COmplaints

Introduction

Six Till Six aims to provide a high quality services that meet our clients’ and the people they work with needs on every occasion. However, if we’re not getting this right, please let us know. In order to ensure our services remain at a high and improving standard, we have a procedure through which you can let us know of for any reason you are not satisfied with your dealings with Six Till Six.  

Our policy is:

• To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint
• To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint
• To make sure everyone at Six Till Six knows what to do if a complaint is received
• To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way
• To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired
• To gather information which helps us to improve what we do

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of the work Six Till Six does, either directly with a client or on behalf of one of our partners. Our complaint policy extends to members of the public, including but not limited to surveys, interviews and data gathering.

Where Complaints Come From

Complaints may come from any individual, or organisation who has a legitimate interest in Six Till Six, including the general public if something is perceived to be improper. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing. This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should refer to Six Till Six internal policy on such matters.

Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements. Where a complaint relates to a vulnerable or potentially vulnerable, individual or situation, we may consult a solicitor to ensure that the highest levels of confidentiality are met. If there is a possible safeguarding issue, please refer to our Safeguarding Policy.

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the Director of Six Till Six.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.

Complaints Procedure of Six Till Six

Publicised Contact Details for Complaints:

Written complaints may be sent to Six Till Six at 3 Goodwood Road, Nottingham, NG8 2FT or by e-mail at info@sixtillsix.com. Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 0115 7365 033.

Receiving Complaints

Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have, such as social media. Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded.

The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should:

• Write down the facts of the complaint
• Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number
• Note down the relationship of the complainant to Six Till Six, e.g. client, member of the public, partner
• Tell the complainant that we have a complaints procedure
• Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take
• Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words

Resolving Complaints

Stage One

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate. Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to a member of the senior management team within five business days.

On receiving the complaint, the senior management team member records it in the complaints log. If it has not already been resolved, they delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within five working days. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaint’s procedure should be attached. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is justified or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.

Stage Two

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is reviewed by the Six Till Six Director.

At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Director. The request for Director level review should be acknowledged within five working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The Director may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One. The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One should be kept informed of what is happening.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Director decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

Variation of the Complaints Procedure

The Director may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about a senior management member should not also have that member of staff involved as a person leading a Stage Two review.

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.