Empowering communities, changing lives

Compliments and Complaints Policy

Introduction 

This booklet sets out the Formal Complaints Handling Procedure for Positive Communities Ltd. The Company is committed to providing its learners and customers with the best possible service across the whole range of its activities. The quality of service that we provide is important and is monitored through the Quality Review and Self-Assessment Process. 

This booklet describes the framework of a complaints handling procedure that we operate for our learners and customers should we fail to meet our standards of service. 

The Company Complaints Handling Procedure

Our main aim is to ensure that all our learners’ and customers’ needs are met at first contact. We hope that our system is easy to use. We have tried to keep the processes as simple as possible, with the stages clearly set out and responsibility clearly allocated. We hope that our system, in its operation, will be objective, speedy and confidential. 

We would see a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction with the standards of service, actions or lack of action by the Company or its staff, affecting an individual learner, customer or group of learners of learners or customers or someone who is seeking or receiving services from the Company. This could be in the form of a written or verbal complaint. 

We promise to look at any case where you have experienced problems for which we might be responsible. 

We also undertake to monitor and analyse complaints and use the information to improve our systems and services. This is an important part of our quality control system. Following any compliment or complaint a non-conformity report will be raised. 

Making Contact 

1. First, contact the appropriate Centre to see if the matter can be resolved informally: 

• If you are dissatisfied with an aspect of your course, please contact your Tutor/Adviser, who will try and resolve the issue. 

• If the matter relates to another aspect of our service, please contact one of the Directors. 

• If your Tutor/Adviser is unable to resolve it, the matter will be referred to a Senior Tutor or Adviser for formal investigation and resolution. 

• The Senior Tutor/Adviser will give you an initial response within 10 working days and give you a full written response as soon as a thorough and objective investigation has been completed. 

• If you are not satisfied with the written response, you may write to the Senior Tutor/Adviser, who will respond in writing having reviewed the report and your comments. 

Further: 

• If we accept your complaint, we will indicate the steps we will take to put matters right; 

• If we reject your complaint, we will give you our reasons. 

2. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can make a formal complaint, details of which will be found in our initial response. 

3. The Operations Manager will review the matter and give you an explanation of their findings in writing. 

4. Complaints received at Head Office will be investigated by the relevant Operations Manager or will be assigned to an Operations Manager, in conjunction with appropriate Managers. 

5. If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you have the right to appeal, in writing, to the Operations Director. Please make sure that you follow the procedure, as a formal complaint will only usually be investigated once an informal attempt has been made to resolve the matter. 

Our Complaints Pledge We Pledge: 

• to investigate complaints quickly and effectively in a polite and courteous manner; 

• to make sure your complaint reaches the right person straight away, and that you know who is dealing with it; 

• to investigate complaints thoroughly, and to provide a speedy remedy if we are at fault to prevent the problem arising again; 

• to keep customers informed about our progress in resolving their problems; 

• to monitor and analyse complaints regularly and use this information to improve our systems and services in the future. 

You can send your compliments and complaints to: 

Positive Communities Ltd

Business & Digital Hub,

Nelson Street,

Grimsby

N.E Lincs

DN32 7DS

Further information can be found in our Compliments & Complaints Policy.