Reach Complaints Procedure

Reach Complaints Procedure

Reach welcomes complaints.  We learn from them and use them to improve our services.  We always like to resolve complaints at the lowest possible level.  We may not realise there is a problem unless you tell us about it.  If you are unhappy with any of our services or Reach volunteers, we would encourage you to speak, first of all, to the person delivering that service, outlining your complaint and explaining how you would like it to be resolved.  Reach is, however, aware that this is not always appropriate or possible.  For these rare occasions, we have a formal procedure designed to resolve complaints as quickly and fairly as possible.

Stage one: review by Reach Head of Department

The formal complaints procedure starts with the Head of Department who will acknowledge your complaint within five working days and carry out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding it. The target time for responding in full to a complaint is 20 working days, though, if the issue is complicated, any delay will be explained.

If the complaint is upheld, you will receive a full apology and, where appropriate, be given details of any action that we were able to take to resolve the situation or at least put things right for the future. The aim is always to achieve resolution at the earliest stage possible.

But what if it is the Head of Department that you are unhappy with? You proceed straight to stage two.

Stage two: review by Reach Chief Executive

The letter you receive from the Head of Department will also inform you of your right to ask for a review of the investigation should you not be satisfied with the outcome of stage one. Details of how to do this will be provided.

The process followed by the Chief Executive of Reach in reviewing the complaint is very similar to stage one in that the same target times for responses apply and there is the same obligation for an apology, where owed, and for putting things right, if possible.
The Chief Executive will check that the investigation so far has been carried out fully and properly. She or he will check that the fundamental point of the complaint has been addressed and look at any outstanding issues raised by the complainant.

But what if it is the Chief Executive that you are unhappy with? You proceed straight to stage three.

Stage three: review under the direction of Chair of Trustees

Like all charities, Reach is run by a board of trustees who give their time voluntarily.  It is the Board of Trustees that is ultimately accountable for all complaints received by Reach.  All complaints received are reviewed annually by our trustees.

If you still feel that all the issues have not been properly tackled, you can request a further review to be conducted under the direction of Chair of the Board of Trustees. The Chair will not focus on the detail of the case but ensure that the process has been carried out properly and will check that the fundamental issuefs have been investigated fully.

Within five working days you will receive a letter acknowledging your complaint, and the review will be sent to you within 20 working days of receipt of your request for a review.

Once again, the review will produce a full response, which will contain sufficient information to show that the complaint has been fully investigated, and an apology made where appropriate.

The decision of the Chair of Trustees is final.

December 2008