Complaints Policy and Procedure

Complaints Policy and Procedure

Policy
This complaints policy covers all aspects of our service delivery to job seekers, employers, partner organisations such as schools and colleges and young people participating on our programmes.

The Brokerage will aim to resolve complaints informally without resorting to formal investigation. The Brokerage will inform the complainant about the outcome of the complaint wherever possible. The Brokerage will aim to resolve complaints quickly.

The following issues (this is not an exhaustive list) will always be treated as complaints:
• Inappropriate/improper fundraising methods;
• Poor standards of service including accusations of professional incompetence/misconduct;
• Financial losses/waste;
• Harm to children or vulnerable individuals (see the Safeguarding & Child Protection policy);
• Criminality within or involving The Brokerage;
• Non-compliance with The Brokerage’s own policies/procedures.

Procedure
When dealing with complaints, communication and speed of resolution are important factors. It is also important to keep good records of conversations and correspondence so that they can be referred to in the event of the complaint being escalated. A complaints folder will be held by the finance team and accessible by them and the executive director so that all details and correspondence relating to complaints which are not resolved in the moment can be stored confidentially. If the complaint is about the executive director, the chair of trustees will be asked to deal with the investigations and correspond with the complainant. In this instance, the correspondence will be password protected by the finance team.

Any external person wishing to make a complaint should raise it verbally in the first instance with the staff member responsible for the particular programme or project involved, and wherever possible the complaint should be dealt with in the moment and resolved. Should that member of staff be implicated, then the complaint should be made to their line manager or another senior member of staff. The staff member implicated should provide the complainant with their line manager’s or another senior manager’s email address and telephone number, and should brief that manager immediately as well as providing the contact details of the complainant. The line manager or senior manager should send a holding email or letter to the complainant saying the complaint is being investigated and that a response will be sent within seven working days. The line manager will discuss the complaint with the staff member, and a suitable course of action will be agreed upon to resolve the issue raised. The relevant manager will confirm this in writing to the complainant.

Should the complaint not be resolved then it will be referred to the executive director. The nature of the complaint should at this stage be put in writing by the complainant. The executive director should acknowledge the complaint in writing immediately, and state that an investigation will be carried out and a response sent within seven working days. The complainant may be invited to a meeting to discuss the matter. If the complaint is upheld, a full apology will be issued in writing with an explanation of how such matters will be addressed in the future. Any complaints not resolved in this way will be referred to the chair of trustees.

This policy and procedure will be placed on our website, where we will also invite comments and compliments.

Reviewed and amended June 2016