Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure

Contents
1. Policy Statements
2. Definition of a Complaint
3. Procedure
Compliments Complaints
– Stage One Complaints
– Stage Two Complaints
– Stage Three
4. Anonymous compliments and complaints
5. Data Protection
6. Recording
7. Monitoring
1. Policy statement
.1 Turn2us strives for high standards in service delivery and welcomes feedback from individuals, intermediaries, charities and anyone who works with us, on all aspects of our services. Such feedback is invaluable in helping us evaluate and improve our work.
1.2 The objectives of the Turn2us Compliments and Complaints Policy are to:
Ensure everyone knows how to provide feedback and how a complaint will be handled Ensure that complaints are dealt with consistently, fairly and sensitively within clear timeframes Provide users with a fair and effective way to complain about our work Ensure that compliments and complaints are monitored and used to improve our services. 1.3 Turn2us 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 timeframe 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 a quarterly basis, the number of compliments and complaints received, the outcomes of investigations and any actions

2. Definition of a complaint

2.1 A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by a user, whether justified or not.
A user may make a complaint if they feel Turn2us has:
Failed to provide a service or an acceptable standard of service Delayed in providing a service Made a mistake in the way it has provided a service Failed to act on a proper way Provided an unfair service 2.2 This policy and procedure relates only to complaints received about Turn2us and its services. Individuals who make complaints about partner organisations will be notified in writing within one working day that they need to complain to the organisation they have the complaint with; and will be provided with contact details, where possible.

3. Compliments and Complaints Procedure

3.1 The Turn2us Head of Services is responsible for implementing the Compliments and Complaints Procedure.
3.2 Compliments
Any verbal or written compliments will be recorded by the member of staff receiving the compliment and be passed to the appropriate manager for recording on the Compliments Register. Any member of staff identified as being the subject or contributing to any matter giving rise to the compliment will be notified within three working days.
3.3 Complaints
There are 3 stages to the complaints procedure:
Stage One – ComplaintStage Two – AppealStage Three- Independent Review
Stage One
3.4 Turn2us aims to settle the majority of complaints quickly and satisfactorily by the member of staff who provides the service or the relevant manager. The complaint may be resolved informally by way of an apology, by providing the service required or by providing an explanation to the user.
3.5 Individuals wishing to make a complaint should contact the person who provided the service, or their manager. Alternatively they can contact Turn2us by emailing info@turn2us.org.uk or writing to: Turn2us, Unit 9, Cefn Coed Parc, Nantgarw, Cardiff, CF15 7QQ; or use the form at http://www.turn2us.org.uk/.
3.6 If the user prefers to make a verbal complaint then the person receiving the call will enter details on the ‘Verbal Complaints Form’. If the user is willing to/or asks to submit a written complaint the ‘Written Complaints Form’ will be sent to them on the same day, or the individual can download a copy of the form from the website.
3.7 On receipt, each complaint will be allocated a unique reference number and logged on the Complaints Register. Details of the complaint will be sent immediately to the Complaints Investigator.
3.8 Complaints will be acknowledged within one working day. The complaints will be fully investigated and a written response provided to the complainant within 20 working days by the Investigator.
3.9 The Complaints Register will be updated and any pending complaints flagged so they are followed up.
3.10 Individuals will be advised that if they are not satisfied with the response to their complaint, they may appeal within 14 working days and progress to Stage Two.
Stage Two
3.11 Turn2us’s Head of Services will appoint a manager to investigate the matter independently and communicate the outcome and any action(s) to the complainant within 20 working days, in writing. This person may need to contact the complainant to clarify the issues, conduct the investigation and explore resolution.
3.12 Occasionally, investigations may take longer, particularly if the complaint is complex.Should this be the case a holding letter will be sent after 20 working days and a final date given for a conclusion being reached.
3.13 If an individual remains unsatisfied with the outcome from Stage Two they can request an Independent Review within 14 working days and progress to Stage Three.
Stage Three
3.14 The Turn2us Chief Executive and/or Chair of Trustees will review the Stage Two investigation and recommend one of the following actions, within 20 working days:
No further action is taken by Turn2us Changes to the Stage Two recommendations/actions.

4. Anonymous Compliments and Complaints

4.1. Compliments and 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.

5. Data Protection

5.1 To process a complaint, Turn2us will hold personal data about the complainant, which the individual provides and which other people give in response to investigating the compliant. Turn2us will hold this data securely and only use it to help address the complaint. The identity of the person making the complaint will only be made known to those who need to consider the complaint and will not be revealed to other people or made public by Turn2us. However, it may not be possible to preserve confidentiality in some circumstances, for example, where relevant legislation applies or allegations are made which involve the conduct of third parties.
5.2 Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, users have a right to obtain a copy of their personal data. However, there are exceptions to this right. Turn2us will normally destroy its compliments and complaints files six years after the compliment has been made or the complaint closed.

6. Recording

6.1 A complainant will receive written confirmation of the outcome of any investigation and any recommendations/remedies made, such as, staff development and training, reviewing of policies or appropriate improvement to Turn2us services.

7. Monitoring

7.1 Compliments and complaints are an important tool which, alongside data provided by exit surveys, user feedback and focus groups, will allow Turn2us to learn about the services we provide. They provide a useful source of information about how users see our services and how we are serving our users. To ensure Turn2us can learn from compliments and complaints, the following data will be collected:
Compliments:
Name and address Nature of the compliment Date of compliment Action(s) taken/recommendations made in response to the complaint Complaints:
Name and address Name of person dealing with the complaint Date of complaint and response date Nature of complaint Action(s) taken/recommendations made in response to the complaint Lessons learnt
7.2 Compliments and complaints information will be considered on a regular basis by the Turn2us Management Team and reported quarterly to the Turn2us Trustee Board.
Download a copy of the Turn2us Compliments and Complaints form (pdf, 145kb).
Policy and Procedure adopted: September 2008Review date: September 2009