ShoutOut - Complaints & Feedback Policy
Handling Feedback and Complaints
ShoutOut is committed to ensuring that all our communications and dealings with the general public, our service users and stakeholders are of the highest possible standard. We listen and respond to the views of the general public, our service users and stakeholders so that we can continue to improve. ShoutOut welcomes all feedback, and regards complaints as opportunities to review our practices and procedures and identify areas for improvement.
Therefore we aim to ensure that:
it is as easy as possible to make a complaint;
we treat as a complaint any clear expression of dissatisfaction with our operations which calls for a response;
we treat it seriously whether it is made by letter, email or in person;
we deal with it quickly and politely;
we respond accordingly - for example, with an explanation, an apology, or information on any action taken;
we learn from complaints, use them to improve, and monitor them at our Board.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the organisation’s action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by or on behalf of the organisation.
Who can complain?
Anyone who has directly availed of ShoutOut’s services, or anyone acting directly on such a person's behalf, may make a complaint under this policy and procedure for the management and handling of complaints about ShoutOut.
What to do if you have feedback?
If you do have a complaint about any aspect of ShoutOut’s work, you can contact the Executive Director in writing or by email. When making a complaint please remember to provide your name and your contact details. Please give us as much information as possible and let us know how you would like us to respond to you, providing relevant contact details.
Briefly describe your complaint, providing dates and times where possible, and share with us any feedback you think we will find valuable. Anonymous complaints will not normally be investigated, as the anonymity of the complainant would not enable the principle of natural justice and procedural fairness to be upheld. Further, complaints from persons not directly affected will not normally be investigated. However, in certain circumstances ShoutOut, at its discretion, may initiate an investigation where there is a serious risk identified or where there is sufficient information provided to enable a thorough investigation to be conducted.
Write to:
ShoutOut, Outhouse, 105 Capel Street, Dublin 1
Email: complaints@shoutout.ie
What happens next?
We aim to resolve complaints received through an early resolution process. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days. We may need to follow up with you to get further information to help with our enquiries. We will aim to resolve your complaint within 30 working days of your complaint being acknowledged (using your preferred method of communication). We will tell you what we have done, how we reached our conclusions and, where appropriate, how we intend to resolve the issue for you. If there is a reason that we cannot resolve your complaint within this timeframe we will notify you of this and the reason for it.
What if the complaint is not resolved?
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you are invited to contact the Chairperson of the Board who will ensure that your appeal is considered at Board level. They will respond within 2 weeks of this consideration by ShoutOut’s Board of Directors. If we don’t succeed in resolving your complaint, or you are unhappy with the resolution or outcome of your complaint, you can refer your complaint to the Charities Regulator.
Recording and reporting of complaints
It is important to identify areas of learning from complaints so that we can improve performance and reduce the likelihood of any recurrence of the issues giving rise to the complaint. As a result, we keep a confidential record of all complaints received and we share the learning anonymously within the organisation.
Data Protection and Freedom of Information
All personal information received by ShoutOut in relation to a complaint shall be stored in accordance with the GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2014.
Policy review
This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Board of Directors.
References
This policy has been informed by the Complaints Policy of the Charities Regulator.
