Complaints Policy and Process

Effective date 21st February 2024

Overview

Code Your Future (CYF) aims to deal with complaints in a fair yet quick manner. We want to get to the root of the concerns within a reasonable timeframe. We encourage community members to use mediation where possible. If this is not possible or does not resolve the issue, you should use the below process.


This process is for situations where there is an actual complaint made. We are unable to follow this process without a complaint. Our aim is to avoid grey areas.

Making a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in many ways:

  • Reported in person to a member of staff
  • Sent via email to a member of staff
  • Sent via email to the Community Safety Team cs@codeyourfuture.io


Any person who raises a concern or complaint on Slack should re-send via email. If you wish to make a complaint, please try to do this as soon as possible, within 6 weeks of the event. You can still make a complaint after this period. But it will be at the discretion of the Community Safety Team if they take it forward.

Process

When Code Your Future receives a complaint, we will follow the process in the diagram below. The Community Safety Team will lead the process. This team is Alec McCrindle, Claire Bickley and Liliana Bermudes.

Process diagram:

Flow chart of the complaints process.

Process for Non-Serious Complaints

When dealing with a non-serious complaint, Community Members should attempt direct resolution. If the parties wish to seek mediation, Code Your Future can help with this.

Resolution from the informal process can include:

  • Acknowledgement of the events and any wrongdoing (even if not intended to cause harm)
  • An apology
  • A commitment to improve
  • Warning(s) issued by Code Your Future - we will only give two warnings. A third offence will mean dismissal from the community.
  • Some, or all, of the above
  • No further action

Process for Serious Complaints

A serious complaint will lead to an investigation and hearing. We will notify the person the complaint is against via email. We will arrange a conversation to go over the details with the people involved. This may be a call or face-to-face. Parties will be able to share their experience and any relevant evidence.

We will share the outcome of the complaint with all relevant parties via email. If relevant, we will explain any next steps at this stage.

Resolution from the formal process can include:

  • Steps mentioned for the informal process
  • Further warnings - we will only give two warnings. A third offence will mean dismissal from the community.
  • Removal from the community. This may be temporary or permanent, depending on the circumstances

Appeal

Following the outcome, parties will have the opportunity to appeal the decision made. We will only launch an appeal if:

a) there is new evidence that puts the original reasons for the outcome in dispute

-or-

b) an individual feels the original investigator did not consider the evidence completely

The parties will have one week from the date of the outcome email to confirm if they wish to proceed with an appeal. If they do, the person handling the appeal will contact them within 2 weeks of the date of their email. The person handling the appeal will be someone who has been independent in the process up to this point. They should be an impartial party and be fair, considering the evidence presented.

The outcome of the appeal is final; there is no further right of appeal.


Safeguarding Complaints

You should report any concerns or complaints about safeguarding to cs@codeyourfuture.io.

Violations of the Code of Conduct are rarely safeguarding concerns as safeguarding concerns affect those determined to be adults at risk. The majority of complaints in the community will not be safeguarding concerns.

There is more information about safeguarding in our Safeguarding Policy. If a complaint is a safeguarding concern, we will email the person who raised it to let them know. Where possible, we will include information about next steps.

Procedure Upon Leaving Code Your Future before Conclusion of the Complaint

Sometimes, a community member decides to leave the community. If this happens during the process, the process will still continue to conclusion.

We will inform the person leaving of the complaint against them. They will have an opportunity to put their side forward. We will complete the process without their evidence if they decide not to do so.

If the person leaving is the one who raised the complaint, we will ask if they wish to continue with this process. Depending on the severity of the complaint, we may decide to continue with the process.