This is the Complaints Policy for Locality. We are a company limited by guarantee (number 2787912 ) and a registered charity (number 1036460) registered in the United Kingdom.

Our registered office is at 33 Corsham Street, London N1 6DR.

If you have a complaint please follow the complaints procedure and email your issue to info@locality.org.uk

1.    Statement of intent

As we undertake our work there will be occasions where some people disagree with our decisions or are not happy with our actions. We aim to minimise this by having fair and transparent processes. We hope this will resolve any issues before complaints surface. However, we recognise that sometimes formal complaints arise and as such we will follow a clear procedure to resolve complaints quickly and fairly.

2. Informal resolution

Before a formal complaint is issued, we will do all we can to resolve issues informally. This will include staff talking to the complainant, asking the complainant to speak with another member of staff, etc. If we are not able to resolve the complaint, we will inform the complainant of their right to make a formal complaint. Sometimes a formal complaint may arrive without any informal process.

3. The formal complaint procedure

Stage 1 

The formal complaint should be made in writing stating the nature of the complaint and what the complainant wants us to do to resolve the issue. This will normally be passed to the relevant Head of Service. They will commission an investigation. Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Head of Service may undertake the investigation themselves or they may ask another person, not connected with the case to investigate. 

The investigation report will be completed as soon as possible but usually within 10 working days and passed to the Head of Service who will make a decision, usually within a further 5 working days. 

Stage 2 

If the complainant is still not satisfied, then they should write again saying why the complaint resolution is not suitable. This will be considered by the relevant Director, who may ask for further information. He/she will give a decision normally within 5 working days unless there is a need to investigate further in which case the decision will normally be within 10 working days. 

Stage 3 

If the complainant is still not satisfied, they should say why not. They can only proceed to stage 3 if they want to complain about a point of process. Stage 3 is not designed to hear the whole complaint again. Stage 3 will be heard by the Chief Executive who will give a decision, normally within 5 working days

4. A note about hierarchy and timescales

The above sets out the general principles and process for most complaints. It may not always be appropriate to use the exact grades of staff stated above; this may be because of who the complaint is concerning at Locality, or availability. We will always respect the general principles of independence and fairness in deciding on the various staff involved, and where necessary, we may involve trustees. 
We have stated indicative timings. We know it is helpful to resolve complaints as swiftly as possible. However, we recognise that may not always be possible in terms of staff being away, etc. We will always keep complainants informed if we have to change the timescales from those stated above.

5. External support

At any point in the process we reserve the right to appoint a mediator to assist with the complaint resolution.

6. Assistance to make a complaint

Where appropriate, we will offer assistance, from an unconnected staff member, to help them express and write their complaint.

7. Access

This policy and procedure will be available on our website.

8. Review and learning

All complaints will be reviewed regularly. This is to ensure we are doing all we can to learn from complaints and to see if we can change our processes to avoid future complaints.

This policy will be reviewed annually.