How to make a complaint

GETTING THINGS RIGHT AND PUTTING THINGS RIGHT

Skool Is Out has established a complaints procedure and written standards for the care of the children in the club. These have been based on social work guidance and our club is inspected regularly by the Care Inspectorate.

If you have a concern or want to make a complaint about someone’s conduct or behaviour we want to hear from you so that we can help. All service users have the right to complain if you believe someone has behaved in an inappropriate, unprofessional, discriminatory or intimidating manner and we are committed to dealing with any concerns or complaints quickly, thoroughly, fairly and with transparency and we will indicate to you how long you might have to wait for a reply to your complaint. All complaints will be dealt with in accordance with our Confidentiality and Equal Opportunities Policies.

How to make a complaint?
If you have a concern or complaint we hope you will talk to the Childcare Manager in the first instance to try and resolve any concerns and problems promptly and to everyone’s satisfaction. If a parent/carer has not received a satisfactory response or resolution to the concern or complaint then our Senior Management Team (Skool Is Out Director and Administrator) can be contacted either by telephone or in writing, or you can send in a formal complaint via email or our confidential website contact form.

You can contact the Childcare Manager at any time on 07815798808 (P1-3) or 07713999069 (P4-7) or the Administration Manager on 0131 659 7771 or via email at info@skoolisout.com. You can also contact Sheila Fox (Director) at any time by writing to Sheila at the Skool Is Out office if you have a formal complaint that you do not believe have been resolved satisfactorily by the Childcare Manager.

Additionally, you can talk or write to the Care Inspectorate at any time. They can be contacted on the Care Inspectorate Complaints Hotline on: 0345 600 9527 or by filling in a complaint form online via the Care Inspectorate Website. The Care Inspectorate are responsible for ensuring that Skool Is Out meets standards laid down The Care Inspectorate under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.

How will Skool Is Out handle your complaint?
We will endeavour to give an initial response to your complaint within 72 hours for general concerns and within 24 hours for more serious or formal complaints. All formal complaints will be notified to the Care Inspectorate in accordance with their expectations and guidelines.

All complaints or concerns will be investigated impartially by our senior management team, and this may involve discussing any complaints with the individuals concerned. The Childcare Manager will conduct initial Investigation Meetings to establish as much information as possible to make an informed decision regarding any complaint or concern. We will endeavour to fully investigate all complaints within 21 days of the date of complaint and the Childcare Manager will send a full and formal response to the complainant.

If at the conclusion of this process the complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome all investigatory notes and information will be passed to the Director who will review and adjudicate on the case. Formal records of all Investigation Meetings and outcomes will be retained and made available for those concerned and the Director will endeavour to communicate an outcome and detailed response to the complainant within a further 14 days.

The complainant will be kept informed of all stages of the investigatory process and will be advised at the earliest opportunity if any delays are anticipated in reaching an outcome.

What are the possible outcomes or results of a complaint?
In most cases we will strive to resolve any concerns or problems informally. Examples of possible informal outcomes include:
• An explanation or apology
• The implementation of a Performance Improvement Plan should your complaint pertain to the conduct of a member of our staff team
• Amendments to Skool Is Out’s Policies and Procedures

Depending on the outcome of the investigatory processes, more serious, formal action may be required. Examples of formal action include:
• Formal disciplinary action under the Skool Is Out Disciplinary Procedures
• A decision to refer your case to another organisation such as the Care Inspectorate, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Police Scotland or Social Care Direct

Skool Is Out welcomes any complaints or concerns our service users may have and is committed to working with parents and carers to ensure all complaints are resolved satisfactorily and with fairness and transparency at all times.

Duty of Candour
The new duty of candour came into effect on 1 April 2018. It affects all health, social work and care services and requires services to take specific steps to carry out their duty of candour when a serious adverse event happens. As such, Skool Is Out will ensure that, for any serious adverse event, relevant individuals are notified and that steps are taken to make improvements and minimise risk.

From April 2019, we will produce and publish a short annual report showing any learning from our duty of candour incidents in the previous 12 month period. Our Duty of Candour reports can be accessed here.