Complaints Procedure

If a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm, call 999. If you have a safeguarding concern about a person or setting connected with our work, contact the local authority children's services for that area, and tell us so we can act on our own responsibilities. Do not wait for this complaints process.

Complaints can be made by telephone on 01223 944049 or through our contact form. Please include your name, how to reach you, what happened and what you would like us to do. You may ask someone to complain on your behalf.

• We acknowledge your complaint and confirm who is handling it.
• A member of the team who was not involved in the matter reviews it, gathers the relevant records and speaks to those concerned where appropriate.
• We give you a written response setting out our findings, the reasons for them and any action we are taking.
• If our investigation is going to take longer than expected, we tell you why and keep you updated.

You can ask for the outcome to be reviewed by a director, who will look at the matter afresh and confirm a final position in writing.

• Complaints about how an employment agency or employment business has behaved can be referred to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.
• Complaints about how we have handled your personal data can be referred to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, after you have raised them with us.
• Complaints about the care provided in a registered children's home can be referred to Ofsted (England), Care Inspectorate Wales, the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) or the RQIA (Northern Ireland).

We keep a record of complaints and their outcomes so we can spot patterns and improve our service. Complaint records are held securely and retained in line with our privacy policy.