The civic stourport

Complaints Policy  

The Civic, Stourport (informally known as The Civic Group) 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 publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint,

  • To make sure everyone at The Civic, Stourport 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 The Civic, Stourport  

Where Complaints Come From
 

Complaints may come from a variety of sources: for example from our members and volunteers, our audiences, user groups, hirers and members of the general public. They may also come from Government bodies and Emergency services. 

A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing.  

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 board of trustees, 

Review  

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.  

Complaints Procedure of The Civic, Stourport 

Publicised Contact Details for Complaints:  

Written complaints may be sent to The Civic, Stourport at  

Complaints
The Civic Hall,
Martins Way,
Stourport-on-Severn,
Worcestershire,
DY13 8UJ 

or by e-mail at info@thecivicstourport.co.uk 

Verbal complaints may be made in person to any of The Civic, Stourport’s volunteers or Trustees at any of our events.  

Receiving Complaints  

Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have.  

Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded. The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should:
• Write down the facts of the complaint
• Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number
• Note down the relationship of the complainant to The Civic, Stourport (for example: user, audience, contractor, member etc)
• 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.
 

For further guidelines about handling verbal complaints, see Appendix 1  

Resolving Complaints
 

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 Business Manager within two days where possible, and no longer than seven days. 

On receiving the complaint, the Business Manager, 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 within two days of receipt where possible, and no longer than seven days. 

The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply, where appropriate.  

Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks (28 days). If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a 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 Trustee level.  

At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Trustees.  

The request for Trustee review should be acknowledged within seven days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.  

A nominated Trustee must investigate the facts of the case themselves. 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 (28 days). If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a 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 Trustees decide it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.  

The complainant has the right to complain to the Charity Commission at any stage.  

Information about the kind of complaints the Commission can involve itself in can be found on their website here:

Variation of the Complaints Procedure  

The Trustees may vary the procedure for good reason.  

This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about a Trustee should not also have a Trustee 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.  

Complaint logs will be kept for a period of no less than 7 (seven) years.