Complaints Policy


Occasionally members of the public or other people using the services of Midlothian Community Action (MCA) may feel dissatisfied or unhappy with the service provided. They have the right to make a complaint and all such complaints will be dealt with in line with MCA’s Complaints Procedure. The following provides a summary of the procedures.

All individuals working at all levels and grades are covered by this policy. This includes senior managers, officers, directors, employees, consultants, contractors, trainees, home-workers, part-time and fixed-term employees, volunteers, interns, casual workers and agency staff (collectively referred to as staff in this policy).

The Policy in Operation

Principles

The principles underlying the operation of MCA Complaints Procedure are:

  • Users of MCA services must have the right to complain about, or make suggestions about, the services we offer, and they receive.
  • Users of MCA services will be informed of their right to access the Complaints Procedure, and that their complaints and suggestions will be responded to formally and sensitively within its framework.
  • That complaints are best resolved, where possible, informally, in the shortest possible time and directly between the individuals involved. Every effort should be made to deal with the complaint amicably and without need for a formal process.
  • That MCA recognises that making a formal complaint is a stressful experience and will endeavour to relieve this stress as far as it is able to do so.
  • That staff will refer to the terms of the Complaints Procedure when responding to complaints.

Dealing with complaints

In the event that a member of staff receives a verbal complaint from an individual or organisation about any staff member or aspect of MCA’s service that, they should:

Find a confidential room and briefly listen to the complaint.

  • Briefly put it into writing and read their description back to the individual concerned. If the complainant is present, they should be asked to sign the written statement.
  • Explain to the complainant that we have a complaints procedure that they are entitled to see and that in the first instance we try to resolve matters informally to their satisfaction.
  • Confirm if the complainant provides permission for the subject of the complaint to be notified and involved in reaching a suitable conclusion. All complaints will then be passed to the Chief Officer.
  • All complaints will be kept confidential.

On receipt of a complaint, the Chief Officer will determine the appropriate person to deal with the complaint. If the complaint is allocated to another Staff member, they will notify the Chief Officer of their intended response to try to amicably resolve the matter. All complaints will be:

  • Dealt with respectfully and sensitively.
  • Formally acknowledged within 7 working days, with an indication of what the next stages will be, as appropriate to the nature of the complaint.
  • Where action is required as a result of the complaint, this should be put in place as soon as possible.

Complainants are also entitled to have someone assist them through the procedure and accompany them to any meetings and/or act as their representative.

Who to make a Complaint to

If a member of the public or other person using MCA service wishes to make a formal complaint in writing, this should be marked as Private & Confidential, and for the attention of the Chief Officer.

Should the nature of the complaint involve the Chief Officer, the complainant should submit a written complaint marked as Private & Confidential for the attention of the Chairperson of the Board, or request an appointment.

Withdrawing a Complaint

Throughout the complaints procedure complainants will have the right to withdraw their suggestion or complaint at any time. However, if it is a serious matter, it may still be investigated at Board level and the complainant will be advised of this.

Recording Complaints

All Complaints and their outcomes will be recorded in the MCA Complaints Log.

Having a Complaints Procedure can be a useful tool in assessing how well MCA is providing its services. Recording complaints is, therefore, an important task. A Complaints Log will be kept for this purpose, and will provide a report on complaints received, and action taken. The complaints Log and all correspondence will be confidential material and stored in a secure place according to GDPR procedures.

When a Complaint is upheld

The complainant will be notified in writing that their complaint/part of their complaint has been upheld. The complainant will be provided with a brief overview of action to be taken and a timescale for this.

  • In the event of a complaint about a member of staff being upheld the undernoted principles will apply:
  • Decisions taken about initiating disciplinary action will be taken separately from the operation of the Complaints Procedure. Implementation of disciplinary procedures will be a separate action of Management.

Complainants will not be informed of any disciplinary action initiated as the result of use of the Complaints Procedure, as it does not form part of it.

This Complaints Policy and Procedures relates to external complaints received in relation to the services provided by MCA. Internal complaints from staff members should follow the Grievance Policy and Procedures.

Making an appeal (Complaints only)

If a Complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome or response to their complaint, they can appeal to the Chair of the Board. This should be done within a maximum period of 28 days of receiving the written response to the complaint. This can be done by either making an appointment to see the relevant person, or in writing. There is no
further appeal.

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