Policy Statement
Stand Together Network is committed to providing an excellent service. Part of our charity’s visions and values is to “provide exemplary customer service, listening to our beneficiaries’ needs and continuously improve the customer experience”. Gaining timely feedback from beneficiaries’ is an important part of helping us to identify what we do well and where we need to improve to reach the levels of service to which we aspire. We, therefore, encourage all feedback from customers whether this is about their satisfaction with our service, suggestions for where we can improve or, where they wish to complain about the service they have received. Stand Together Network takes all complaints seriously and will deal with them promptly to fully investigate and resolve customers’ concerns and put things right when they go wrong. We will keep customers informed about the progress of their complaint and the outcome, and will use this experience to continually improve our service.
The procedure below outlines how all our customers can help us improve our service
To support our commitment to improving the quality of the services we deliver we have adopted a complaints policy.
This policy covers important information about the procedures used to deal with complaints involving staff, external stakeholders, Stand Together Network clients including apprentices and employers. Complaints that relate to internal matters involving staff or contractors will be subject to Stand Together Network’s disciplinary, peal or grievance procedures.
*The principles on which our complaints procedure is based are:
-We will always seek an informal resolution of complaints where possible;
Our procedure will be publicised and Stand Together Network will promote open access to it;
-All staff will receive information on this procedure during induction; All staff and senior managers will adopt a solution-focused approach in response to justified complaints; seriously, and learn from them so that we can continuously improve our service.
-All complaints will be subject to impartial review.
-All members of the categories listed above are entitled to make complaints and to have their concerns dealt with fairly.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or not happy with a particular service or training, whether justified or not. A complaint may be about the delay, lack of response, discourtesy, failure to consult or about the standard of service you have received. We also welcome your feedback.
Dealings with complaints- initial concern:
Stand Together Network needs to be clear about the difference between a concern and a complaint. Taking informal concerns seriously at the earliest stage will reduce the numbers that develop into formal complaints. These key messages deal with complaints but the fundamental principle is that concerns have to be handled; if at all possible, without the need for formal procedures. The necessity to have a complaints procedure need not in any way undermine efforts to resolve the concern informally. Stand Together Network encourages their staff to resolve issues on the spot, including apologising where necessary. Stand Together Network is committed to providing a high quality, transparent and accessible service to everyone we deal with. In order to do this, we need you to tell us when we get things wrong. We want to help resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. We handle any expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for a response as a complaint. We listen to your complaints, treat them
Our approach
Stand Together Network wants to provide the best possible service and positive experiences to all of our beneficiaries.
We believe that complaints are a valuable source of feedback we must act upon, to help us make sure we meet the needs of all beneficiaries and the local community.
We have devised a comprehensive Complaints Procedure to allow centre users to express their concerns and give all centre staff an opportunity to learn from complaints.
It is essential that every member of staff follows the Complaints Policy when dealing with complaints. All beneficiaries are entitled to make complaints and to have their concerns dealt with fairly.
We refer to these complaints as “service complaints”.
Our policy covers complaints about:
- the standard of service you should expect from us
- the behaviour of our staff in delivering that service
- any action, or lack of action, by our staff or others, engaged on Stand Together Network
- if you think we have done something wrong
- we have not done something that we said we would do
- you are not satisfied with a particular service or set of services that we provide
- Anyone who raises a complaint anonymously, or from third parties, except where the complainant has a learning difficulty/disability.
- Any beneficiary who has broken the terms of the Beneficiary Code of Conduct.
- Any beneficiary making a formal complaint, without first raising an informal one with their Tutor or Curriculum Manager
We don’t accept the complaint because of the following reasons
- comments about our policies or policy decisions
- dissatisfaction or complaints expressed with our policies or decisions about individual cases, funding, or requests for legal advice and assistance
- matters that have already been fully investigated through this complaint’s procedure
We refer to these types of comments or complaints as ’non-service complaints’.
Stand Together Network reserves the right not to consider complaints judged by Head of Quality Assurance manager and Improvement to be without any grounds for investigation.
We accept complaints from:
- Current beneficiary
- Prospective beneficiary
- The beneficiary who finished their course up to 4 weeks prior to the complaint
- Parents
- Clients
- Employers
- others
How to complain to us
If you wish to make a complaint, you can do so by email or post or call us.
If you are disabled and need a reasonable adjustment to ensure you can register your complaint, you can contact us alternatively by:
- telephone (one of our officers will help you by writing out your complaint)
- asking a member of staff to help you in writing out your complaint
Our contact details are in the Contacting Us section below. If you require different adjustments, let us know and we will try and put those arrangements in place where we can.
ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS
We understand that it might be difficult for you to complain because you are worried that your complaint could result in poorer service. Please be assured that we treat all complaints in the strictest confidence and that it is your right to complain.
If you do not provide us with a contact name or address, it will not be possible for us to get back to you with the outcome of the investigation
Third-Party Reporting
Complainants may wish to have a third-party act on their behalf. A third party is any person or organisation acting on behalf of or making enquiries for the complainant. For example, third parties may include:
- advice organisations
- professionals such as social workers, community psychiatric nurses, doctors or solicitors
- family members or friends
Where a third party is helping a complainant with a particular complaint, we need written consent to that effect. Where we have this authority, we will endeavour to take all possible steps to keep the third party informed of progress on the complaint.
We do not need written consent if an MP or elected Councillor is helping a constituent with a complaint, and we can disclose information to them in response to their enquiries.
Also, some lawyers and attorneys are legally empowered in certain circumstances to act on behalf of a complainant, and consent to disclose information is not required.
Our standards for handling complaints
We can receive complaints by email or by letter. We treat all complaints seriously.
- You can expect to be treated with courtesy, respect and fairness at all times. We expect that you will also treat our staff dealing with your complaint with the same courtesy, respect and fairness.
- We will treat your complaint in confidence within the Stand Together Network.
- We will deal with your service complaint promptly. We will acknowledge receipt of a written complaint within five working days where we have a return address and you can expect to have a full reply within 10 working days.
- If your complaint is sent by post then you must enclose a return address for a response. You will not receive a response to your complaint if you do not enclose a return address.
- We will not treat you less favourably than anyone else because of your:
- sex or legal marital or same-sex partnership status: this includes family status, responsibility for dependants, and gender (including gender reassignment, whether proposed, commenced or completed)
- sexual orientation
- colour or race: this includes ethnic or national origin or nationality
- disability
- religious or political beliefs, or trade union affiliation
- any other unjustifiable factors, for example, language difficulties, age, pregnancy and maternity.
If you are not satisfied with the results of the review, you can complain to the Charity Commission.
Confidentiality
All Complaints records are confidential and it is dealt with confidentially and in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, subject to the need to disclose information as required by statutory authorities, and/or as a result of statutory, legal or parliamentary obligations placed on Stand Together Network.
However, some complaints are open to the Principalship and the Quality Assurance manager and Improvement to help them understand beneficiaries’ concerns as soon as they arise (this for our courses quality assurance).
Framework principles:
Effective steps for complaints Procedure will:
- encourage resolution of problems formal channel wherever possible;
- be easily accessible and publicised;
- be simple to understand and use;
- be unbiased;
- allow considerable handling time for action and keeping people informed of the progress;
- ensure a full and fair investigation by an independent person where necessary;