Complaints Policy and Procedure

Bambinos Childcare Complaints Policy and Procedure

Statement of intent

Bambinos Childcare Centres believes that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We welcome suggestions on how to improve Bambinos and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about the running of the Bambinos. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal approach to the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns.

Aim

We aim to bring all concerns about the running of Bambinos to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved.

Methods

To achieve this, we operate the following complaints procedure.

How to complain

Stage 1

• Any parent who is uneasy or concerned about an aspect of the Bambinos provision talks over, first of all, his/her worries and anxieties with the Manager.

Stage 2

• If this does not have a satisfactory outcome, or if the problem recurs, the parent moves to Stage 2 of the procedure by putting the concerns or complaint in writing to the Manager and a Senior Manager and all complaints will be answered within 28 days.
• Most complaints should be able to be resolved informally at Stage 1 or at Stage 2.
• Complaints will then be entered onto a nursery complaint form (please see attached).

Stage 3

• The parent requests a meeting with the Manager/Senior Manager or one may be offered. An agreed written record of the discussion is made and this is followed up in writing by way of a letter.
• This record signifies that the procedure has concluded if all parties concerned are satisfied that this is the case.

Stage 4

• If at the Stage 3 meeting the parent and manager and /or Senior Manager of Bambinos cannot reach agreement, the parent can request further investigation in writing by another Senior Manager or a Director.
• Another Senior Manager or Director who had not directly dealt with the complaint in the first instance will be able to look at the details of the complaint and decide whether or not he or she is in agreement with either party.

Stage 5

• A final meeting between the parent, the Manager and the Senior Manager or Director is held. The purpose of this meeting is to reach a decision on the action to be taken to deal with the complaint. The Director’s advice who was now dealing with the complaint is used to reach this decision.
• A record of this meeting, including the decision on the action to be taken, is made. An agreed written record of the meeting is confirmed in writing by way of a letter to the complainant. This would signify that the procedure has concluded.

The role of the Office for Standards in Education, Early Years Directorate (Ofsted)

Parents may approach Ofsted directly at any stage of this complaints procedure. In addition, where there seems to be a possible breach of our registration requirements, it is essential to involve Ofsted as the registering and inspection body with a duty to ensure the requirements of the EYFS are being adhered to.

The address and telephone number of our Ofsted regional centre are:
Ofsted
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD Tel: 0300 123 1231

Where Ofsted investigate a complaint, a summary will be published on the Ofsted website if an action has been raised.

If a child appears to be at risk, our nursery follows the procedures set out in our Child Protection policy. In these cases, both the parent and nursery are informed and the manager works with Ofsted and the local authority (Social Services Advice and Assessment Team and Child Protection Unit) to ensure a proper investigation of the complaint followed by appropriate action. We inform the local authority Safeguarding & Welfare Officer of all such complaints.

Records

A record of complaints against Bambinos Childcare Centres and/or the children and/or the adults working in the nursery is kept, including the date, the circumstances of the complaint and how the complaint was managed. The complaints log and subsequent materials relating to complaints are kept on file for three years or until the next inspection at the setting.

Parents and professionals can look at individual records of complaints documented on the Ofsted recommended pro-forma but may not look at confidential material including actual complaints in writing from parents or the complaints log/summary of complaints, as this would break confidentiality. Professionals from Ofsted and/or the local authority Safeguarding and Welfare Officer, may examine all material in the Complaints File if requested.

This policy was adopted at a meeting of Bambinos Day Nursery
Held on 12th June 2022 Sara Richards and Senior Management
Signed on behalf of Bambinos Ltd

Policy to be reviewed within 12 months