Approved by the Board on 4^th September 2000

Reviewed November 2004

If Priority Youth Housing provides you with housing and/or support services, or if you are applying to Priority Youth Housing for housing or support and you are not happy about the service we provide, then you have a right to complain. 

1.         How to make a complaint when applying for housing or support services.

If you have applied to Priority Youth Housing for housing or support and are not happy with the way your application has been treated you have the right to complain. If you have been unsuccessful in your application for Housing and/or Support you have the right to appeal against the decision. You can complain/appeal by writing or talking to the Bristol Housing Manager, South Gloucestershire Area Manager or Director.  You will need to make it clear that you are registering a complaint/appeal.

An appeal will be heard by a Priority Manager who was not involved in the decision about your application. You have the right to ask a friend relative, professional or other person who can support you to come to the Appeal Meeting.

2.         How to make a complaint if you are housed and/or are receiving support services from Priority Youth Housing.

If you are experiencing a problem then you should contact your Key Worker.   You can come to our offices or phone between 9am and 5pm on weekdays or you can write a letter.

The problem will be looked into by the Key Worker.  It is not always possible to solve problems immediately but you should be satisfied that an attempt is being made to sort things out.

If you have a complaint about the way you are being treated by Priority Youth Housing staff, other residents or contractors, you should discuss it with Key Worker.  If the matter is not sorted out, you can raise it with Priority’s Bristol Housing Manager, South Gloucestershire Area Manager or Director.  You can do this either in writing or by talking to them but you will need to make it clear that you are registering a complaint and not just having a chat.

You have the right to appeal against decisions that are made about the support that we can offer you, including any decisions made as part of a Needs Assessment or Support Plan. You will need to appeal by either writing or talking to the Bristol Housing Manager, South Gloucestershire Area Manager or Director. The appeal will be heard by a Priority Manager who was not involved in agreeing your Needs Assessment or Support Plan. You have the right to ask a friend relative, professional or other person who can support you to come to the Appeal Meeting.

Please note you cannot use this procedure for complaining that you have been given Notice on your accommodation. The Civil Court Procedures already exist for this purpose, any disagreements about eviction should be addressed through the court, please see your Key Worker if you require more information about this.

3.         How your complaint will be dealt with

Your complaint will be acknowledged within 2 working days.

The Bristol Housing Manager/South Gloucestershire Area Manager/Director will decide who is best placed to investigate the complaint, this will be the Senior Worker or the Manager themselves.  The complaint will be investigated within 5 working days and will try to reach an agreement with you.

A written response will be given to you within 14 days and a final written response within 3 months.

If you request an appeal about a decision reached in a Needs Assessment or Support Plan, Priority will write to you explaining who will hear the appeal and where and when it will take place. We will also remind you of your right to ask a friend, relative, professional or other person who can support you to come to the Appeal Meeting.

If at this point you are not satisfied you can take the matter to the Priority Youth Housing Board of Directors. The person you should contact will be a member of the Housing Services Committee (a staff member will put you in touch with a member of the Committee).  S/he will investigate your complaint and meet with you within 10 working days.  If the matter is still unresolved after your meeting you may ask the Committee to consider it further when they next meet.

If your complaint affects other young people, remember that more voices are louder than yours alone.  It may help if you come together to make a complaint.

4.            Complaints log

A Complaints Log is kept at both the South Gloucestershire and Bristol main offices and contains the following information

• Action taken to remedy complaint
• Time and date complaint received
• Name and address of service user
• Name and address of complainant if different from above
• The time and date when the remedy was completed
• The names of Priority’s staff involved in the action complained of
• Action taken to remedy complaint

5.         Other agencies that will hear your complaint if you are housed by Priority Youth Housing

If you are a resident of Priority Youth Housing and you are not satisfied after following our complaints procedure, you can contact the Housing Association who either own or lease the property you live in.  You will find their name and address on your Licence/Tenancy Agreement or you can ask a member of staff at Priority of how to contact them.

If after following the Housing Association’s complaints procedure you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Independent Housing Ombudsman Scheme (IHOS).  They will look at your complaint and investigate the way it was handled.  To get their address you should ask a member of staff at Priority.

6.         Other agencies that will hear your complaint if you are not housed by Priority Youth Housing but you do receive support services from us.

If after following this Complaints Procedure you are not satisfied with the outcome, it may be possible to contact one of the organisations that provides funding to Priority Youth Housing.  To find out if this is possible you should contact a member of staff at Priority Youth Housing.

7.         Child Protection - Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint that relates to an issue of Child Protection then you should directly contact the Bristol Housing Manager, South Gloucestershire Area Manager or Director, and explain that you wish to make a complaint about a Child Protection issue. Priority’s Child Protection procedures apply to all complaints relating to Child Protection issues.

For further information and other agencies that can advise you on Child Protection issues please refer to Priority’s statement to service users on Child Protection (contained in your “Young People’s Handbook”). For a full copy of Priority’s Child Protection Policy, please ask your Support Worker or contact any one of Priority’s offices.

8.         Other Agencies that may be able to help or give advice.

Bristol

South Gloucestershire