Complaints Policy

Complaints Policy Statement

Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC:

is committed to providing a good standard of service quality to service users, other partners and organizations;
will take any concern or complaint seriously and will promptly review it for resolution as soon as possible;
recognizes that all service users, partners and organizations
– have the right to raise concerns or complaints about our services;
– have access to clear information about how to express complaints and concerns;

The complaints and concerns procedure is open to everyone who receives or requests a service from Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC and persons acting on their behalf.

We will handle complaints in accordance with Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC’s confidentiality policy

Confidentiality

We will keep a record of all complaints, which will be reviewed regularly by the Board of Trustees
We will keep a record of all complaints, which will be reviewed regularly by the Board of Trustees. The complaints process will be part of the process of monitoring the quality, effectiveness and non-discriminatory nature of our services
All staff, volunteers and Board members are required to read, understand and comply with this policy and its procedures.

Introduction
2.1 Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC strives to maintain high standards in service delivery and welcomes feedback from individuals, users of our services, stakeholders, partners and anyone working with us, on all aspects of our services. Such feedback is invaluable in helping us evaluate and improve our work.

2.2 The objectives of Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC’s complaints policy and procedures are as follows:

Ensure that everyone knows how to file a complaint and how a complaint will be handled;
Ensure that complaints are handled consistently, fairly and sensitively within clear time frames;
Provide individuals with a fair and effective way to complain about our work;
Ensure that complaints are monitored to improve our services;

2.3 Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC will ensure that:

We listen carefully to complaints and and treat them as confidential whenever possible;
We record, store and manage all complaints accurately and in accordance with applicable law;
We investigate the complaint thoroughly, objectively and within the established timeframe;
We notify the complainant of the results of the investigation and any right of appeal;
We inform the complainant of any action that will be implemented to ensure that the issue giving rise to the complaint does not recur;
We report annually on the number of complaints received, the outcomes and any actions taken.

Definition of a complaint
3.1 A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by an individual, whether justified or not.

3.2 An individual may file a complaint if they feel that Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC:

Failed to provide an acceptable service or standard of service or made a mistake in the way the service was provided;
Failed to act in an appropriate manner;
Provided an unfair service.

3.3 This policy and procedure relates only to complaints received about Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC and its services.

Concern or Complaint

4.1 It is important to establish the difference between a concern and a complaint. Taking informal concerns seriously at an early stage will reduce the likelihood of them turning into formal complaints.

4.2 If you have a concern about our work, please report it to a member of staff or your manager as soon as possible so that they can quickly understand your concerns and try to put things right.

4.3 If you are not satisfied with the response to your concern and/or would like to make a formal complaint, please follow the procedure below.

Complaint Procedure

Complaints Procedure
5.1 Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC aims to resolve most complaints quickly and to the satisfaction of the staff member providing the service. The complaint can be resolved quickly by an apology or by an explanation acceptable to the complainant.

5.2 There are three phases in the complaint procedure:

Stage One – the complaint
Stage Two – investigation
Stage Three – appeal
Stage One – Complaint
6.1 The complaint can be written or if the individual prefers they can tell someone at Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC, or someone else, who will write it for them. The complainant will need to sign the complaint. A complaint form is available for use in appendix 1.

6.2 People wishing to make a complaint should contact the person who provided the service, or their line manager. Alternatively, they may contact us by email at info@deep-future.net.

6.3 The complaint should include the name and address of the complainants, the nature and date of the complaint and how they want it resolved. The complaint form can be requested and may be sent to the complainant or collected by the complainant.

6.4 Upon receipt, each complaint will be given a reference number and recorded in the complaints register. Complainants should receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 5 working days of receiving a signed complaint.

Stage Two – Investigation

7.1 All complaints at this stage should be dealt with by a manager. If they need to contact the complainant, they will do so within seven working days of receiving the written complaint.

7.2 Complaints will be fully investigated, and the investigator will provide a written response to the complainant within ten working days.

7.3 The complainant will receive written confirmation of the outcome of any investigation any recommendations/responses made, such as policy review, staff development and training or appropriate improvement to our services.

7.4 Where the complaint is confirmed, an apology must be made.

7.5 Occasionally, investigations may take longer, particularly if the complaint is complex. If this is the case, a holding letter will be sent after ten working days and a final date indicated for a conclusion to be reached.

7.6 If an individual remains dissatisfied with the outcome of Stage Two, they may appeal within fourteen working days of the outcome date and proceed to Stage Three.

7.7 The complaints register will be updated, and any outstanding complaints will be flagged for follow-up.

8. Stage Three – Appeal

8.1 If the complaint cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the complainants at stage two, or if the manager considers that the complaint is of a very serious nature, or concerns a head of service, then it will be referred to the Chief Executive.

8.2 If the complaint is about the Chief Executive, then the matter will be discussed with two managers.

8.3 The Chief Executive and/or the trustees will acknowledge receipt within five working days, review the Stage Two investigation and recommend one of the following actions within ten working days (from the date the complainant stated that they wanted to take the complaint to Stage Three):

a. Carry out the action taken in Phase Two;
b. Make changes to the Stage Two recommendation/actions.

8.4 The complainant should be informed in writing of the outcome of Stage Three, the decision made on this complaint will then be final, but other options available to the complainant (as listed below) should be detailed in the letter.

8.5 If after Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC has gone through the three stages and the complainant is still not satisfied with the outcome, they should be informed that there is no further right of appeal with Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC, but they may contact a lawyer or similar body for advice:

This should be done within one month of receiving the outcome of the appeal.

Anonymous complaints

9.1 Complaints received anonymously will be logged and considered, but action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a full and fair investigation.

Data Protection

10.1 In order to process a complaint, Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC will keep personal data about the complainant that the individual provides, and that other people give in response to the complaint. We will keep this data secure and use it only to handle the complaint. The identity of the person making the complaint will only be known to those who need to consider the complaint and will not be disclosed to others or made public. However, it may not be possible to preserve confidentiality in some circumstances, for example where relevant legislation applies or allegations are made involving the conduct of others.

10.2 Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC will securely destroy complaint files six years after the complaint has been closed.

Monitoring

11.1 Complaints are an important tool that, along with the data provided by exit surveys, stakeholder surveys, user feedback and focus groups, will enable us to learn about the services we provide. They provide a useful source of information about how individuals view our services and how we are serving them. To ensure that we can learn from complaints, the following data will be collected:

Name and address;
Name of the person handling the complaint;
Date of complaint and response;
Nature of complaint;
Action(s)/recommendations taken in response to the complaint Lessons learned.

11.2 Complaint information will be considered regularly by the Management Team and reported annually to the Deep Future – Knowledge & Development LLC Board of Directors. Where possible, the data will be used to improve and develop the service.