Policies
Complaints Policy and Procedure
Complaints Policy Statement
At DiNN Enterprise CIC, we:
are committed to providing a good standard of quality services to participants, members, partners, clients, other organisations or "stakeholders".
take seriously any concern or complaint and will look into it promptly, for resolution as quickly as possible
recognise that all stakeholders
-have the right to raise concerns or complaints about our services
-have access to clear information on how to voice complaints and concernsconcerns and complaints procedure is open to everyone who receives or requests a service from DiNN Enterprise CIC and people acting on our behalf
will share this policy in the footer of all our websites and ensure that all who engage with us are aware of it.
will keep a register of all complaints, which will be reviewed regularly by the Board of Directors
commit to the complaints procedure as part of the process of monitoring the quality, effectiveness and non-discriminatory nature of our services
All staff, volunteers and Board of Directors are required to read, understand and comply with this policy and its procedure
Introduction
DiNN Enterprise CIC strives for high standards in service delivery and welcomes feedback from individuals, stakeholders, funding bodies and anyone who works with us, on all aspects of our services. Such feedback is invaluable in helping us evaluate and improve our work.
The objectives of DiNN Enterprise CIC's complaints policy and procedures are to:
Ensure everyone knows how to make a complaint and how a complaint will be handled
Ensure that complaints are dealt with consistently, fairly and sensitively within clear time frames
Provide individuals with a fair and effective way to complain about our work
Ensure that complaints are monitored to improve our services
DiNN Enterprise CIC will ensure that we:
Listen carefully to complaints and treat complaints as confidential, where possible
Record, store and manage all complaints accurately and in accordance with the Data protection Act
Investigate the complaint fully, objectively and within the stated time frame
Notify the complainant of the results of the investigation and any right of appeal
Inform the complainant of any action that will be implemented in order to ensure that there is no re-occurrence
Report on an annual basis, the number of complaints received, the outcomes and any actions taken.
Definition of a complaint
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by an individual, whether justified or not.
An individual may make a complaint if they feel DiNN Enterprise CIC has:
Failed to provide a service or an acceptable standard of service or made a mistake in the way the service was provided
Failed to act in a proper way
Provided an unfair service
This policy and procedure relates only to complaints received about DiNN Enterprise CIC and its services.
Concern or Complaint
It is important to establish the difference between a concern and a complaint. Taking informal concerns seriously at the earliest stage will reduce the likelihood of their developing into formal complaints.
If you have any concerns about our work please tell a staff worker or their manager as soon as possible, so they can quickly understand your concerns and try to put things right.
If you are not happy with the response to your concern and/or you want to make a formal complaint please follow the procedure below.
Complaints Procedure
DiNN Enterprise CIC aims to settle the majority of complaints quickly and satisfactorily by the member of staff who provides the service. The complaint may be resolved quickly by way of an apology or by an acceptable explanation to the individual.
There are three stages to the complaint’s procedure:
Stage One – the complaint
Stage Two – investigation
Stage Three – appeal
Stage One - Complaint
The complaint can be submitted online or if the individual prefers they can tell someone at DiNN Enterprise CIC, or someone else, who will submit it for them.
Individuals wishing to make a complaint should contact the person who provided the service, or their line manager. Alternatively, they can contact us by emailing [email protected].
The complaint should include the complainant’s name and address, the nature and date of the complaint and how they want to see it resolved. The complaints form can be requested and can be sent to the complainant or collected by the complainant.
On receipt, each complaint will be allocated a reference number and logged on the complaints register.
Stage Two - Investigation
All complaints at this stage should be dealt with by a manager. If they need to meet with the complainant, they will do so within seven working days of receiving the written complaint.
Complaints will be fully investigated, and a written response provided to the complainant within ten working days by the investigator, line manager or CEO.
The complainant will receive written confirmation of the outcome of any investigation any recommendations/remedies made, such as reviewing of policies, staff development and training or appropriate improvement to our services.
Where the complaint is upheld the investigator will determine what a worthwhile show of apology to the complainant from DiNN Enterprise CIC would be and carry that out efficiently. It will also be determined by the investigator if there is a need to begin our disciplinary procedures.
Occasionally investigations may take longer, particularly if the complaint is complex. Should this be the case a holding notice will be sent via email to the complainant after ten working days and a final date given for a conclusion to be reached.
If a complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome from Stage Two they can appeal within fourteen working days of the date of the outcome and progress to Stage Three.
The complaints register will be updated, and any pending complaints flagged so they are followed up.
Stage Three - Appeal
If the complaint cannot be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction at stage two, or if the complaints manager feels that the complaint is of a very serious nature, or concerns an organisational leader (Key Support or Head of) then it will be referred to the Directorship.
If the complaint is about a member of the Directorshipthen the conflict will be managed by the Directorship to ensure an impartial view can be taken of the matter.
The Directorshipwill review the Stage Two investigation and recommend one of the following actions within ten working days (from the date the complainant stated they wanted to take the complaint to stage 3):
Uphold the action taken at Stage Two
Make changes to the Stage Two recommendation/actions
The complainant should be informed in writing of the outcome of stage three, the decision reached about this complaint will then be final but other options available to the complainant (as listed below) should be detailed in the email.
If after DiNN Enterprise CIC has been through the three stages and the complainant is still not satisfied with the result, they should be advised that there is no further right of appeal with DiNN Enterprise CIC but they could approach any of the following agencies for advice:
A solicitor
Citizens Advice Bureau
This should be done within one month of receiving the outcome from the appeal.
Anonymous complaints
Complaints received anonymously will be recorded and considered, but action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a full and fair investigation.
Data protection
To process a complaint DINN Enterprise CIC will hold personal data about the complainant, which the individual provides, and which other people give in response to the complaint. We will hold this data securely and only use it to address the complaint. The identity of the person making the complaint will only be known to those who need to consider the complaint and will not be revealed to other people or made public. However, it may not be possible to preserve confidentiality in some circumstances, for example, where relevant legislation applied or allegations are made which involve the conduct of third parties.
DiNN Enterprise CIC will normally destroy complaints files in a secure manner six years after the complaint has been closed.
Monitoring
Complaints are an important tool which, alongside data provided by exit surveys, stakeholder surveys, user feedback and focus groups, will allow us to learn about the services we provide. They provide a useful source of information about how individuals see our services and how we are serving them. To ensure we can learn from complaints the following data will be collected:
Name and email address
Name of person dealing with the complaint
Date of complaint and response
Nature of complaint
Action(s) taken/recommendations made in response to the complaint Lessons learnt
Complaints information will be considered on a regular basis by the Leadership Team and reported regularly to DiNN Enterprise CIC Directorship. Wherever possible the data will be used to improve and develop the service.
Last review: 30 Sept 2023