Making a complaint

Making a complaint about one of our registered providers or practitioners

All the Registered Service Providers, Registered Training Providers, Registered Restorative Organisations and Registered Practitioners listed on our registers have been assessed against our standards and have agreed to abide by the RJC's Code of Practice.

If you feel that one of those Organisations or Practitioners has fallen short in meeting our standards or is in breach of our code of practice, you can make a complaint to the RJC.

It is essential that you read the guidance information below before starting your complaint:

GUIDANCE ON MAKING A COMPLAINT

WHO CAN COMPLAIN TO THE RJC?

The Restorative Justice Council (RJC) accepts complaints against RJC Registered Service Providers, Registered Practitioners, Registered Restorative Organisations and Registered Training Providers. You can confirm if the organisation and/or individual is Registered with the RJC by checking our Practice Registers.

A complaint will only be accepted if the complainant has reason to believe that there has been a breach of:

1. The Registered Service Provider Code of Practice
2. The Registered Practitioner Code of Practice
3. The Registered Restorative Organisation Code of Practice
4. The Registered Training Provider Code of Practice

WHEN SHOULD I COMPLAIN TO THE RJC?

Before submitting a complaint to us, we ask that you contact the organisation/individual directly to sort the problem out. We will only accept complaints once external complaints processes have been exhausted.

Please do submit a complaint if:

• You do not receive a response to your complaint to the organisation/individual within 28 days of contacting them.
• You are unhappy with the response you have received.

You must make a complaint to the RJC within three months of raising the complaint with the organisation and/or individual.

WHAT INFORMATION WILL THE RJC NEED FROM ME?

In order to make a complaint, you must provide:

• Your name, address, telephone number and email address.
• The name, address, telephone number and email address of the organisation/individual you wish to complain about.
• The date you believe the relevant Code of Practice was broken.
• The date you contacted the organisation/individual about your complaint.
• The response, if any, you received from the organisation/individual about your complaint.
• A clear description of the complaint which should:
  
  • Not exceed 750 words.
  • Describe which aspect of the relevant Code of Practice was broken and why.
  • Provide factual details about your complaint.
  • Describe why you think the complaint has not been resolved.
• Any evidence to demonstrate that the relevant Code of Practice was broken. For example:
  
  • Copies of any letters or emails related to the complaint.
  • Other documents relating to the complaint.
  • Witness statements.
  • An explanation of the outcome(s) you expect from your complaint.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

If you make a complaint, we will:

• Send you an email to confirm receipt of your complaint within 5 working days.
• Pass your complaint to the Chief Executive Officer who will decide if the RJC can investigate your complaint.

If the complaint can be investigated, the Chief Executive Officer will advise you of the timetable for completing this.

If the complaint cannot be investigated, the Chief Executive Officer will inform you of the reasons why.

WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?

If you would like more information, please contact the Standards Team at standards@restorativejustice.org.uk.

COMPLAINT FORM

If you meet the above criteria then please complete the form which can be found HERE.