Complaints Policy
Last updated: March 12, 2025
Skylight Children’s Care Homes is committed to ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and with respect. If a complaint is received from an external party regarding a staff member, it will be thoroughly investigated by the staff member’s line manager or an appropriate investigating officer designated by the Company.
Complaints should be raised as promptly as possible to ensure that the issue is addressed effectively and swiftly. Initially, complaints should be submitted in writing to the relevant manager; however, this does not exclude investigations into complaints made verbally.
The line manager or investigating officer will conduct an interview with the complainant to:
- Clearly and formally document the nature of the complaint.
- Request that the complainant identifies any key witnesses to the alleged incident(s), if applicable.
- Inform the complainant about the next steps in the procedure, specifically conducting a fact-finding exercise to investigate the allegations.
- Explain to the complainant that their complaint is being addressed in accordance with the complaints policy.
The Investigating Officer and/or Manager will meet the accused staff member to:
- Document the specifics of the complaint in writing.
- Identify any witnesses to the alleged incidents.
- Request the individual to provide their perspective on the complaint made against them.
- Confirm that the investigation of the complaint is being conducted in accordance with the complaint’s procedure.
- Inform the individual about the next steps in the process.
After the initial investigations to establish the facts, the Manager or Investigating Officer will assess whether:
- In their view, this matter should be formally investigated under the Company’s disciplinary policy;
- Alternatively, it may be determined that the complaint is unsubstantiated;
- Recommendations for further action
If the complaint is found to be unsubstantiated, the staff member should be informed that no further action will be taken.
If the investigation is deemed necessary under the Company’s disciplinary policy, the staff member must be notified that they will be invited to participate in an investigation meeting; please refer to the Company’s disciplinary policy for more details.
If there are other recommendations for action, these may need to be addressed through supervision or ongoing training and development.
It is the responsibility of the Manager or Managing Director to maintain communication with the complainant and provide updates on the outcome of the investigation in relation to the nature of the complaint.