Complaints Policy & Procedure
C4F CIC Child Contact Centre 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 centre, 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/Manager/Team leader on duty on the day. If you prefer, you can make an appointment with the Manager/Coordinator/ Deputy 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 the C4F CIC Child Contact Centre’s complaints procedure:
Stage 1: Your complaint should be put in writing and sent to Sam Bradley the Manager. We recommend that you write a letter or send an email to INFO@C4F.CO.UK. 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 Manager Sam Bradley and or deputy Leanne Nash will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days 1 week 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 deputy coordinator/team leader/assistant manager/ coordinator. If your complaint is about the Manager/Coordinator you should send your complaint to the Complaints Officer Leanne Nash (see stage 2 below), marking it ‘Private and Confidential’. Your complaint will be investigated by the designated person, 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/one 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 Complaints Officer that you wish to take it further. This should be done within 14 days of receiving the response from stage 1. The Complaints Officer will acknowledge your complaint within 1 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. The Complaints Officer 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 specific 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 Complaints Officer within 14 days of receiving the response. A panel of 3 Staff members will be convened, not including the person who investigated at Stage 2. You will be invited to attend a meeting with them to discuss your complaint. The panel will consider all previous information and may wish to speak to staff/volunteers involved. A written decision will be sent to you within 3 weeks / one month. The decision taken at this stage is final. Variations to the complaints procedure The Management Committee 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 meeting of the Management. 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 Management Committee in a confidential file.
The C4F Child Contact Centre 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 centres, however they do advise, support and accredit centres and require member centres to work to the highest standards.