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Young People Complaints Policy

Informal Complaints (Stage 1)

  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

Outdoors Meeting

The Rights of a Young Person

  • In making young people aware of their rights to complain if they feel they have been wronged or disrespected in some manner, Staff are actively encouraging young people to express their feelings in a constructive way. This allows them to be more confident in what they feel and supported in their emotions and actions.

  • Any young person who has or is presently receiving a service from the Alliance and the associated organisations may submit a complaint.

  • A complaint may also be made on behalf of the young person by any other ‘significant’ person who shows sufficient interest in the young person’s welfare, i.e. parent, relative, friend, carer and social worker etc.

  • It is important to state that if a young person makes a complaint, that they will not be treated in any way differently by staff and the management team as a result of their complaint.

  • They will be provided with support throughout the complaints process, including access to an independent advocate if needed. Information on how to make a complaint will be available in accessible formats and explained to the young person upon entering supported accommodation.

  • Young people will be informed that at any stage they have the right to complain to:

    • Their Social Worker

    • Children’s Rights Officers and Advocates such as ‘Voice’

    • Ofsted

Formal Complaints and Resolution (Stage 2)

If the concern cannot be resolved informally or the complainant wishes to make a formal complaint, the following steps should be taken:

  1. Making a Formal Complaint:

    • A formal complaint can be submitted in writing, by email, or verbally (where a staff member will document the details). The complaint should be addressed to the Registered Service manager.

    • All complaints will be checked with the young person and/or their advocate to ensure that they reflect the young person/complainant’s views.

    • Staff are to assist young people to complete the form if the young person needs or requests help. Staff are in no way to influence the young person in what they write on the complaints form. If the complaint is regarding a member of staff, that staff member should NOT be the individual assisting the young person or complainant in filing their complaint.

    • Young people should always be informed of their right to be supported by an external advocate when making complaints.

  2. Acknowledgement:

    • The complaint will be acknowledged within 2 working days of receipt, and the complainant will be informed of the process, including the expected timescale for a response by the registered manager. Where possible all complaints will be discussed with a member from the management team to resolve the complaint in a timely fashion.

  3. Investigation:

    • An impartial investigation will be conducted by the registered manager.

    • All relevant parties will be interviewed, and relevant documentation (e.g., care plans, incident reports) will be reviewed.

    • In most instances, the unit managers will deal with complaints, and feed back to the Registered manager for oversight unless they are the subject of the complaint. Where a unit Manager is the subject of the complaint, the registered service manager will deal with the complaint. Where the registered manager or nominated individual are the subjects of the complaint, an unbiased third party will be engaged to investigate and handle the complaint to ensure no bias in the matter. Please see details in appendix for 3rd party investigators.

    • Complaints will be discussed with the young person. All complaint forms will be filed and kept in a young person’s record. Complaints of all natures will also be kept in the organisation’s complaint/ compliments log.

    • The Manager will read the complaint along with any actions previously taken if it was dealt with informally in the first instance. The Manager will offer the young person the opportunity to meet to look at ways in which the complaint can be resolved.

    • The manager will notify the accommodating local authority for the young person of the complaint.

  4. Response:

    • A formal response will be provided within 28 days of the complaint being acknowledged. This will include a summary of the investigation, the outcome, and any corrective actions to be taken.

    • If the investigation cannot be completed within this timeframe due to its complexity, the complainant will be informed, and a new deadline will be set (not exceeding 42 days).

    • Methods will be offered to try to resolve complaints and can involve negotiation, arbitration and mediation.

    • In cases where remedies cannot be found, and a matter needs formal investigation and resolution, young people will be given information on how to seek an external advocate should they wish to, this information is also found in the handbook all young people are given at the beginning of their placement. Management will inform the young person’s social worker to keep them informed and to make further decisions to resolve the case, if necessary.

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

      • If the young person/complainant is not satisfied with the response to the complaint, the young person or their representative will be directed to the young person’s social worker and/or Children’s Rights Officers and Advocates such as ‘Voice’.

Group of Activists

Appeals Process (Stage 3)

  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 (Stage 4)

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.

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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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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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