the complainant feels that the concern remains, then the issue will be considered through:

  1. A meeting between the principal, senior manager and the complainant in order to resolve the issue
  2. Where necessary, the appropriate panel of Governors will hear the complaint.
  3. Contact with Ofsted:
    By post: Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD
    General Helpline 0300 123 1231
    About education or adult skills 0300 123 4234
    Prefix for Typetalk 18001
    For textphone/Minicom users 0161 618 8524
  4. Contact with CQC (for residential students in St Martin’s:
    By post: CQC ASC Inspections, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA
    Telephone: 03000 616161
    www. Cqc.org.uk
    email: ascinspections@cqc.org.uk

Individuals wishing to make a complaint should contact the person who provided the service at the earliest opportunity.

STAGE ONE – RAISING A CONCERN

The organisation aims to resolve concerns quickly and satisfactorily. In some instances, it may be possible to resolve these informally by way of an apology or explanation, or by simply providing the information requested.

Where it is appropriate to deal with a concern informally, it is important that the relevant member of staff concerned has the first opportunity to resolve the matter quickly. It is their responsibility to inform the person who raised a concern of the action taken.  Governors and other staff will not become involved in the matter at this stage as it may compromise their role if the concern proceeds to a later stage of the process.

Any concern regarding safeguarding or pupil welfare must be immediately reported to the Safeguarding Team who are:

Sheila Talwar – Principal

Jean Bankhead – Vice Principal

Lisa Taylor – Nursery Manager

Jo Pearch – Lead Nurse

Elaine Fernandez – Lead Teaching Assistant

All complaints will be recorded in a common format. A record will be kept of concerns raised and action taken. These records are reviewed regularly by senior managers and reported termly to the Governing Board.

Where a concern cannot be resolved informally, or when it would be inappropriate to pursue an informal route or the complainant wishes to make a formal complaint immediately, the senior manager should inform the Complaints Co-ordinator who will instigate the formal complaints process.

STAGE TWO – MAKING A FORMAL COMPLAINT

This stage deals with matters that could not be resolved informally or where it would be inappropriate to seek to resolve an issue through informal means.

The senior manager will immediately inform the Safeguarding Team of any complaint regarding safeguarding and the welfare of students or young adults.

The formal complaints process starts after the complainant has made a complaint in writing. Clearly there are some circumstances where it would be inappropriate to wait for a complaint to be received in writing and the decision to proceed to an investigation is a matter for the relevant senior manager in consultation with the Principal. The Chair of Governors will be informed within 2 working days.

On receipt of a formal complaint, the Complaints Co-ordinator will log the complaint on the Complaints Log and issue a reference number.

Where the written formal complaint process is triggered by a verbal complaint, the relevant Senior Manager will capture the nature of the complaint and ensure that this information is recorded in the Complaints Log.

Verbal complaints, without written confirmation, will only be accepted in very limited circumstances, e.g. if the complainant has disabilities, in which case we would encourage an independent advocate to become involved.

A senior manager will contact the complainant within 2 working days of a formal complaint being received wherever possible and will advise the Complaints Co-ordinator of the date and time of the call.

If a school/college related formal complaint is received after the end of term, every effort will be made to acknowledge the complaint within this timescale but any investigation may have to wait until staff have returned.

Procedure

  1. If the issue or complaint is not resolved informally the complainant must submit details in writing to the Chair of Governors who will arrange for it to be considered at a panel meeting of at least three governors. The panel will appoint a chair person. The Chair of Governors should not normally be part of this panel
  2. The panel will request all written documents from the complainant and the organisation. The meeting of the panel of governors will take place within 15 working days of the chair person’s receipt of the written complaint. All relevant documents must be submitted at least 3 working days in advance of the meeting. All parties involved will be allowed to attend and make representations at the meeting. By agreement of all the parties, there may be a change in time limits
  3. The panel in seeking to resolve the complaint may adjourn the meeting or defer their decision until they are satisfied they have had the opportunity to take account of all the relevant factors. The decision of the panel and the reasons for the decision will be communicated to all parties and confirmed within 3 working days

The written response will confirm the outcome of the investigation and what action is being proposed as a result. The complainant will be asked to complete a Complaint Response Form.

 STAGE THREE – APPEALS

If the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of a formal complaint and wishes to appeal, this must be done in writing within 15 days either by completing the Complaint Response Form or by letter addressed to the Chair of Governors who is responsible for Stage 3 of the complaint process.

The Chair person will then arrange for the members of the governing body not previously involved to hear the appeal. The hearing will take place within 15 working days of the chair person receiving the written appeal and will follow the arrangements set out in 2 (above). The decision reached at this hearing will be final.

If the complaint is against the governing body, Ofsted and/or the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be informed.

TIMESCALES

  • Minor pastoral issues, complaints and queries will receive a response within 2 working days.
  • More complex complaints or complaints that raise a number of concerns will, within 2 days, receive a response which outlines the likely timeframe required.  This timeframe is unlikely to exceed 28 working days.

INTERNAL REPORTING OF COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

Compliments and complaints information will be considered on a regular basis by the Senior Management Team and reports will be provided to the full Governing and Trustee Boards at their meetings as requested by Trustees and Governors.

 

RAISING A CONCERN

SITUATION A member of staff is made aware of a concern
ACTION The member of staff will clarify if the matter is to be dealt with informally or whether the person raising the concern wishes to make a formal complaint, in which case the matter will be referred for investigation as described in Stage Two.
If the concern relates to safeguarding or student welfare, it will be immediately reported to the Safeguarding Team.

 

SITUATION It is appropriate for the matter to be dealt with informally
ACTION A Senior Manager will seek to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and inform the person who raised the concern of the action taken

 

SITUATION The complainant is not satisfied with the response to their concern, and the action that is being proposed
ACTION The Senior Manager should provide the complainant with a copy of the Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure and advise them to make a formal complaint

 
MAKING A FORMAL COMPLAINT

SITUATION A concern could not be resolved informally or an individual wishes to make a formal complaint
ACTION The Senior manager will immediately inform the safeguarding team if necessary. The formal complaints process will start on receipt of the written complaint The complaint will be logged on the Complaints Log

 

SITUATION A formal complaint has been received and logged on the Complaints Log
ACTION The Chair of Governors who will arrange for it to be considered at a panel meeting of at least three governors. This will take place within 15 working days of receiving the written complaint

 
APPEALING THE OUTCOME OF A FORMAL COMPLAINT

SITUATION A complaint has been investigated but the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome and actions proposed
ACTION The complainant must write to the Chair of Governors within 15 working days
The Chair person will then arrange for the members of the governing body not previously involved to hear the appeal. The hearing will take place within 15 working days of the chair person receiving the written appeal

  
APPENDICIES & FORMS RELATED TO THIS POLICY CAN BE FOUND ON THE DOWNLOAD VERSION OF THIS POLICY

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies and documents: