Safeguarding & Complaints

1. What is a complaint?

Complaints are externally raised by any of ThinkForward’s beneficiaries or stakeholders. By raising a complaint you are saying that you are aware that you or another party has been negatively affected as a consequence of another person’s alleged wrongdoing within the organisation. 

2. Complaints Policy Statement 

This procedure is meant to provide a means to resolve a dispute between ThinkForward and any complainant from amongst its beneficiaries. It requires staff and managers at every stage to resolve the complaint. Complaints are likely to be in one or more of the following areas:  

• Dissatisfaction with ThinkForward’s service, such as inadequate work, problems with casework, unacceptable delay or failure to deliver a service etc.  

• Disputes between participant and the organisation regarding procedure, procedures or activities.  

• Discourtesy or unhelpfulness on the part of staff.  

This procedure does not address complaints made by staff, volunteers or job applicants (dealt with through the Grievance Procedures).  

Complaints and feedback are viewed as an opportunity for staff and management to review their working practices. Constructive feedback from those we work with about their experiences allows our policies and practices to be refined, ultimately improving the programme for all participants. Therefore, feedback is pro-actively sought:  

• Discussions about participants’ experiences on the programme are documented through intervention feedback and regular surveys about a young person’s experience with the programme. 

• A youth participation team is used to incorporate young people’s voices and experience into making changes to the ThinkForward Programme. 

All front-line workers are responsible for ensuring that the complaints procedure is fully understood by programme participants as part of the ‘understand’ step when enrolling young people. Not receiving any complaints could be an excellent indication or participant satisfaction, but it could mean that they do not know how they should complain or feel able to complain. 

3. Procedure for Making a Complaint 

ThinkForward seeks to provide routes which allow individuals to easily approach senior staff at ThinkForward in order to raise a complaint. All stakeholders and participants should approach the DCEO who will become the designated lead investigating officer.  

Complaints will be accepted verbally and in writing but if the former, will be written up. 

ThinkForward encourages stakeholders and participants to seek informal resolutions before problems escalate. However, complainants should always be given the opportunity to follow the below complaints process. Recognising the needs of young people and vulnerable adults, ThinkForward’s complaints and feedback procedure is made up of four simple and transparent stages as outlined below. 

4. What Happens After a Complaint is Raised?  

Within two working days, the complainant should receive an informal acknowledgement that their concern has been received. Within ten working days of a concern being received, the person to whom the concern was reported will write to the individual: 

• Indicating how the company proposes to deal with the matter;  

• Giving an estimate of how long it will take to provide a final response;  

• Telling the individual whether any initial enquiries have been made; and  

• Telling the individual whether further investigations will take place, and if not, why not.

5. Investigating a Complaint

Recognising the needs of young people and vulnerable adults, ThinkForward’s complaints and feedback procedure is made up of four simple and transparent stages. 

• Stage 1 – Beginning the process: The complainant should be invited to speak to the DCEO to discuss the complaint with them – by phone or in person, whichever is appropriate. Here, the investigating officer should obtain full details of the complaint in writing 

• • This should be done within 10 working days of receiving the complaint 

• • Wherever possible, the investigating officer will endeavour to resolve the matter during this conversation. However, if the complainant remains dissatisfied, then the complaint should proceed to Stage 2  
     

• Stage 2 – Investigating the complaint: The allegations should be fully investigated by the investigating officer with the assistance where appropriate, of other individuals / bodies.  

• • If the complaint involves a member(s) of staff the investigating officer should offer the opportunity for the member of staff to put forward their account, either by written statement or by discussion with the investigating manager.  
     

• Stage 3 – Adjudication: The investigating officer will ensure that all complainants receive a written adjudication within 10 working days of the complaint being received. This report will summarise what investigations have been carried out and what action, if any, is proposed to resolve the matter.  

• • A copy of this report should be stored in the Complaints Register.  
     

• Stage 4 – Final Arbitration: If the matter is not resolved by Stage 3, the investigating officer will immediately refer the complaint to the relevant Executive team representative (or representative from the Board of Trustees if the complaint has been filed against an Executive team member), sending copies of all written correspondence to him/her.  

• • The complainant will be informed this is being done and that the relevant Executive Team representative will also be contacting the staff member (s) against whom the complaint is made.  

• • The Executive Team representative will review the decision made at Stage 2 and may seek further clarification from any of the parties involved.  

• • The Executive Team representative will notify the complainant of his/her reasons and decision within 15 working days of having received notice of the complaint. The Executive Team representative’s decision will be final.  

• • The investigating officer is responsible for ensuring records of further investigations or meetings are kept and stored in the Complaints Register.