Complaints & Compliments Policy

Last updated May 2021

At Ducklings Childcare we believe that parents/carers are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their individual needs and wishes. We always hope that parents/carers are happy with the service provided and we encourage parents/carers to voice their appreciation to the staff concerned. 

We record all compliments and share these with staff, with permission we may also share these on our website or use in promotional material of the setting. 

We welcome any suggestions on how we can improve our services and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns that parents/carers may have. Any concerns will be dealt with professionally and promptly to ensure that any issues arising from them are handled effectively and to ensure the welfare of all children, enable ongoing cooperative partnership with parents/carers and to continually improve the quality of the setting. 

We have a formal procedure for dealing with complaints where we are not able to resolve a concern. Where any concern or complaint relates to child protection, we follow our Safeguarding Policy.

Internal complaints procedure

Stage 1
If any parent/carer should have cause for concern or any queries regarding the care or early learning provided by the setting, they should in the first instance take it up with the child’s key person or a senior member of staff.  

Stage 2
If the issue remains unresolved or parents feel they have received an unsatisfactory outcome, then they must present their concerns in writing as a formal complaint to management. They will then investigate the complaint and report back to the parent/carer within ten working days. They will document the complaint fully and the actions taken in relation to it in the complaint’s logbook.

Stage 3
If the matter is still not resolved, the setting will hold a formal meeting between management, parent/carer and the staff member to ensure that it is dealt with comprehensively. The setting will make a record of the meeting and document any actions. All parties present at the meeting will review the accuracy of the record and be asked to sign to agree it and receive a copy. This will signify the conclusion of the procedure.

Stage 4
If the matter cannot be resolved to their satisfaction, then parents/carers have the right to raise the matter with Ofsted. Parents/carers are made aware that they can contact Ofsted at any time they have a concern, including at all stages of the complaint’s procedure, and are given information on how to contact Ofsted. Ofsted is the registering authority for nurseries in England and investigates all complaints that suggest a provider may not be meeting the requirements of the settings registration. It risk assesses all complaints made and may visit the setting to carry out a full inspection where it believes requirements are not met.

A record of complaints will be kept in the setting. The record will include the name of the complainant, the nature of the complaint, date and time complaint received, action(s) taken, result of any investigations and any information given to the complainant including a dated response.

Parents will be able to access this record if they wish to, however, all personal details relating to any complaint will be stored confidentially and will be only accessible by the parties involved. Ofsted inspectors will have access to this record at any time during visits to ensure actions have been met appropriately.

Contact details for Ofsted

Email:
enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

Telephone:
0300 123 1231

By post:
Ofsted
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

Details checked and correct on 19th May 2021 checked by Lisa Hannington

Parents and carers will also be informed if the setting becomes aware that they are going to be inspected and after inspection the setting will provide a copy of the report to parents and/or carers of children attending on a regular basis.

Date policy adopted	Signature of the setting	Date of next review	Amendments
16th April 2015	Lisa Hannington	April 2016 or sooner if required	—
14th April 2016	Lisa Hannington	April 2017 or sooner if required	Numbers checked
3rd May 2017	Lisa Hannington	May 2018 or sooner if required	Numbers checked
12th May 2018	Lisa Hannington	May 2019 or sooner if required	Numbers checked
30th May 2019	Lisa Hannington	May 2020 or sooner if required	Numbers checked
1st June 2020	Lisa Hannington	June 2021 or sooner if required	No changes
19th May 2021	Lisa Hannington	May 2022 or sooner if required	No changes
19th May 2022	Lisa Hannington	May 2023 or sooner if required	No changes
3rd April 2023	Lisa Hannington	May 2024 or sooner if required	No changes
5th April 2024	Lisa Hannington	April 2025 or sooner if required	Numbers checked and email from new poster