SP@CE Complaints Procedure Policy

SP@CE after school clubs colleagues work in partnership with parents and schools to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared with those on a need to know basis, but always where possible with parents. The aim of this document is to clarify the preferred procedure that any complainant should take to have their concern dealt with promptly and appropriately.

Any complaint regarding any aspect of the Club’s service should be made in writing to the Head Office within 14 days of the incident/attending date of the child. The details of the concern, incident or allegation should be as full as possible to allow a comprehensive investigation to be carried out.

Depending on the severity of a complaint, this may be dealt with directly by SP@CE after school clubs Head Office or The Club Manager. If the complaint is about the manager or head office colleagues, this will be dealt with by the Head of SP@CE after school clubs or another senior team member. All complaints will be acknowledged within 24 working hours even if it is just to inform the complainant that we are investigating the matter and will get back to them as soon as is practicable. Any complaints received by colleagues will be recorded on an Incident Log and reported to the Local Club Manager. and logged on our Complaints system. All complaints will be dealt with in the following manner:

Stage one

Complaints about aspects of club activity:

The Club Manager will discuss the matter informally with the parent or carer concerned and aim to reach a satisfactory resolution.

Complaints about an individual colleague:

If appropriate, we will encourage the parent to discuss the matter with colleagues concerned.
If the parent feels that this is not appropriate, the matter will be discussed with the Manager or head office if it’s about the manager. We will then discuss the complaint with the individual concerned and try to reach a satisfactory resolution.

Stage two

If it is impossible to reach a satisfactory resolution to the complaint through informal discussion, the parent or carer should put their complaint in writing to SP@CE after school clubs head office via info@spaceafterschoolclubs.co.uk. Head office will then:

Acknowledge receipt of the letter within 7 days and investigate the matter within 28 days
Send a full response in writing, to all relevant parties, including details of any recommended changes to be made to the club’s practices or policies as a result of the complaint. A Complaint Form will be completed to include details of action taken, timeline of events and for the parent to express how well the complaint was dealt with.
Meet relevant parties to discuss the Club’s response to the complaint, either together or on an individual basis.

If child protection issues are raised, the Manager will refer the situation to the company’s safeguarding lead, who will follow the procedures of the Safeguarding Policy. If a criminal act may have been committed, the Police will be contacted.

Making a complaint to Ofsted

Any parent or carer can submit a complaint to Ofsted about SP@CE after school clubs at any time. Ofsted will consider and investigate all complaints.

Ofsted’s address is: Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD

Telephone: 0300 123 1231 (general enquiries) 0300 123 4666 (complaints)