Complaints Policy, Procedure and Process

At Sewells, we work in true partnership with employers, learners, and our customers from the very start, it’s about working together and effectively communicating at every stage to ensure there are no surprises for either party.

As an ISO accredited organisation, we take complaints very seriously and have a robust complaints procedure in place, which allows us to thoroughly investigate all contributory factors, with a view to hopefully resolving matters to the satisfaction of all parties. It is also our policy to address any issues as soon as they become apparent and to incorporate any “lessons learned” into future processes and procedures.

The complaints procedure will investigate the viewpoint of everyone involved and look at various factors, such as the initial brief, any extenuating circumstances, remedial action offered, timescales involved, etc.

The project team we assign will have weekly project meetings internally and regular communications with customers/employers to check in on progress and keep the project on track. 

This should mean we anticipate and flag any potential issues and can manage them before they escalate into bigger issues.
For significant issues that do arise, in the first instance we will try and resolve the situation via the following escalation procedure:

In addition, the procedure within our ISO Quality Management System should an issue, customer complaint or non-conformance arise, is as follows:

The Chairman is responsible for ensuring non-conformance is investigated and corrective and preventive actions are implemented.

All staff are responsible for reporting non-conformance.

A non-conformance report shall be used in the instance of any complaint being made so the matter can be appropriately investigated.

Investigating the causes of non-conformance is carried out by the originator who will define the corrective actions. The client/supplier/learner shall be informed in writing of the results of the investigation and informed of any corrective/ preventive action, which has been implemented.

Our relationships are built on mutual trust and attaining “trusted advisor” status with each other which means delivering what employers / learners need, and not what they don’t!

This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis or in line with any changes that are made to ISO quality management systems or government legislation.

CONFIDENTIALITY & DATA PROTECTION

All complaints will be dealt with in the strictest confidence involving only the investigating parties and the complainant, to protect the parties involved until the matter has been fully investigated. Participants can be reassured their complaints will be dealt without fear of reprisals or repercussions. The well-being and safeguarding of staff, employers and learners is of paramount importance to Sewells.
If the complaint relates to a safeguarding matter it will be dealt with in a way that is outlined in our Safeguarding Policy.

Any personal and/or sensitive data which may be requested/obtained in the course of any investigation will be securely stored and processed in strict accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679. Any data held or processed will only be used for the purpose of dealing with complaints and for monitoring and will be deleted/destroyed once the complaint is resolved. Only staff directly involved with the complaint / investigation / resolution will be given access to such data.

To report a complaint:
Call: 01244 681 068
Email: operations@sewells.com to contact the Project Team
Write: Project Team, Sewells Training and Consultancy Ltd, Pulford House, Bell Meadow Business Park, Chester, CH4 9EP