Complaints policy

Complaints and Escalation Policy

Intake 
Complaints and Escalation Policy

 

 

Objective

Intake wants to provide a fair, clear, and easy-to-use complaint procedure for anyone who wants to make a complaint. We regard a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction about Intake, our staff, our partners, or any party related to our service. 
This policy aims to give an overview and escalation process for all complaints received at Intake. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email, or in writing. When appropriate, the complainant will be asked to send a written report to the email address: [email protected].
All complaint information will be handled confidentially, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.

 

Policy

  • Publicise the existence of our complaint procedure so that people know how to contact us to file a complaint and to make sure everyone at Intake knows what to do if a complaint is received. 
  • Ensure that all complaints are investigated in a fair and timely manner. 
  • Ensure that complaints are resolved, whenever possible, and relationships are repaired. 
  • Gather information which helps us to improve our service. 

 

Preliminary Actions

The person who receives a complaint at Intake must: 

  • Inform the complainant that Intake has a complaint procedure.
  • Inform the complainant that the complaint and its contact information will be recorded for the purpose of this policy (in accordance with the GDPR). 
  • Record the facts of the complaint, and take the name, address, email address, and phone number of the complainant. 
  • Record the complainant's relationship to Intake.
  • Explain to the complainant the following procedure and how long it will take, according to this policy.

 

The Complaint Process

  • Acknowledgement: The complaint will be formally acknowledged within 1 working day and responded to within 3 working days. An acknowledgement will confirm who is dealing with the complaint and when the complainant can expect a reply. A copy of this complaint’s procedure will be attached.
  • Review: Intake undertakes an initial review of the complaint and determines if any additional information or documentation may be required to complete an investigation. We may need to contact the complainant to clarify details or request additional information where necessary.
  • Investigation: Within 5 business days of receiving the compliant Intake will investigate it objectively and impartially, by considering the information provided to us, our actions in relation to the complainant's dealings with us, and any other information which may be available that could assist us in investigating the complaint.
  • Response: Following our investigation, we will notify the complainant of our findings and any actions we may have taken in regards to the complaint.
  • Further action: Where appropriate, we amend our business practices or policies.
  • Record: Intake will record the complaint about the continuous improvement process and monitoring through regular review, the complainant's personal information will be recorded in accordance with relevant privacy legislation.


Escalation Process

Where possible, we will attempt to resolve the complaint locally, at the first point of contact. If we are unable to resolve the complaint at the first point of contact, we will undertake an investigation of the complaint and provide the complainant with our findings. 
If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved, the complainant can request the complaint to be escalated and assigned to the appropriate member of the senior management team, either an office manager, a country manager, and up to the chief executive officer (CEO). The escalation request should be submitted to the email address: [email protected]. This request will be acknowledged within 48 hours of receiving it. The acknowledgement will confirm the member of the senior management team who will review the complaint and when the complainant can expect a reply. 
The member of the senior management team may investigate the facts of the case him/herself. This may involve reviewing the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint locally, at the first stage. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they will be informed and given a further opportunity to respond. Complaints will receive a definitive reply within 10 working days. If this is not possible, a progress report will be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. The decision taken at this stage is final. However, if the complainant is not yet satisfied with our final response, the complainant may be eligible to refer the complaint to the correspondent external and independent ombudsman. If needed, Intake will assist the complainant to obtain the contact details of the correspondent ombudsman (or similar bureau) of the country and city where the complainant is located. Please note that the ombudsman will only become involved after we have had the opportunity to fully investigate the complaint and have provided a final response.

 

 

Continuous Improvement

The Complaints and Escalation Policy is designed to identify problems and resolve issues quickly and fairly. Intake monitors and reviews the effectiveness of its complaints handling process to ensure the process continuously improves and that what we learn from handling complaints is carried through into the organization. Continuous improvement also allows Intake to deliver consistent, high-quality, and accountable responses to complaints across the organization. Complaints that are escalated are summarised and reviewed quarterly to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.