Approved by the Board, Sept 2018

Why We Want Your Feedback

We aim to be a learning organisation. We want to know what we are doing well and what we could do better, so we want our service users and volunteers to tell us honestly what they think of us.

As an Equal Opportunities organisation, we aim to treat everyone on their merits – irrespective of age, disability or impairment, race, ethnic or national origin, gender, marital status, sexuality, dependants or class. If you believe we have failed to do this, we welcome the chance to look into this.

How to Give Us Your Feedback

We have ways for you to feed back your views to us informally or, if you prefer, to make a formal complaint. These are set out in more detail in our Feedback and Complaints Procedures, which you can request at any time.

If you are confused or concerned by the way we have treated you, you may ask us for an explanation before deciding whether to make a complaint.

You may make a complaint about any aspect of our service regardless of whether you have asked for an explanation first.

DMNW: Complaints Procedure

Approved by the HCA Board, September 2018

Introduction

This complaints procedure is for use by anyone who is not satisfied with the service they have received from DMNW.

Sometimes misunderstandings can be sorted out informally. You can always speak to a member of staff or the manager, to try to sort the problem out straight away.

Or you could use our compliments and complaints box (near the front entrance of our building) for general comments about our service and how it could be improved. This will be checked on a weekly basis. If you attend any of our activities, you should be given the opportunity to tell us what you think at the end of the session. If this doesn’t happen, please ask a member of staff.

If, however you feel your issue is more serious and needs to be dealt with formally then you should use the formal complaints procedure.

How to Tell Us About Your Complaint

For all complaints other than complaints against the Chief Officer

You can choose any of these ways of making your complaint.

  • You can post (or drop off) a letter or a note (in English, Bangla or in Urdu) addressed to: The Chief Officer, Diversity Matters Northwest, 20 Great Norbury Street, Hyde SK14 1BR. Be sure to include your name and contact details.
  • You can ring 0161 368 3268 and ask to speak to the Chief Officer. If you wish to make your complaint in Bangla or Urdu, a Bangla or Urdu-speaking staff member will write down your complaint.
  • You can send an email to chiefofficer@diversitymattersnw.org.uk .
For any complaints against the Chief Officer

You can choose any of these ways of making your complaint.

  • You can post (or drop off) a letter or a note (in English, Bangla or in Urdu) addressed to: The Chair, Diversity Matters North West, 20 Great Norbury Street, Hyde SK14 1BR. Be sure to include your name and contact details.
  • You can ring 0161 368 3268 and ask to arrange to speak to the Chair. If you wish to make your complaint in Bangla or Urdu, a Bangla or Urdu-speaking staff member will take your call.
  • You can send an email to info@diversitymattersnw.org.uk

The complaint will initially be considered by a board member, any appeal will then be considered by a separate board member.

  • If the outcome of the complaint is considered to require a disciplinary.
  • The disciplinary will be considered by a board member (other than the one involved in any complaint (or other issue) the subject of which forms the disciplinary
  • Any appeal will be heard by the Chair.

How we will handle your Complaint: Stage One

Normally, the Chief Officer will deal with your complaint. If your complaint is about our Chief Officer, then our Chair will deal with it.

We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days and carry out a full investigation of the circumstances surrounding it. The target time for responding in full to a complaint is 20 working days, but if the issue is more complicated you will be told about any delays and the reasons for this. We will always respond in full to your complaint in writing, setting out clearly the results of our investigation and if we accept your complaint.

If we accept your complaint, we will give you a full apology in writing and also tell you what we will do to improve the situation for you or at least ensure a similar situation does not arise again.

We will always try to resolve complaints at the earliest stage possible, however if you do not feel your complaint has been heard or resolved properly you can move to Stage Two. The letter you receive from us at the end of Stage One will give full details of your right to ask for a review of the investigation if you are not happy with the outcome.

In the case of a complaint against the Chief Officer investigated by the Chair, the next stage would be Stage Three.

How we will handle your Complaint: Stage Two

This review will be undertaken by our Chair, who will check that the investigation has been carried out fully and properly, checking that the fundamental point of the complaint has been addressed and looking at any outstanding issues raised by the complaint.

The process followed by the Diversity Matters North-West Chair, is similar in that the same timescales for responses apply and there is the same obligation for apology, if owed, and for putting things right if possible. You will be informed of the Chair’s decision in writing, with full details of the outcome of the complaint and what will happen as a result.

How we will handle your Complaint: Stage Three

If you still feel your complaint has not been properly dealt with you can appeal, in writing, to the full Diversity Matters North-West. Please send a letter to:

The Board of Trustees, Diversity Matters North-West, 20 Great Norbury Street, Hyde SK14 1BR.

Your complaint will then be considered by a full meeting of Diversity Matters North-West Board. The Board will not look at the detail of the complaint but will focus on making sure that the process has been followed properly and that the fundamental point of the complaint has been addressed.

You will receive acknowledgement of your complaint within five working days and a full written response within 6 weeks. This will contain enough information to show the complaint has been fully investigated and an apology where appropriate. The decision of the Board will be final.