SAVO is committed to providing its members and service users with the best possible services which meet their needs and to ensuring that they are treated fairly and with respect.

Comments, complaints and compliments provide feedback about what our members and service users think of our services and this feedback will be used to assist SAVO in continually improving its services.

The Grievance Procedure should be followed by an employee who wishes to raise a grievance and the Resolving Concerns section of the Volunteer Policy should be followed by a volunteer who wishes to raise a concern.

Definitions, guidelines and arrangements for dealing with suspected malpractice within SAVO’s Accredited Training provision can be found in Appendix 1 of the policy document.

Complaints

A complaint is defined as being any expression of dissatisfaction with the service that SAVO provides, whether it is justified or not. 

If an individual wants to make a complaint about SAVO’s work this must be done in writing and the complaint should be sent to the Chief Executive and the Chair of the Trustee Board, or the Chair of the Trustee Board alone if the complaint is about the Chief Executive.    

When a complaint is received, it will be recorded by the Corporate Services Manager to ensure it is tracked and responded to within the specified timescales. 

The process for dealing with complaints is:

• The Corporate Services Manager will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing within two working days and advise the complainant of the date by which they will be sent a written response. The timescale for responding to the complainant will depend on the nature of the complaint and scale of the resultant investigation into the circumstances which led to the complaint being made.
• The Corporate Services Manager will keep the complainant informed of progress if a response to the complaint cannot be made within the timescales which were originally set.
• The Chief Executive will arrange for an investigation into the circumstances which led to the complaint being made. If the complaint is about the Chief Executive, then the Chair of the Trustee Board will arrange for the investigation to take place.

• Once the investigation is complete the Chief Executive, or the Chair of the Trustee Board if the complaint is about the Chief Executive, will write to the complainant. This response will, when appropriate, offer an apology and/or offer a solution to resolve the complaint. This letter will also advise the complainant of their right to appeal against any decision made, and whom they should contact to escalate the complaint to the next stage in the procedure.

Comments

A comment is defined as being an idea, suggestion or opinion on how SAVO could improve its services. 

If an individual wants to make a comment on SAVO’s work this may be done either verbally or in writing.

If an individual wants a verbal comment to be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, rather than being seen as an informal matter, this must be made clear at the time the comment is being made.

When a comment is received, it will be recorded by the Corporate Services Manager to ensure it is tracked and responded to within the specified timescales. 

The Corporate Services Manager will pass the comment to the appropriate manager who will reply to the person making the comment within ten working days. The reply will include details of any action which SAVO is to take as a result of the comment.

Compliments

A compliment is defined as being feedback which informs SAVO that it has provided a service well.

If an individual wants to offer a compliment about SAVO’s work this may be done either verbally or in writing.

If an individual wants a verbal compliment to be dealt with in accordance with this policy, rather than being seen as an informal matter, this must be made clear at the time the compliment is being made.

When a compliment is received, it will be recorded by the Corporate Services Manager to ensure it is tracked and responded to, if appropriate, within the specified timescales. 

The Corporate Services Manager will pass the compliment to the appropriate manager who will reply to the person making the compliment, if appropriate, within ten working days.

Monitoring

A report on Comments, Complaints or Compliments received during the previous three months will be presented to SAVO’s Performance Management Committee at each of its meetings.