Our Policies
Complaints Procedure
Version: 2
Our Company is committed to providing a safe, stimulating, consistent and accessible service for children
and their parents/carers. We always aim to provide high quality services for everyone but accept that sometimes things do not always go to plan. In such circumstances, we want to know so that we can put them right and learn from our mistakes.
This policy constitutes Alt Prov Formal Complaint Procedure. It will always be displayed at the premises.
Under normal circumstances, all staff, the managers and Brian Murphy will be responsible for managing any complaints. If a complaint is made against the managers, another person may be chosen if requested. All complaints made to staff will be recorded in detail with an Incident Record being completed.
Stage One
If a parent/carer has a complaint about some aspect of the provisions activity, or about the conduct of an individual member of staff, it will often be possible to resolve the problem by simply speaking to the individual concerned and/or the Managers. Alt Prov is committed to open and regular dialogue with parents/carers and welcomes any feedback or comments, positive or negative.
In the first instance, parents/carers are encouraged to speak directly to the relevant member of staff, if deemed appropriate. If not, the Managers should be approached, and they will try to resolve the problem. If a satisfactory resolution cannot be found, then Stage Two of the procedure will formally come into operation.
Stage Two
If informal discussions of a complaint or problem have not produced a satisfactory resolution to the situation, parents/carers should put their complaint in detail and in writing to Brian Murphy. Relevant names, dates, evidence and any other important information on the nature of the complaint should be included.
The company will acknowledge receipt of the complaint as soon as possible – within 3 to 7 working days. The matter will be fully investigated within 15-28 working days. If there is any delay, Alt Prov will advise the parent/carers of this and offer an explanation. The Manager will be responsible for sending them a full and formal response to the complaint.
If the Management has good reason to believe that the situation has child protection implications, they should inform the designated Child Protection Officer and ensure that the local social care department is contacted, according to the procedure set out in the Child Protection policy. If any party involved in the complaint has good reason to believe that a criminal offence has been committed, then they will contact the police.
The formal response to the complaint from Alt Prov will be sent to the parent/carer concerned and copied to all relevant members of staff if appropriate. The response will include recommendations for dealing with the complaint and for any amendments to the provisions policies and procedures emerging from the investigation.
The Managers will arrange a time to meet the parent/carer concerned and any other relevant individuals, such as members of staff, to discuss the complaint and the provisions response to it. The Manages will judge if it is best for all parties to meet or if the individual meetings are more appropriate.
Either party may need to consider consulting an external mediator who is acceptable to both parties and will offer support and advice. The mediator must ensure discussions are kept confidential.
If at the conclusion of this process parents/carers remain dissatisfied with the response they have received, the original complaint along with the company’s response will be passed to the Local Authorit. A formal record of all meetings should be taken and made available for those concerned should they wish to see them.
Parents may approach the LA or LADO at any point during any part of this stage