Falkirk Community Trust is committed to providing high-quality customer services. We value all feedback and use information from them to help us improve our services. If something goes wrong or you are dissatisfied with our services, please tell us.

The information below describes how to make a complaint. It also tells you about our service standards and what you can expect from us.

What is a complaint?

We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.

What can I complain about?

You can complain about things such as:

• Delays in responding to your enquiries and requests;
• Failure to provide a service;
• Inadequate standard of service;
• Dissatisfaction with Trust policy;
• Treatment by or attitude of a member of staff;
• Our failure to follow the appropriate administrative process.

Your complaint may involve more than one Trust service or be about someone working on our behalf.

What can’t I complain about?

There are some things we can’t deal with through our complaints handling procedure.

These include:

• A routine first-time request for a service;
• Requests for compensation from the Trust.

Who can complain?

Anyone can make a complaint to us, including the representative of someone who is dissatisfied with our service. Please also read the section ‘Getting help to make your complaint’ below.

How do I complain?

Complaints can be made:

• In person at a Trust facility;
• Online using the Trust’s complaints form at falkirkcommunitytrust.org;
• E-mail: hello@falkirkcommunitytrust.org;
• Tel: 01324 590900;
• In writing to the Trust facility – addresses are available on falkirkcommunitytrust.org.

It is usually easier for us to resolve complaints if you make them quickly and directly to the service concerned. Please talk to a member of our staff at the service you are complaining about; they can then try to resolve any problems on the spot.

How long do I have to make a complaint?

Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of:

• The event you want to complain about; or
• Finding out that you have a reason to complain, but no longer than 12 months after the event.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why by contacting:

Policy Development Manager

Falkirk Community Trust

Suite 1a, The Falkirk Stadium

4 Stadium Way

Falkirk

FK2 9EE

What happens when I have complained?

We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint. Our complaints procedure has two stages:

Stage 1: Frontline Resolution

We aim to resolve complaints quickly and close to where we provided the service. This could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong and immediate action to resolve the problem.

• We will give you our decision at Stage 1 in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
• If we can’t resolve your complaint at this stage, we will explain why and tell you what you can do next. We might suggest that you take your complaint to Stage 2. You may choose to do this immediately or sometime after you get our initial decision.

Stage 2: Investigation

Stage 2 deals with two types of complaint: those that have not have been resolved at Stage 1 and those that are complex and require detailed investigation.

For Stage 2 complaints we will:

• Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days;
• Discuss your complaint with you to understand why you remain dissatisfied and what outcome you are looking for;
• Give you a full response to the complaint as soon as possible and within 20 working days.

If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will agree revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress.

What if I’m still dissatisfied?

After we have fully investigated, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it.

The SPSO cannot normally look at:

• A complaint that has not completed our complaints procedure (so please make sure it has done so before contacting the SPSO);
• Events that happened, or that you became aware of, more than a year ago;
• A matter that has been or is being considered in court.

You can contact the SPSO:

• Website: spso.org.uk;
• Online form: spso.org.uk/contact-us;
• Tel: 0800 377 7330 or 0131 225 5300;
• In writing to ‘Freepost SPSO’;
• In person (call for appointment first):

SPSO

Bridgeside House

99 McDonald Road

Edinburgh

EH7 4NS

Getting help to make your complaint

We understand that you may be unable, or reluctant, to make a complaint yourself. We accept complaints from the representative of a person who is dissatisfied with our service. We can take complaints from a friend, relative, or an advocate, if you have given them your consent to complain for you.

 You can find out about advocates in your area by contacting the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance:

• Website: siaa.org.uk
• Tel: 0131 524 1975

Falkirk Community Trust is committed to making our service easy to use for all members of the community. In line with our statutory equalities duties, we will always ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to help customers access and use our services. If you have trouble putting your complaint in writing, or want this information in another language or format, such as large font, or Braille, tell us in person, contact us on 01324 590900 or hello@falkirkcommunitytrust.org.

We can also give you this leaflet in other languages and formats.