Brighter Beginnings Training

Policy Document - Making a Complaint

At Brighter Beginnings Day Nursery, we aim to provide the highest standards of teaching, learning and development for our students. To this end we are regularly inspected by several accredited bodies to ensure we are providing the highest level of service we can. However, there may be occasions when it may be appropriate to make a complaint, not only in cases when there may be an issue that needs investigating but also when there is feedback to be given against a member of staff or associated provider either positive or negative. We appreciate all client feedback, whether that is from an employer, employee, apprentice or a client and we will take all feedback seriously and take any appropriate actions.

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Ensure there is a clear policy and procedure for complaints.
• Maintain positive relationships with apprentices, clients, employees, and employers through a clear and concise feedback system.
• Ensure that clients and employers are aware of our policies and procedures surrounding complaints
• Ensure that all actions related to complaints are followed through to satisfaction of the complaining party
• Ensure that there is a robust system for complaining parties to escalate a complaint if they feel it has not been dealt with effectively
• Ensure that adequate records are kept relating to complaints and the ‘lessons learnt’ system is effective

Aim

This policy applies to all staff members, including individuals employed either full or part time, on a temporary basis, volunteers, and apprentices. All managers and senior staff are expected to ensure that all employees are aware of this policy and understand its scope. Managers should also make it clear that all employees, teammates, senior management, and directors have a responsibility to each other. The policy also aims to include information on the proper procedure for dealing with a complaint.

Responsibilities

Directors / Senior Leadership Team / Trainers

The directors, senior leadership team and teachers have a direct responsibility for ensuring complaints are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner to the extent that the complaining party feels the complaint has been dealt with in a satisfactory manner.

The directors, senior team and teachers should (duties are listed in a non-exhaustive list):

• Review (at least annually), adhere to and monitor the policy for the correct reporting of complaints
• Ensure adequate records of complaints are maintained
• Report any complaints directly to appropriate parties (detailed later in the document but including the ESFA)

Complaint’s procedure - Education and Skills Funding Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Office hours +0370 2670001

ESFA Complaints Team

Education and Skills Funding Agency

Cheylesmore House

Quinton Road

Coventry

CV1 2WT

https://form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education

• Ensure that any conversations with any complaining parties are recorded effectively; if necessary, a written complaint should be sought
• Ensure that good feedback between the complaining parties and Brighter Beginnings Day Nursery continues
• If dealing with the complaint directly, a list should be compiled of appropriate actions to be carried out in a timely manner
• If appropriate, conduct a full investigation speaking to all parties involved
• Make updates to policies and procedures, where appropriate
• List ‘lessons learnt’ from the complaint to inform better practice
• Compose a response letter detailing all completed actions
• If appropriate, compose an interim letter detailing which actions have been completed and which ones require further actions. This step is only required if there is a reasonable delay in proceedings (for example in cases of staff absence)

Trainers/Learning Facilitators and other employees of Brighter Beginnings Day Nursery

All other members of staff have a responsibility to ensure that any complaints that they have received are dealt with in a manner suitable to the complaint. Correct reporting and communication should be adhered to at all times.

All trainers/assessors and other employees should:

• Upon receiving a complaint, ensure that any conversations with complaining parties are fully recorded. If necessary, a written complaint should be sought
• Ensure that the correct people are informed about the complaint and that all supporting documentation (such as written summaries with complaining parties or written complaints and other details) are handed over in an effective manner
• Follow the diagram listed below to ensure that the complaint goes to the correct person
• Escalate the situation to the Director if they feel the right course of action is not being taken

Diagram for handling complaints:

Complaints may take several forms:

• A full written formal complaint.
• A verbal formal complaint.
• A verbal informal complaint.

In the vast majority of cases complaints can be dealt with informally and internally with the Training Centre Manager overseeing the proceedings. Verbal complaints and informal complaints should be passed over to either the direct line manager, Training Centre Manager or the Head of Education. It is important that the person managing the response to the complaint can adequately judge the severity of the complaint and respond appropriately. If this is not possible then the complaint should be passed to the Director for review. This may then be escalated further if necessary. In cases of the most serious complaints the Director (Sharon Street) should be informed who will handle proceedings. If in doubt, follow the diagram below:

COMPLAINT RECEIVED

(Written or verbal, formal or informal)

↓

Record – full record of complaint taken

(Either a written summary of the conversation or a written formal complaint is received)

↓

Feedback – Ensure that the complaining parties are aware that the complaint is being dealt with and that information will be passed to appropriate parties.

↓

Information handover – Ensure all relevant information is handed over. Depending on the severity of the complaint an appropriate person should be informed. If this person feels the complaint needs escalating further, then it should be done so in the following order:

(Training Centre Manager > Head of Education>Director > External Agencies)

↓

Actions Recorded – The lead manager responsible for responding to the complaint will list appropriate actions with clear timelines, and designate people to complete specific actions to support investigation/review. If an investigation is required, then the Director should be informed. All actions should be recorded.

↓

Actions undertaken – All actions should be completed and the lead manager responsible for ensuring all evidence has been reviewed and a conclusion reached.

↓

Feedback – A formal letter of feedback should be sent to the complaining parties detailing all actions undertaken. The complaint can then be either closed if the complainant accepts the response or escalated externally if required.

Reflection and review – All complaints are kept on file as a source of learning, practice development and quality assurance. Key learning is included in the quarterly Quality report to the Board. This file is available to external agencies inspecting the training centre.

Timescales - All complaints are to be acknowledged within 48 hours (working hours) of being received and a full response or interim response with clear actions and timescales provided to the complainant within 10 working days.

Complaint’s log:

Adequate records of all complaints are kept in a file, whether digitally or in hardcopy by the Centre Training Manager. All documentation is saved and recorded. This includes:

• The complaint itself, in written form. This should either take the form of a formal verbal complaint written up by the member of staff who took the complaint, or a formal written complaint written by the complaining party. All informal complaints do not require to be kept on file or written up as long as the complaining parties do not wish to escalate their complaint to the formal stage
• Any agreed actions
• Evidence that the actions have been carried out (for example full investigations should be included in the complaints file, updated policies included, lessons learnt to incorporate into practice, outcomes from disciplinary procedures included)
• Interim response letters (In the case that a complaint cannot be resolved sufficiently in a timely manner due to staff absences etc)
• Final response letter including details of actions undertaken.