Contents

1. Policy Statements
2. Complaint Definition
3. Stepped Procedure
   • Complaints – Step One
   • Complaints – Step Two
   • Complaints – Step Three
4. Anonymous Compliments and Complaints and Suggestions
5. Data Protection (GDPR)
6. Further Monitoring

1.    Policy Statements

1.1    The Money Carer Foundation aims for high standards in everything that it does and we welcome from feedback from individuals, organisations, charities and anyone in our clients’ circle of care who we work with This feedback is important in helping us evaluate, assess and improve our work.

1.2    The aim of the Compliments and Complaints Policy is to:

• Ensure a straight-forward and easy to use the process to provide feedback and how a compliment or complaint will be handled
• Ensure that complaints are dealt with consistently, fairly and sensitively within clear and defined time-scales
• Provide individuals with a fair and effective way to comment about our work
• Ensure that compliments and complaints are monitored and used to continually improve our services.

1.3    We will ensure that we:

• Listen carefully to complaints and treat them as confidential, wherever possible
• Record, process, store and manage all complaints accurately and in accordance with the Data Protection Act and in line with our own GDPR Policy.
• Investigate complaints fully, objectively and within a defined timeframe
• Notify the person making a complaint of the results of the investigation and any right of appeal
• Inform the complainant of any action that will be implemented as a result of the the complaint, where appropriate
• Report, on a quarterly basis, the number of compliments and complaints received; the outcomes of investigations and any actions taken.

2.    Definition of a Complaint

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

An individual may make a complaint if they feel we have:

• Failed to provide a service or an acceptable standard of service
• Delayed in providing a service
• Made a mistake in the way we have provided a service
• Failed to act in a proper way
• Provided an unfair service.

2.1.2    This policy and procedure relate only to complaints received about The Money Carer Foundation and its services. Individuals who make complaints about partner organisations will be notified in writing within seven days of receipt of the complaint that they need to complain to the organisation they have the complaint with directly and will be provided with contact details, where possible.

3.    Compliments and Complaints Procedure

3.1    Compliments and Suggestions

Any verbal or written compliments or suggestions will be recorded by the member of our team receiving the compliment or suggestion and be passed to the appropriate manager for recording on the Compliments Register. Any member of staff identified as being the subject or contributing to any matter giving rise to the compliment will be notified within three working days. Feedback on compliments will be shared with team members at appropriate timings.

3.2    Complaints

There are 3 steps to the complaint’s procedure:

• Step One    – Complaint
• Step Two    – Appeal
• Step Three – Independent Review

Step One

3.3    We aim to settle issues quickly and satisfactorily by the member of the team or the relevant manager who provides the service. It may be resolved quickly by way of an apology, by providing the service required or by providing an acceptable explanation to the individual.

3.4    Individuals wishing to make a formal complaint should contact the person who provided the service, or their manager. Alternatively, they can contact The Money Carer Foundation by emailing tech@moneycarer.org.uk or writing to Head of Operations, The Money Carer Foundation, Dalton House, Dane Road, Sale, Manchester, M33 7AR.

3.5   On receipt, each complaint will be logged on the Complaints Register. Details of the complaint will be emailed immediately to the Complaints Investigator.

3.6    Complaints will be acknowledged within seven working days of receipt. The complaints will be fully investigated and a written response, either hard copy or email, provided to the complainant by the investigator within 21 working days of receipt. In exceptional circumstances where this deadline is not able to be met, the complainant will be advised of the reasons for this and notified of a revised date for response.

3.7    The Complaints Register will be updated by the Complaints Investigator and any pending complaints flagged so they are followed up by the relevant manager.

3.8    Individuals will be advised that if they are not satisfied with the response to their complaint, they may appeal to the relevant Head of Department within 14 working days and progress to Step Two.

Step Two

3.9    The Head of Department will appoint a manager to investigate the matter independently if appropriate or investigate personally. This person may need to contact the complainant to clarify the issues, conduct the investigation and explore resolution. The complainant will receive written confirmation of the outcome of any investigation within 21 working days of receipt of the appeal together with any recommendations/remedies made, such as staff development and training, reviewing of policies or appropriate improvement to our services. The outcome should not refer to any individual employees or groups of employees.

3.10    Occasionally, investigations may take longer, particularly if the complaint is complex. Should this be the case a holding letter will be sent after 21 working days and a final date given for a conclusion to be reached.

3.11    If an individual remains dissatisfied with the outcome from Step Two, they can request an Independent Review within 14 working days of the date of the outcome letter and progress to Step Three.

Step Three

3.12    The Head of Department will review the Step Two investigation and recommend one of the following actions, within 2 working days:

• Uphold the action taken at Step Two
• Implement changes to the Step Two recommendations/actions.

4.    Compliments and Complaints on Social Media Outlets

4.1.    Compliments and complaints received anonymously will be recorded and considered, but action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a full and fair investigation. We will request that further communication is directed via this website page in order that we can deal with any feedback in line with our Compliments, Suggestions and Complaints Policy. As we support individuals with fluctuating and inflammatory mental health conditions it is not uncommon for comments, both positive and negative, to be left quickly on social media outlets by individuals depending on their state of mind at any given time and reflecting the instantaneity of social media. We are also very mindful of protecting our client’s confidentiality and as such, it is not always appropriate to engage in commentary on social media sites.

5.    Our GDPR Data Protection Policy

5.1    To process a complaint, we will hold personal data about the complainant, which the individual provides and which other people give in response to investigating the complaint. We will hold this data securely in accordance with our GDPR Policy and only use it to help address the complaint. The identity of the person making the complaint will only be made known to those who need to consider the complaint and will not be revealed to other people 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 which involve the conduct of third parties.

5.2    Under our GDPR Policy, individuals have a right to obtain a copy of their personal data. However, there are exceptions to this right. We will normally destroy compliments and complaints files in a secure manner six years after the compliment has been made or the complaint closed.

6.    Monitoring

6.1    Compliments and complaints are an important tool which, alongside data provided by exit surveys, user feedback and focus groups, will allow us to learn more about the services we provide. They offer a useful source of information about how individuals see our charity and how we are serving them. To ensure we can learn from compliments and complaints, the following data will be collected:

Compliments:

• Name and address
• Nature of the compliment
• Date of compliment
• Action(s) taken/recommendations made in response to the compliment, if appropriate.

Complaints:

• Name and address
• Name of person dealing with the complaint
• Date of complaint and response date
• Nature of complaint
• Action(s) taken/recommendations made in response to the complaint
• Lessons learned.

6.2    Compliments and complaints information will be considered on a quarterly basis by the Senior Management Team. Wherever possible, the data will be used to improve and develop the service.

The following related policies should be read in conjunction with this policy

• GDPR Policy
• Compliments, Complaints and Suggestions Policy (PDF Version)
• Compliments and Complaints Form
• LGA and Social Care Review of Complaints and Good Practice Complaint Handling