Client Complaint Policy

SV2 provides counselling and support to children and adults within the county of Derbyshire who have suffered rape or sexual abuse of any kind, at any time. As an organisation SV2 works within and abides by the BACP Ethical Framework 2018 and any relevant English legislation as well as its own Policies and Procedures.

This policy applies to all clients using any of the services SV2 provides and relates to current employees or volunteers working for the organisation.

Aims

SV2 aims to provide an effective and efficient professional service, which fully and consistently meets the requirements of its clients.  However, there are times when a client may be dissatisfied with SV2s service and may wish to make a complaint.

The procedure for dealing with a complaint made by a client is set out below and is designed to ensure that any complaint is dealt with in a systematic way, taking the client’s complaint seriously and is then investigated promptly and thoroughly to promote a speedy and satisfactory resolution.

Procedure

Stage 1

If a client, either by telephone, letter or by face to face contact, expresses any dissatisfaction with the service offered, they should be asked if they want to make a formal complaint.

Stage 2

Clients who wish to make an informal complaint will be given the option of discussing their complaint with the relevant Head of Service, either by phone or in person or alternatively they may choose to discuss their complaint with their designated worker.

If a resolution is agreed by both parties no further action will be taken and the resolution will be recorded in the clients file on SV2’s case management system.

Stage 3

Clients who wish to register a formal complaint will be given or sent a copy of the Client Complaint Form by SV2’s Administrator or the relevant Head of Service. Clients may request help from SV2 in filling out this form.

Once a completed Client Complaint Form is received from the client receipt of the form should be acknowledged in writing within three working days.

Stage 4

The Client Complaint Form will be reviewed by the Chief Executive Officer. If the complaint relates to an individual member of staff or a volunteer the individual(s) concerned will be informed by the Chief Executive or relevant Head of Service of the nature of the complaint as soon as possible/practicable.

An appointment shall then be made with the client to discuss the issue with the Chief Executive and/or the relevant Head of Service. The client may choose to bring a friend to this meeting or their nominated worker present at this meeting (if that worker is not the subject of the complaint). If the issue is specific to the nominated worker/client relationship this may result in the nominated worker’s line manager being part of the meeting. 

At the meeting, the client will be asked to set out their complaint in detail.  If a potential resolution is mutually agreed at this meeting then the Chief Executive or Head of Service will speak to the member of staff that is the subject of the complaint to seek agreement to the resolution. If agreed, this will be confirmed to the client in writing within 10 working days of the meeting. If either the client or the member of staff concerned does not agree to a resolution a full investigation must be undertaken.

Stage 5

If an investigation surrounding the complaint is necessary, it will be carried out as quickly as possible. The Chief Executive will inform the Board of Trustees at this stage and a Trustee will be engaged to support the Chief Executive in carrying out an investigation. The Chief Executive should also ensure that all information relating to the client held by SV2 is secured as soon as possible for investigation purposes.

The investigation should take no longer than one month from the date of the meeting with the client. After the investigation, the client will be informed in writing of the following:

• The scope of the investigation
• The findings of the investigation
• The recommendations resulting from the investigation
• Timescales within which the recommendations will be actioned/implemented

The client will be given the opportunity to comment upon whether or not the action taken is satisfactory.

Stage 6

If, at the end of the investigation of the complaint the client is still dissatisfied, the client should write directly to the SV2 Board of Trustees outlining the reasons for their dissatisfaction with the investigation.

Records

Records will be kept of all complaints and their outcomes.  All complaints will be kept as confidential, but it may be necessary to share some information with relevant parties i.e. SV2’s HR Provider.