Gomie Design 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:
Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in Gomie Design. A complaint can be received by email or in writing.
This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should use Gomie Design’s Discipline and Grievance policies. 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 management committee.
This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required. Adopted on: 1st January 2014 Last reviewed:1st January 2014 Code of Good Governance for Smaller Organisations:
Publicized Contact Details for Complaints: Written complaints may be sent to Gomie Design at Capital Tower Business Centre, 3rd Floor, Capital Tower, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, CF10 3AZ or by e-mail at info@gomiedesign.co.uk.
Complaints may arrive through channels publicized for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have.
The person who receives an in person complaint should:
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 complaints department within one week. On receiving the complaint, complaints department 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 a week. The acknowledgement will say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report will 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 will describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.
If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at Board level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to Complaints Committee.
The request for Board level review should be acknowledged within a week of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply. The Complaints Committee may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. 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. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report will 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 will 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 Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution. Ombudsman Services: Communications
For organisations which are charities: External Stage The complainant can 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 at: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/cc47.aspx.
Variation of the Complaints Procedure The Board may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the Chair should not also have the Chair 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.