• Young People
• Staff 
• Parents/Carers

• Timescales 
• Responding to a Complaint

“Innovate Dorset Ltd. aims to provide excellent services to all our service users, but occasionally things go wrong. Complaints help us to put things right and make sure the same mistake does not happen again. We welcome our service users’ views and will use them to improve our services.”

1.    Complaints Procedures

All complaints will be recorded and held on file.

Young People

It is an obligation to follow up young people’s complaints and to investigate specific allegations where they have been made. It is a necessity to keep a written record of questions asked and procedures followed when looking into a complaint. Any formal complaint relating to the Company should be addressed to the Company Director, either in writing or in person.

Staff

These complaints may concern the specific behaviour of (a) YP or could be related to unprofessional conduct by colleagues. Once again, there is a duty for all matters to be fully investigated and recorded. Staff contracts include a grievance procedure, Page 39 of Innovate Dorset's Handbook.  This file is stored and updated in the Employment Hero HR App. Where a member of staff feels aggrieved with a senior management decision, they are encouraged to talk to a staff representative.

Parents/Carers

The Company prides itself on the quality of the delivery and pastoral care provided to its YP. However, if a YP’s Parents/Carers do have a complaint, they can expect it to be treated by the Company in accordance with the following procedure.

Procedure

See also Appendices 1 and 2 below.

Timescales

1. Complaints will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
2. All complaints will be treated with an appropriate degree of confidentiality, and information will only be shared with staff as necessary to assist in understanding what has happened and how to respond.
3. The Company will reply to a complaint as soon as possible and aim to gather any further information needed and respond within 14 days of telling the complainant who is dealing with it. Where this is not possible (and as soon as this is known), the Company will let the complainant know when they will receive a full response.

Responding to a Complaint

Stage 1 – Informal Resolution

It is hoped that most complaints and concerns will be resolved quickly and informally.

1. If the parents or carers of a young person have a complaint, they should normally contact a staff member. In many cases, the matter will be resolved immediately by these means to the parents' or carers' satisfaction.
2. Service users can submit a complaint in any manner they prefer. When a complaint is made verbally, staff should record the details of the complaint and the outcome the service user is seeking. If the staff member can quickly resolve the complaint themselves, they should do so.
3. Staff will maintain a written record of all concerns and complaints, including the date on which they were received. Should the matter not be resolved within three weeks, or in the event that the staff member and the Parents/Carers fail to reach a satisfactory resolution, then the Parents/Carers will be advised to proceed with their complaint in accordance with stage 3. of this procedure.

A copy of the Complaint Form can be found in Appendix3 below, or made via the Company website.

Stage 2 – Resolution of Complaint

1. If the staff member cannot resolve the matter alone, it may be necessary for them to consult a member of the senior leadership team (SLT).
2. Details of the complaint and the desired outcome should be agreed with the complainant and forwarded to the SLT.
3. The member of the SLT assigned by the Director to handle the complaint will then conduct a review of the informal complaint.
4. The assigned SLT Member may carry out an investigation into the complaint.
5. The member of the SLT will then send this review, along with any conclusions and resolutions, to the complainant in accordance with the timescale outlined in the Complaints Procedure (see Appendix 1 below).

Stage 3 – Formal Investigation by the Company Director

1. If the complaint cannot be resolved by the SLT, then the Parents/Carers or school should put their complaint in writing to the Company Director. The Company Director, after considering the complaint, will decide the appropriate course of action to take.
2. In most cases, the Company Director will meet the Parents/Carers concerned, normally within four days of receiving the complaint, to discuss the matter. If possible, a resolution will be reached at this stage.
3. It may be necessary for the Company Director to carry out further investigations.
4. The Company Director will keep written records of all meetings and interviews held in relation to the complaint.
5. Once the Company Director is satisfied that, as far as practicable, all relevant facts have been established, a decision will be made, and the Parents/Carers will be informed of this decision in writing.

6. The Company Director will also give reasons for their decision.

YP’s Parents/Carers can be assured that all concerns and complaints will be treated seriously and confidentially. Correspondence, statements, and records will be kept confidential.

Record Keeping

1. All complaints will be recorded and stored on the Complaints SharePoint site, which has restricted access.
2. The date of the complaint, name of the complainant, nature of the complaint, and actions taken should be recorded within the file.
3. All correspondence, statements, and records relating to individual complaints are kept confidential.

Appendix 1 –Complaints Procedure: Timescales

All complaints will be treated with the appropriate degree of confidentiality, and information will only be shared with staff as necessary to assist in understanding what has happened and how to respond appropriately.

 

Appendix 2 – Complaints Procedure: Responding to a Complaint

To be carried out in conjunction with the procedures in Appendix 1.

Should the matter not be resolved within three weeks, or in the event that the staff member and the Parents/Carers fail to reach a satisfactory resolution, then the Parents/Carers will be advised to proceed with their complaint in accordance with stage 3.

Appendix 3 – Complaint Form 

Appendix 4 –Investigation Report 

CONTROL SHEET	Version Number: 1	Author: Kevin Tatchell
Complaints Procedure	Status of policy: Approved
Approved by: Kevin Tatchell	Date of Review: 5 November 2025
	Next Review Date: 5 November 2026