1. If something goes wrong or you are dissatisfied with our services, please tell us. This leaflet describes our complaints procedure and how to make a complaint. It also tells you about how we will handle your complaint and what you can expect from us.
2. We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.
3. You can complain about things like:
4. Your complaint may involve more than one ILF Scotland service or be about someone working on our behalf.
5. There are some things we can’t deal with through our complaints handling procedure. These include:
6. If other procedures or rights of appeal can help you resolve your concerns, we will give information and advice to help you.
7. Anyone who receives, requests or is directly affected by our services can make a complaint to us. This includes the representative of someone who is dissatisfied with our service (for example, a relative, friend, advocate or adviser). If you are making a complaint on someone else’s behalf, you will normally need their written consent. Please also read the section on Getting help to make your complaint below.
8. You can complain in person at our offices, by phone, in writing or by email using the contact details below.
9. It is easier for us to address complaints if you make them quickly and directly to the service concerned. So please talk to a member of our staff at the service you are complaining about. Then they can try to resolve the issue.
10. When complaining, please tell us:
11. Our contact details are:
Email – enquiries@ILF.scot
Phone – 0300 200 2022
Address – ILF Scotland, Ground Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA
Website – www.ilf.scot
12. Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of the event you want to complain about or finding out that you have a reason to complain.
13. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.
14. We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint. Our complaints procedure has two stages.
15. We aim to respond to complaints quickly (where possible, when you first tell us about the issue). This could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong, or immediate action to resolve the problem.
16. We will give you our decision at stage one in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
17. If you are not satisfied with the response we give at this stage, we will tell you what you can do next. If you choose to, you can take your complaint to stage two. You must normally ask us to consider your complaint at stage two either:
18. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a stage two complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.
19. Stage two deals with two types of complaint: where the customer remains dissatisfied after stage one and those that clearly require investigation, and so are handled directly at this stage. If you do not wish your complaint to be handled at stage one, you can ask us to handle it at stage two instead.
20. When using stage two:
21. If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will tell you our revised time limits and keep you updated on progress.
22. After we have given you our final decision, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) / Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) to look at it.
23. The SPSO / NIPSO are independent organisations that investigate complaints. You can ask the SPSO / NIPSO to look at your complaint if:
24. The SPSO / NIPSO will ask you to complete a complaint form and provide a copy of our final response to your complaint. You can do this online at www.spso.org.uk/complain/form or https://nipso.org.uk/nipso/making-a-complaint/online-complaints-form/ or call them on Freephone:
25. The SPSO’s contact details are:
SPSO, Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh, EH7 4NS (if you would like to visit in person, you must make an appointment first).
Their freepost address is: FREEPOST SPSO
Freephone: 0800 377 7330
Online contact www.spso.org.uk/contact-us
Website: www.spso.org.uk
26. The NIPSO’s contact details are:
Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman, Progressive House,
33 Wellington Place, Belfast. BT1 6HN
Their freepost address is: FREEPOST NIPSO
Freephone: 0800 34 34 24
Website: www.nipso.org.uk
Email: nipso@nipso.org.uk
27. We understand that you may be unable or reluctant to make a complaint yourself. We accept complaints from the representative of a person who is dissatisfied with our service. We can take complaints from a friend, relative, or an advocate, if you have given them your consent to complain for you.
28. You may wish to get independent support or advocacy to help you progress your complaint. You can find out about advocates in your area by contacting the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance, tel: 0131 510 9410, website: www.siaa.org.uk.
29. You can find out about advisers in your area through Citizens Advice Scotland, website: www.cas.org.uk or check your phone book for your local citizens advice bureau.
30. We are committed to making our service easy to use for all members of the community. In line with our statutory equalities’ duties, we will always ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to help you access and use our services. If you have trouble putting your complaint in writing, or want this information in another language or format, such as large font, or Braille, please tell us in person, contact us on 0300 200 2022 or email us on enquiries@ilf.scot.
You can make your complaint in person, by phone, by email or in writing. We will always try to deal with your complaint quickly. But if we think we need to investigate, we will tell you and update you on our progress.
We have a two-stage complaints procedure.
We will respond to your complaint within five working days if we can.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask us to consider your complaint at stage two.
We will look at your complaint at this stage if you are dissatisfied with our response at stage one. Or if it is clear that we need to investigate.
We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.
We will investigate the complaint and give you our decision as soon as possible but within 20 working days unless we need more time.
Address: ILF Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA Tel: 0300 200 2022 Email: enquiries@ilf.scot Web: www.ilf.scot
ILF Scotland is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland, Company Number: SC500075. Registered office: Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA
