Customer Queries and Complaints Policy

At Raise the Bar (RTB), we aim to provide an excellent experience for all our customers, learners, employers and stakeholders. We welcome comments, suggestions, feedback and complaints about the services we provide and any dealings you have with us.

We recognise that feedback and complaints are valuable in helping us understand where things may have gone wrong, identify root causes and continually improve the quality of our services.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about our products, services, unfair treatment or the way a previous complaint has been handled, where the person raising the complaint expects us to identify the cause of the problem and, where appropriate, take remedial action.

We aim to ensure that:

• Making a complaint is as easy as possible.
• We treat complaints as clear expressions of dissatisfaction that require an appropriate and timely response.
• Complaints are handled promptly, politely, fairly and, where appropriate, confidentially.
• We investigate complaints objectively and without prejudice.
• Where we have got something wrong, we provide an appropriate explanation and, where appropriate, an apology and details of the action taken.
• We keep customers informed of progress where a complaint cannot be resolved immediately.
• We learn from complaints, identify themes and trends, and use feedback to improve our services.
• Complaints are overseen appropriately by the senior management team at Raise the Bar.

A complaint may be made in writing, by email, telephone or through a face-to-face appointment.

How to Contact Us

The quickest and easiest way to resolve a question or concern is usually to contact your Raise the Bar representative in the first instance.

To help us handle your query or complaint effectively, please provide:

• Your name and contact details
• Your location or organisation, where applicable
• The type of programme or service we are delivering
• Full details of your query, concern or complaint
• Any relevant information or evidence that may help us investigate the matter
• The outcome or action you are seeking, where appropriate

If you wish to remain anonymous, we will still consider and, where possible, investigate your concern. However, anonymity may limit our ability to fully investigate the matter or provide a response.

Alternatively, you can contact us by:

How we will deal with your query or complaint

Stage 1: Local Resolution

Where appropriate, please raise your query or complaint with your RTB representative in the first instance and give them the opportunity to resolve the matter. Many queries and concerns can be resolved quickly at this stage. If you are unhappy with the outcome, feel that the matter is taking too long to resolve, or believe it is not appropriate to raise the matter with your RTB representative, you can progress to Stage 2.

Stage 2: Formal Complaint

You can contact RTB using any of the methods detailed in the How to Contact Us section of this policy. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 24 hours, where possible, and we will provide an indication of the anticipated timescale for a fuller response. We will aim to resolve your complaint at the earliest opportunity. Where this cannot be achieved immediately, we will provide an update or resolution within 5 working days, unless the complexity of the matter requires further investigation. Where additional time is required, we will explain the reason for the delay and provide a revised timescale for a full response.

Complaints will be investigated and overseen by an appropriate member of the senior management team at RTB to ensure they are handled fairly and objectively.

A full response will include, where appropriate:

• The outcome of the investigation
• The decision reached
• An explanation of the reasons for the decision
• Any actions or remedial measures identified
• An apology where RTB has identified that we have made an error or fallen below the expected standard
• Details of any further stage of the complaints process available to you

We will seek to resolve complaints fairly and appropriately. A complaint will not normally be considered closed until the investigation and agreed actions have been completed. Where a complainant remains dissatisfied following the completion of our internal process, the matter can progress to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Independent Internal Review

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint following Stage 2, you must put your concerns in writing and send them to RTB at the postal address provided above.

The matter will then be independently reviewed by a member of the RTB Board who has not been directly involved in the original investigation, wherever reasonably practicable.

The review will consider:

• How the complaint was investigated
• The evidence considered
• The response and outcome provided
• Any actions taken because of the complaint
• Any further information provided by the complainant

A written response will be provided within 10 working days of receipt of the Stage 3 request, unless the complexity of the matter requires additional time. Where additional time is required, the complainant will be informed and provided with a revised timescale.

Stage 3 is the final stage of RTB’s internal customer complaints process.

Safeguarding and Prevent Concerns

Safeguarding concerns are not managed through the standard customer complaints process. If you have a concern relating to the safety or wellbeing of yourself or another person, this should be reported directly to the RTB Safeguarding Team. Safeguarding email: safeguarding@raisethebar.co.uk

This includes concerns relating to, but not limited to:

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse or inappropriate conduct
• Emotional or psychological abuse
• Bullying or harassment
• Neglect
• Financial abuse
• Exploitation
• Concerns relating to a child or vulnerable person
• Any other concern relating to the safety or welfare of an individual

Safeguarding concerns should be reported as soon as possible and should not be delayed while following the customer complaints process.

Prevent and Terrorism-Related Concerns

If you are concerned that an individual may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism or extremist activity, or you have another non-imminent Prevent concern, this should be reported directly to the RTB Safeguarding Team using the safeguarding email address above. The Safeguarding Team will consider the concern and take appropriate action in accordance with RTB’s safeguarding and Prevent procedures.

If you believe there is an imminent threat of a terrorist attack or an immediate risk to life or serious harm, you should call 999 immediately. Do not wait for a response from RTB or use the complaints or safeguarding process where immediate emergency intervention is required.

For non-emergency concerns relating to terrorism, Prevent or potential radicalisation, contact the RTB Safeguarding Team using the safeguarding email address above.

Confidentiality

We will, wherever possible, treat complaints confidentially and only share information with those who need to know to investigate and respond to the complaint.

There may be exceptional circumstances where information cannot remain confidential, for example where there is a safeguarding concern, a legal or regulatory requirement to share information, or where there is a risk of harm to an individual.

Where appropriate and where it is safe to do so, we will discuss this with the person who raised the complaint.

Learning From Complaints

RTB will record and monitor complaints to identify recurring issues, trends and opportunities for improvement.

Information from complaints may be used to:

• Identify the root cause of issues
• Improve our policies, processes and services
• Identify training and development needs
• Improve communication with learners, employers and other customers
• Monitor whether corrective actions have been effective
• Support continuous improvement and quality assurance activity

Complaints will be reviewed by the appropriate management team to ensure that learning and actions are captured and implemented.

External Query or Complaint Review

If, after completing the internal process, you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, we will advise you, where appropriate, of any relevant external organisation, regulator, awarding organisation or other third party that you may be able to contact regarding your concern.

The appropriate external route will depend on the nature of the complaint and the service or programme involved.