Complaints Policy

1. Principles and Purpose
   1.1. Home Link Family Support aims to deliver a first class service to those in receipt of our services. To help us achieve this we welcome any compliments, comments or complaints that will help us improve our services and working practices.
   We recognise that on occasion we may fail to deliver the expected level of service. If this happens, we would like you to tell us so we can resolve the matter as soon as practical.
   1.2. This policy outlines the way in which you can give us feedback and make a complaint.
   1.3. As far as possible, all complaints will be treated in confidence. The only exception to this will be where there is a statutory requirement placed on Home Link Family Support to notify specific agencies with regard to certain types of complaints. All complaint information will be handled sensitively telling only those who need to know and following all relevant data protection requirements.

1.4 We will not normally deal with anonymous complaints, other than in a very general way, given the difficulty of our carrying out a full investigation. We will, however, retain such complaints on file as they may provide an early warning of a service delivery failure.

2. Definitions and actions
   A complaint is when you are not happy with a situation and you wish to discuss this with someone to resolve the matter causing you concern. The following sections outline how we will try to resolve your complaints.
3. Registering a Complaint
   3.1 If you have a complaint we welcome the opportunity to discuss the matter with you to try and reach a resolution.
   3.2 You can notify us of your complaint in person, phone or e-mail, or by completing the Complaints Form. You can nominate someone to do this for you, or telephone Home Link Family Support and someone will complete the form on your behalf.
   Home Link Family Support,
   Unit 1 Newington Business Centre
   Dalkeith Road
   Edinburgh
   EH16 5GA
   0131 661 0890
   info@homelinkfamilysupport.org

3.3 The Manager or delegated member of Staff at Home Link Family Support will respond to you within 5 working days of receipt of your complaint. We may suggest a meeting or may be able to discuss the matter with you over the telephone, depending on the nature of your feedback. We hope that the majority of concerns will be resolved at this stage.
3.4 If you are not happy with the response, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed.

4. Requesting a Review of a Complaint
   4.1. If you feel your complaint was not resolved through the initial response from Home Link Family Support you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed. If you feel unable to discuss the matter with the Home Link Family Support Manager you can ask for the Chair of the Board to contact you.
   4.2. We will acknowledge receipt of your request to review the complaint within 5 working days and respond in full to your complaint within a further 15 working days.
   4.3. A complaint review will generally involve a meeting with the Home Link Family Support Manager or Chair of the Board.
   4.4. After the complaint has been reviewed, a response to a review of a complaint will be issued in writing.
5. Making an Appeal
   5.1. If you have requested a review of your complaint and you are not happy with the written response you have received, you can make an appeal to a review panel.
   5.2. You can submit your appeal for a review of your complaint to the Home Link Family Support Manager. If you feel unable to discuss the matter with the Home Link Family Support Manager you can ask for the Chair of the Board to contact you.
   5.3 The Home Link Family Support Manager or the Chair of the Board will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and will respond in full to your appeal within a further 20 working days.
   5.4 An appeal panel will reconsider your complaint review. The panel will involve the Chair of the Board and either the Home Link Family Support Manager and another Board Member or the chair of the board and 2 other board members. We will ensure that these members have not been involved at an earlier stage.
   5.5 The decision of the review panel is final but the complainant has the right to an external review.
6. External Review

6.1 In the event that a complaint is not resolved under Home Link Family Support’s Compliments, Comments and Complaints Policy, complainants may refer their complaint to one of the following bodies:

6.2 The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman provides a free and impartial service. A leaflet about the service is available to all service users from Home Link Family Support or directly from the Ombudsman.

The complaint must usually have gone through Home Link Family Support’s own internal complaints procedure before the Ombudsman can deal with it. Normally a complaint must be submitted to the Ombudsman within 12 months after the day on which the aggrieved person was first aware of the grounds for his/her complaint. The time limit can sometimes be extended, but only if there are special reasons. The contact office for the Ombudsman service is as detailed below:

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Bridgeside House
99 McDonald Road
Edinburgh EH7 4NS
Freepost: Freepost SPSO (this is all you need to write on the envelope, and you don’t need to use a stamp)
Freephone: 0800 377 7330
Website: www.spso.org.uk

6.3 The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)

OSCR provide an opportunity to raise concerns Service Users and members of the public have with a Scottish charity. Details of concerns with which they can help with are provided on the OSCR website. The website also provides details on how to raise a concern.

www.oscr.org.uk/charities/raise-a-concern-about-a-charity

6.4 The Local Council

Home Link Family Support provides a range of services, under contract, on behalf of Departments within the local Council, e.g. the Social Work Department. Where this is the case, Service Users will have a right to complain to them at any stage without using Home Link Family Support’s complaints procedure first.

We would stress our desire to have the opportunity to resolve any problems before they are taken to a Council. However, should a Service User wish to complain to their local Council, relevant contact details are included here:

City of Edinburgh Council
Waverley Court
4 East Market Street
Edinburgh EH8 8BG
Tel: 0131 200 2000

Midlothian Council
Midlothian House
Buccleuch Street
Dalkeith EH22 1DN
Tel: 0131 270 7500