Complaints procedure

Stage 1:

Informal complaint
If an Athlete or Parent/Carer wishes to complain or make a comment, they can do this by emailing the Welfare Officer at Welfare@swindonlightning.com or if necessary the Head Coach at Headcoach@swindonlightning.com

It is not always possible for Lou or Millie to be available during training times as this can disrupt the session they are there to coach.
Staff dealing with the matter at this stage must establish if the comment or complaint is a minor matter and can be sorted out quickly and to the satisfaction of complainant. It is important at this stage that staff listen carefully to what the customer has to say and wherever possible act quickly to resolve their concerns.

This should be done by:
i. Clarify if the issue is a comment or a complaint and determine if the concern can be dealt with informally.
ii. Getting clear information about the complaint, what went wrong and when and what are their views about how the matter could be resolved.
iii. Offering an apology where the complaint has arisen due to poor service or a mistake.
iv. In instances where staff may need time to resolve the complaint or take action in response to a comment it is important that staff are proactive in returning to the complainant and explaining what action has been taken and what further steps are being taken to resolve the issue. If a response is not possible within 7 working days, this should be explained with the reasons why. Details of the complaint and the action taken by staff should be recorded on the Athlete’s case file.

Stage 2

Formal Complaint
Where the Athlete’s/Parent’s/Carer’s concerns cannot be resolved easily; or they are unhappy with the response to their initial comment, or the nature of the complaint is deemed ‘serious’; then the complaint should be referred to Stage 2 of the procedure.
Serious complaints are those which the complainant deems to be ‘serious’ or which the complaints handler may deem ‘serious’ and could include the following:
• Issues in relation to safeguarding
• Issues in relation to health and safety lapses
• Breaches of confidence

Complainants should be advised that they can either: Put their complaint in writing, or request a meeting with the welfare officer and Head Coach to discuss their complaint. Where necessary Tara, the Club coordinator, or the assistant welfare, Andrea may attend the meeting to act as neutral mediators.
When a written complaint is received an acknowledgement email should be sent within 7 working days of receiving the written complaint. In these cases, the Head Coach and Welfare Officer will fully investigate the complaint and may request to meet with the athlete/parent/carer as part of their investigation.
The Head Coach/Welfare Officer will then provide a written response to the complainant, outlining action taken, within 14 working days of the meeting.
Copies of all documentation will be kept on the athlete’s confidential case record.
Individual records are stored in line with GDPR and only kept for the minimum amount of time necessary.