Page 9 - Complaints Policy & Procedures Sep20

 Pursues a valid complaint, but in an unreasonable manner e.g. refuses to articulate the complaint, refused to co-operate with this complaints procedure, or insists that the complaint is dealt with in ways that are incompatible with this procedure and the time frames it sets out
 Changes the basis of the complaint as the investigation goes on
 Makes a complaint designed to cause disruption, annoyance or excessive demands on school
time
 Seeks unrealistic outcomes, or a solution that lacks any serious purpose or value.
Steps we will take
We will take every reasonable step to address the complainant’s concerns, and give them a clear statement of our position and their options. We will maintain our role as an objective arbiter throughout the process, including when we meet with individuals. We will follow our complaints procedure as normal (as outlined above) wherever possible.
It the complainant continues to contact the school in a disruptive way, we may put communications strategies in place. We may:
 Give the complainant a single point of contact via an email address
 Limit the number of times the complainant can make contact, such as a fixed number per
term
 Ask the complainant to engage a third party to act on their behalf, such as Citizens Advice
 Put any other strategy in place as necessary.
Stopping responding
We may stop responding to the complainant when all of these factors are met:
 We believe we have taken all reasonable steps to help address their concerns
 We have provided a clear statement of our position and their options
 The complainant contacts us repeatedly, and we believe their intention is to cause disruption
or inconvenience and / or he or she is making substantially the same points each time
Where we stop responding, we will inform the individual that we intend to do so. We will also explain that we will still consider any new complaints they make.
In response to any serious incident of aggression or violence, we will immediately inform the police and communicate our actions in writing. This may include barring an individual from our school site.
6. Unreasonable Complaints
DCAT is committed to dealing with all complaints fairly and impartially, and to providing a high quality service to those who complain. However, we do not expect our staff to tolerate unacceptable behaviour and will take action to protect staff from that behaviour, including that which is abusive, offensive or threatening.
A complaint may be regarded as unreasonable when the person making the complaint:
 introduces trivial or irrelevant information which the complainant expects to be taken into account and commented on, or raises large numbers of detailed but unimportant questions, and insists they are fully answered, often immediately and to their own timescales;
DCAT Complaints Policy and Procedures
September 2020 Page 5 of 18