Policy
At Dynamic Youth Support we respect and support the rights of Young people, their families, social workers and other professionals to raise concerns, issues or to make a complaint in respect of the care provided at James House. Consultation and participation in the way that James House operates and the support it provides to young people is a commitment from the Directors of Dynamic Youth. Any complaint will be investigated by the Director of Operations and/or the Responsible Individual within a 24 hour period.
Practice Standard
- The complaints process is detailed in the Young Persons book
- This process is detailed and available with a complaints form at James House
- If a complaint cannot be investigated /resolved within 24 hours then a holding letter will be issued to the complainant explaining the reasons for this
- Young people have the right for their voices to be heard and supported through any complaints process
- House meetings and one to one sessions provide opportunities for discussion and resolution of issues
- The resolution of any complaint must evidence an action plan to prevent a reoccurrence
- Details of the complaint , resolution and outcome must be recorded with an accurate timeline
- The Young Persons handbook contains contact details to enable young people to contact their local authority , Children’s Commissioner for England and other relevant organisations if they feel that their complaint has not been resolved to their satisfaction
The Process
- Every effort will be made by the Director of Operations and /or Responsible Individual to deal with any issue/ concern/complaint informally. The complaint is recorded internally and a timeline is in place for the outcome. Any resolution that will fall outside of a 24 hour time period will be acknowledged.
- Indication by any party that this complaint requires a formal process then a complaint form is to be fully completed.
- The Consultant Social Work Practitioner will act as an Investigating Officer, interview relevant parties and compile a report with recommendations to resolve the complaint within 21 days.
- This report will detail the appeal process which must be lodged within 48 hours of receiving the report.
- Any formal appeal received in writing will trigger an appeal panel of two independent persons and the Director of Operations (unless the D of O is the person being complained about) appointed within 7 days.
- This review and its outcome will be provided to the relevant local authority, along with the initial report. - If any complaint is deemed serious enough the Investigating Officer will inform relevant parties i.e. Local authority and Police