Complaints Procedure

If the complaint is made, then the staff member will try to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the client / school. If s/he continues to be unhappy, then the staff member must inform him/her about the complaints procedure.

The staff member will first offer to put the client in touch with a senior staff member ie: Counselling Team Lead or Education Team Lead.

If s/he is unable to help, then the client will be given the address of the Centre so that the formal complaint can be made in writing. For the complaint to be dealt with properly the complainant must be willing to give their name, address and full details of the nature of their complaint, a form is available.

The CEO will then deal with the complaint. They will investigate the circumstances and report back in writing to the complainant.

If the complainant remains dissatisfied, s/he may take the complaint to the Trustees, who will deal with the matter in consultation with the staff involved, and report in writing to the complainant of any action taken. The final arbiters in all disputes will be the Trustees.

We understand the importance of dealing with complaint swiftly:

• We will make every effort to respond to all complaint within 7 working days.
• If enquiries need to be made, we will undertake these speedily and report to the Trustees as near as possible to 2 weeks from the date the complaint was made.
• If action needs to be taken we will endeavour do this within 4 weeks of the date the complaint was made.
• Where appropriate, we will report back to the complainant about action taken as soon as possible.

When a complaint is made, the staff member will complete the relevant forms and pass them to the CEO who will endeavour to ensure that copies are sent to the Trustees within 7 days.

It is of utmost importance that at every stage during this procedure accurate records are kept of all conversations that take place and that copies are kept of all correspondence.

If the complaint is against the CEO, then letters must be written directly to the Trustees.

All trained counsellors and educators will be given full training on policies and procedures.

If a trained counsellor or education volunteer has a complaint about the way s/he is treated at the Centre or how the Centre is run, s/he should first speak to the CEO.

If the issue remains unresolved, they can take their complaint to the Trustees.

The Trustees will be kept informed of all complaints that are made.

All staff will be given a copy of the policy when they join the Centre.

We will ensure that all staff are trained and able to give information about the Complaints Procedure.

A Complaint/confidentiality leaflet will be shown upon request.