ESU-Complaints-Policy-July-2012

The English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth Policy and Procedure for Complaints A. Complaints Policy This policy covers complaints made by ESU members, staff and service users. The ESU Board of Governors and staff members aim to work to the highest standards in every way. They are committed to good governance, to providing support and encouragement to all ESU Members, and to providing excellent service to beneficiaries and to the general public who use ESU’s facilities. The ESU aims to deal with any complaints fairly and swiftly according to the Complaints Procedure.

B. The Complaints Procedure 1. Complaint by a Member, beneficiary or service user regarding a member of Dartmouth House staff/service provided 1.1 The complainant should explain the problem as soon as possible to the appropriate member of staff. In this way, most complaints will normally be resolved at a very early stage without recourse to further action.

1.2 If the complainant believes that she or he has a complaint which has not been resolved in this way, and which is sufficiently serious to necessitate further action, the Director of Finance and Operations should be informed at Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. 1.3 If the Director of Finance and Operations is the subject of the complaint, the letter should be sent for action to the Director-General at the above address who will make arrangements for another Director to handle the complaint. If the complaint refers to/concerns the Director-General, then the complainant should write to the Chairman of Governors In such cases the appointed alternate Director/Chairman will deal with this stage of the investigation in 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6.

1.4 The Director of Finance and Operations will send a letter of acknowledgement of the complaint, asking for confirmation or for the details to be set out. The acknowledgement will normally be posted within five working days of the complaint being received.

1.5 The complainant will be invited to meet the Director of Finance and Operations to discuss, and hopefully resolve the issue. Following the meeting, written confirmation

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from the Director of Finance and Operations will set out the substance of the meeting and any agreed solutions.

1.6 If the complainant does not want a meeting or a telephone conversation, or if these are not possible, after consideration of the complaint a detailed written reply, including suggestions for resolving the issue, will be sent to the complainant.

First Appeal 1.7 If the complaint refers to/concerns the Director-General, then the complainant should write to the Chairman of Governors as in 1.9 below.

1.8 If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision in the written reply, she/he may appeal in writing to the Director-General within fourteen working days of receipt of the letter in 1.6 above, giving reasons for the appeal. The Director-General will review the complaint and the investigation to date, seeking further details if necessary, and, after careful consideration, will send a written decision to the complainant as soon as is practicable.

Final Appeal 1.9 If the complainant is still not satisfied, she/he may write, giving reasons, within fourteen days of receipt of the letter in 1.7 above, to the Chairman of the ESU who will appoint an Appeals Panel of the Board of Governors of the ESU. The members of this Governors’ Appeals Panel will not have prior information about the complaint or have had any personal contact or connection with the complainant. The decision of the panel will be final and binding.

2. Complaint against the Board of Governors 2.1 An ESU Member, a member of the ESU staff or other person wishing to make a complaint about individual Governors or the Board of Governors should write to the Chairman of ESU giving a full explanation of the nature of the complaint. The Chairman will acknowledge in writing receipt of the complaint within five working days.

2.2 If the complaint is against the Chairman then the Member or other person should write to a Deputy Chairman.

2.3 In the case of a minor complaint on operational or procedural matters the Chairman will seek to resolve it via correspondence and/or a meeting.

2.4 In the case of a complaint that concerns the governance of the ESU then the Chairman should refer the matter to the next meeting of the Board of Governors who will appoint a panel of 3 of its number to consider the complaint. Members of the panel

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should have no prior knowledge of the complainant or the complaint itself. The Panel will seek to resolve the complaint via correspondence and/or a meeting and may 2.4.1 Dismiss the complaint.

2.4.2 Accept the merits of the complaint and advise the Board on the necessary steps to remedy the situation.

First Appeal 2.5 If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision made he/she may appeal in writing to a Deputy Chairman within fourteen days of receipt of the decision letter, giving reasons for the appeal. The Deputy-Chairman will review the complaint and the investigation to date, seeking further details if necessary, and, after careful consideration, will send a written decision to the complainant as soon as is practicable.

Final Appeal 2.6 If the complainant is still not satisfied, he/she may write, giving reasons, within fourteen days of receipt of the letter in 2.5 above, to the Chairman/Deputy Chairman of the ESU who will appoint an Appeals Panel of the Board of Governors of the ESU. The members of this Governors’ Appeals Panel will have had no direct prior involvement in dealing with the complaint other than as a member of the Board of Governors in the normal course of business and will not have had any personal contact or connection with the complainant. The decision of the panel will be final and binding.

2.7 The timescale taken to reach a resolution on a complaint about governance will vary according to the procedure adopted to resolve it. It is the responsibility of the Board of Governors to ensure that the complainant is kept fully informed about the progress of the complaint.

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