Complaints Procedure
Rosario Youth Centre views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or organisation that has made the complaint.
Our policy is:
To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint
To make sure everyone at Rosario Youth Centre 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 Rosario Youth Centre.
Where Complaints Come From: Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest, including; young people, parents, members, donors and members of the local community. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing. This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should use Rosario Youth Centre’s Grievance policy and procedure.
Confidentiality: All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.
Responsibility: Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the management committee.
Procedure
Contact Details for Complaints
Written complaints may be sent to:
Rosario Youth Centre
469 Ormeau Road
BT7 3GR
Or by email at: youthcentrerosario@gmail.com
Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 02890490958
Receiving Complaints
Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded.
The person who receives the complaint will:
Write down the facts of the complaint.
Take the complainant's name, address and telephone number.
Note down the relationship of the complainant to Rosario Youth Centre (for example: young person, parent).
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.
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 the Youth Worker in Charge as soon as possible.
On receiving the complaint, the Youth Worker in Charge 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. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply.
Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a brief 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 at management committee level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the chairperson, Noel Savage.
The request for management committee level review should be acknowledged by the management committee. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.
The Chairperson 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.
If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond.
The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One should be kept informed of what is happening.
Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a brief 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 committee decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.
Variation of the Complaints Procedure
The management committee may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the Chair should not also have the Chair as the 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.