Complaints Procedure [Revised October 2024]
1. General
Whosoever receives a complaint in any format must follow this procedure to ensure that the complaint is dealt with speedly,impartially and in the best interest of the parties involved and importantly for the good name of the club
2. Procedure to be Followed
1] Inform the Club Secretary or the Vice Chairman as soon as possible and forward any correspondence to them. If the complaint is a verbal one then relay as accurately as you can what was said. If the complaint is a welfare one then the Club Welfare Officer will be informed at this stage. If the complaint is a welfare issue that has been reported by the Police directly to the Club Welfare Officer then the Welfare Officer should inform the Club Secretary of such.
2] The Club Secretary will inform the complainant of the Clubs Complaints Procedure so that they are aware of the steps that will be followed by the club
3] The original recipients of the complaint must not discuss the complaint with anyone other than the following people
Club Secretary
Vice Chairman
Club Welfare Officer
Anyone asking for information regarding the complaint must be made to the personnel above
4] The Vice Chairman in consultation with the Club Secretary and if required the Welfare Officer will undertake an initial investigation to decide if the complaint is to be dealt with formally or informally
5] If the decision is taken to deal with the complaint informally the Vice Chairman and the Club Secretary will get permission from the Club Chairman on how to proceed with ihe investigation
| Misconduct | Serious Misconduct |
| a)Using inappropriate language b)Internet misuse c)Bullying or harassment d)Breaches of Codes of Conduct e)Health and Safety breaches | a)Violent behaviour b)Theft or Fraud c) Safeguarding breaches |
7] Any correspondence regarding the complaint should only be sent to or discussed between the investigating team and not sent out as universal correspondence
8] Once a decision about the outcome of the investigation has been made then the Vice Chairman or Club Secretary will inform interested parties of the outcome in writing and any subsequent actions required to be taken
9] If the Vice Chairman and Club Secretary after taking advice from the Welfare Officer decide that the complaint falls within the Serious Misconduct Safeguarding catergory they will seek advice from the UKA Welfare Officer before any further action is taken. In the case of Serious Misconduct items b) and c) the ClubWelfare officer will seek advice from the EA Welfare Officer before any actions are taken by the Club
10] The person whom the complaint is laid against must be given sight of any documentation and allowed the opportunity to put their side of the case forward
11] Some of the actions that may be considered by the investigating team if the complaint is being dealt with at Club level include
a] No action taken complaint not upheld
b] Verbal Warning
c] Written Warning
d] Final Written Warning
e]Temporary suspension of coaching duties at the club
f] Permanent withdrawal of coaching duties at the club
g] Permanent withdrawal of club membership
(If either [f] or [g] of the above apply then England Athletics must be informed)
h) Mediation
12] Appeals against the findings of a club level investigation will be heard by the Club Chairman. The Chairman’s decision is final and all parties should abide by it
13] If the person who the complaint was made against is not satisfied with the outcome and believes they have been dealt with unfairly they should be referred to the England Athletics Grievance Procedure
14] In the case of a complaint that falls within the Serious Misconduct category then the advice given by UKA/EA will be followed