Complaints Policy and Procedures
Families Contact aims to provide families and referrers with the best possible service. We value openness and honesty and your opinions, comments and suggestions are always very welcome. Sometimes, however, we may get things wrong and you have a right to make a complaint. We view complaints as an opportunity to learn and to improve our services, as well as a chance to put things right for the person who has made the complaint.
If you have a complaint about our service, we would like to sort it out as soon as possible. Many complaints can be resolved informally. If you feel able, speak to a member of staff who is working with you, or ask to speak to the coordinator on duty on the day. If you prefer, you can make an appointment with the coordinator and they will try to sort the matter out. If you are not satisfied or do not wish to seek an informal solution, you may make a formal complaint. There are three stages to Families Contact complaints procedure:
Stage 1
Your complaint should be put in writing and sent to Coordinator or for the attention of Arlene Carrington Office Manager, you may write a letter or send an email to
[email protected] It is helpful if you clearly state what you are unhappy about, and give details about what has happened, why something has caused you concern and, if applicable, what you would like to happen to put things right.
The coordinator will acknowledge your complaint within 7 working days and will tell you who is dealing with it and when you can expect a reply. They will delegate an appropriate person to look into the complaint and to take appropriate action – this will usually be the coordinator. If your complaint is about the coordinator, you should send your complaint to the attention of Taneeka Bennett Company Director or Arlene Carrington – Shand Office Manager (see
stage 2 below), marking it ‘Private and Confidential’.
Your complaint will be investigated by the coordinator, and, if it relates to a specific person or persons, they will be informed and given an opportunity to respond. If appropriate, the person investigating may clarify or seek additional information from you, or may speak to any witnesses to events. If possible, you will receive a reply to your complaint within fifteen working days to one calendar month this should describe the nature of your complaint, action taken to investigate it, the conclusions from the investigation and any action taken as a result of your complaint. It will also explain what you should do if you are not happy with the decision and how to progress your complaint to stage 2.
Stage 2
If you feel your problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage 1, you should notify the Director Taneeka Bennett that you wish to take it further. This should be done within 14 days of receiving the response from stage 1.
Taneeka Bennett will acknowledge your complaint within a week and will tell you when you can expect a reply. This should be within 4 weeks. If this is not possible for any reason, a progress report should be sent to you with a new date when the investigation should be completed.
Taneeka Bennett may investigate the facts of the complaint themselves, or may designate a senior person to do so. They may review all the paperwork of the complaint or may speak to the person who looked into the complaint at stage 1. If the complaint relates to a spe ific person, they should be informed and be given a further opportunity to respond.
The reply you receive will inform you of the action taken to investigate the complaint, whether it has been upheld or not, and any conclusions or action taken as a result of the complaint. You will also be informed how to progress to the next stage if you do not feel the problem has been satisfactorily resolved.
Stage 3
If you are not happy with the outcome of stage 2, you must inform the Director Supervisee Arlene Carrington – Shand within 14 days of receiving the response.
Arlene, will arrange a meeting, not including the person who is being investigated at Stage 2.
You will be invited to attend a meeting with them to discuss your complaint. Denise will consider all previous information and may wish to speak to staff involved. A written decision will be sent to you within one month, The decision taken at this stage is final.
Variations to the complaint’s procedure
The Director may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest or to ensure an independent investigation, for example.
Monitoring and learning
Complaints will be recorded and reported to the next Team meeting. Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends or need for further action to improve the service.
Written records of all complaints, including any written legal or insurance responses, will be held by the Director in a confidential file.
The Families Contact is an accredited member of the National Association of Child Contact Centres. If after this procedure has been carried out you are still not happy with the response, then you may write to the Chief Executive, NACCC, 2nd Floor, Friary Chambers,26-34 Friar Lane, Nottingham NG1 6DQ. However, it should be noted that the role of NACCC in such cases will be to facilitate a satisfactory conclusion to the complaint rather than to conduct a formal investigation. As a membership organisation NACCC has no responsibility for the staffing or day to day running of member services, however they do advise, support and accredit centres/ services and require member centres/services to work to the highest standards
