Staff Greivance Policy
Principles of the procedure
The procedure is based on the following principles:
An employee has the right to be accompanied by his/her trade union representative or work colleague at every stage of the formal procedure. The procedure is internal to The Alliance and apart from external trade union representatives, does not allow for any external representation.
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Any grievance must be made in writing.
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It is only possible to hear complaints that are within the power of The Alliance to remedy.
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In all cases, contacting your line manager is recommended.
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All proceedings, whether informal or formal, should, so far as is practicable, remain confidential.
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A formal record of a hearing will be given to the employee.
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The timescales set out may be extended with the agreement of the parties.
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Where more than one employee has lodged a complaint relating to the same, or substantially the same, issue, the complaints may be dealt with together in the interests of fair and consistent decision-making.
Informal Complaints
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If an employee has a complaint that involves another employee or other employees, they should first of all try to resolve the matter by direct approach to the employee or employees involved.
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If the matter remains unresolved, the employee may request a meeting with their own line manager who will try to resolve the issue. The meeting should be held within 10 working days of the submission of the request.
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If, after any action to resolve the grievance taken by the line manager, the employee is still dissatisfied, they may proceed to the formal stage of the procedure.
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If the complaint is against the line manager or there is another reason why the employee does not wish to raise it with their manager they should seek advice from HR on how to deal with the complaint.
Formal Complaints and Resolution
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If the complaint has not been resolved at the informal stage and the employee wishes to proceed to the formal stage, the employee may do so and the complaint will be heard by a panel. The employee must set out in writing the nature of their complaint and the reasons why they are dissatisfied with the outcome of the informal stage. The employee should explain how they think it should be settled. This must be submitted to the complainant’s Line Manager with a copy to HR.
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HR will appoint an investigating officer who will be asked to conduct an investigation into the matter and provide a full written report together with any relevant documents. The investigation should be conducted as quickly as possible while allowing for all relevant information and evidence to be gathered. A timescale for this will be agreed between the employee and HR.
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The written report of the investigating officer will be communicated to the employee who has made the complaint.
Appeals of Decisions
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Should the complainant wish to appeal against the outcome of the grievance report they must do so, in writing, to the person named in their Investigation Report this appeal must be made within five working days of being informed of the decision.
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A request for an appeal must specify clearly the grounds of the appeal
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HR will appoint a further Investigating Officer who will look into the matter once more and communicate their findings in a written report.
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The appeal will be heard by someone of equal level or higher to the original Investigating Officer
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The new investigating officer has the scope to:
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Uphold all or part of the previous decision or
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Not uphold the previous decision.
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Within five working days from the appeal hearing the appeal chair will record the decision and post it to the employee
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The decision of the appeals panel is final
Records & Monitoring:
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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.
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A copy of all complaints, responses and resolutions relating to young people will be kept in their folder.
Confidentiality & Data Protection
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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:
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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.
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Any learning from complaints will be incorporated into staff training, policy development, and service delivery to improve the quality of care.
Staff Training
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All staff will receive training on the complaints policy and procedures, including:
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How to support young people in making complaints.
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How to handle complaints impartially and sensitively.
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Understanding the regulatory framework for complaints, including Ofsted’s role.
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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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Angela Griffiths
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Children’s Home Improvement
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Tel- 07725 743249
Staff who would like external support investigating a grievance can contact CMP Solutions