Complaints Policy

Handcrafted Complaints Policy and Procedure

Changes Date By Notes Review 20/02/2021 Seymour Jacklin Excerpted from Handcrafted Licence Agreement and created as a draft policy Review 31/05/23 Siri Hodges

Handcrafted Complaints Procedure

HANDCRAFTED encourages clients to comment on the standard and quality of the services received. This information can be used to improve the service and to address bad practice.

Complaints can be made for a number of reasons:

Substandard quality of service Behaviour of a member of staff Poor attitude of a staff member Not providing adequate support

Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the complaints procedure. Only those staff that need to know about the complaint will have access to details.

Management support will be offered to clients from the outset of a complaint. Access to independent advice or help will assist with overcoming many of the barriers that clients may encounter. This may be from friends, relatives, advice centres or local advocacy group.

Complaints may take the form of a formal letter or email addressed to the Hub Lead or a member of the Handcrafted management team, or they may be made verbally on when an individual states that they wish to make a complaint, which will then be recorded in writing and referred to the line manager at the appropriate level.

All complaints will initially be dealt with by the Manager. The complaint will be acknowledged within 3 days of receipt and will be responded to within 10 days. If the matter can be sorted out quickly and to the satisfaction of the Service User at this stage, it will not be necessary to treat it as a formal complaint.

All complaints, whether formal or informal, are always discussed through the line management structure and are logged.

Contact Details for Complaints:

Handcrafted Chester-le-Street Paul Baddams 143c Front Street Chester-le-Street DH3 3AU clshub@handcrafted.org.uk

Handcrafted Durham Lorraine Jones Unit 7 Skillion Business Centre Littleburn Industrial Estate Langley Moor Durham DH7 8HG Phone: 0191 378 1562 durhamhub@handcrafted.org.uk

Handcrafted Gateshead Dan Northover The Shakespeare 88/96 Fife Street Deckham Gateshead NE8 3RR Phone: 0191 676 0499 gatesheadhub@handcrafted.org.uk

Director of Operations John Hinton Unit 7 Skillion Business Centre Littleburn Industrial Estate Langley Moor Durham DH7 8HG john@handcrafted.org.uk