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Community Complaints Policy

As a member of the community you may be negatively affected by the conduct of young people or staff who are working with infinity Alliance.

If you feel that young people have conducted themselves in a way that is negative, or you have any complaints about noise, conduct, or interactions please do let us know.

Informal Complaints

  1. Raising a Concern: Many concerns can be resolved quickly and informally. Young people, staff, professionals or other concerned individuals are encouraged to discuss their concerns with a member of staff or a key worker.

  2. Staff Response: The staff member will listen to the concern and seek to resolve the issue through discussion, support, or minor adjustments to the care plan.

  3. Timeframe: Informal complaints should be addressed within 5 working days of being raised.

  4. Record: A brief record of the concern and its resolution will be made, even if it is resolved informally.

  5. If Unresolved: Should the complainant not find the resolution offered in the informal process satisfactory they will be advised that they can make a formal complaint in writing, via the appropriate form, or verbally. Staff will then escalate the matter as is appropriate

Formal Complaints and Resolution

  1. Complainants can ask staff for contact details of their direct house manager, alternatively using the details at the bottom of the policy, , or on the attached webform, a complaint can be made.

  2. Where possible complaints will be discussed informally with staff that are on duty at the time, should the complainant not find this satisfactory they will be advised that they can make a formal complaint and fill out a complaint form.

  3. House managers will deal with complaints unless they are the subject of the complaint.

  4. Where a verbal complaint has been made and staff have filed this, these complaints will be checked with the complainant, to ensure that what has been recorded is an accurate reflection of the complainant’s views and that they are in agreement to the person making the complaint on their behalf.

  5. Should the complaint or feedback handle matters constituting to gross misconduct of a staff member this investigation may result in the suspension of related staff member until the investigation has been satisfied.

  6. Should the nature of the complaint be about young people’s behaviour, staff will register this and offer to intervene with the young people where possible, a conduct review may be held with the young person to assess whether the behaviour warrants a warning letter, or a behaviour review.

  7. Where possible all complaints will be discussed with a member from the management team to resolve the complaint in a timely fashion. All complaints will be fully responded to within 28 days and All complaint forms will be filed and kept in the organisation’s complaint/ compliments log.

    • If the complainant is satisfied with the response to the complaint, the complaint will go no further.         

    • If the complainant is not satisfied with the response to the complaint, An external complainant will be directed to higher management to further facilitate their complaint or directed to outside bosies to register their concerns such as the Local authority or Ofsted

  8. All complaints are reviewed every 6 months to identify trends in complaints and any areas where service may need to improve. All Alliance partners make an active effort to ensure the compliments outnumber the complaints.

  9. Please refer to Appeals and External escalation in the Young person’s complaint section should the resolution not be found to be appropriate.​

Appeals of Decisions

  1. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the formal complaint, they may appeal:

  2. Submitting an Appeal: An appeal must be submitted within 10 working days of receiving the formal response. The appeal should be sent to the Director (Dwayne Burrell) or where necessary an independent external investigator or external body if applicable.

  3. Appeal Investigation: The director or an external complaints investigator will review the original complaint, the investigation, and any additional evidence provided by the complainant.

  4. Response: A written response to the appeal will be provided within 15 working days. This response will be final, and further escalation may only be pursued via external channels (see Stage 4).

External Escalation

If the complaint remains unresolved after the appeal process, the complainant has the right to escalate the matter to external bodies:​

  1. Contacting Ofsted: Complaints can be directed to CIECSS (Ofsted), the regulatory body for supported accommodation, at any stage if the complainant feels the issue has not been handled appropriately by the provider. Ofsted can be contacted through the following channels:

  2. Local Authority: The complainant may also contact the local authority if they feel the complaint concerns the local authority’s responsibilities for children in care or leaving care.

  3. Other Agencies: Depending on the nature of the complaint (e.g., safeguarding concerns, discrimination), the complainant may also contact other agencies such as the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman or the Children’s Commissioner.

Records & Monitoring:

  • Complaint Logs: A comprehensive record of all complaints will be maintained, including details of the investigation, outcome, and any actions taken. These records will be stored securely and be made available for inspection by Ofsted and other regulatory bodies.

  • A copy of all complaints, responses and resolutions relating to young people will be kept in their folder.

Confidentiality & Data Protection

  • All complaints will be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (GDPR). Personal information will only be shared with individuals involved in the investigation and resolution of the complaint. Records of complaints will be stored securely and will not be disclosed unless legally required.

Learning & Improvement:

  • All complaints ae reviewed every 6 months to identify trends in complaints and any areas where service may need to improve. All Alliance partners make an active effort to ensure the compliments outnumber the complaints.

  • Any learning from complaints will be incorporated into staff training, policy development, and service delivery to improve the quality of care.

Staff Training

  • All staff will receive training on the complaints policy and procedures, including:

    • How to support young people in making complaints.

    • How to handle complaints impartially and sensitively.

    • Understanding the regulatory framework for complaints, including Ofsted’s role.

If you’d like make a complaint or give us feedback using our Web Form Please use this link and get in touch today.

Return to the Key information and Policy Page

Impartial External Investigation

In cases where the Registered Manager or the NI are the subject if they complain, the director (Dwayne Burrell) will liaise with an external independent investigator who will conduct the investigation and liaise with all parties required to resolve the complaint.

 

Young people, professionals and other complainants can make contact with the following people should they wish for their complaint to be investigated by an external third party and if the complaint is about the directorship and RSM and NI:

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Staff who would like external support investigating a grievance can contact CMP Solutions

We accept emergency and out of hours placements

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