Policies & Procedures: Part 5 - Listen to what your parents say

When it comes to devising policies and procedures for your setting, you will need a clear outline of what should be in place - and this will help you to deal with any complaints the best you can. Here are my suggestions, but you may want to add pointers of your own.

Even outstanding settings receive concerns and complaints from parents and it is important to deal with these appropriately and promptly. Parents need to feel that they have been listened to and that their complaint has been acted on. On a few occasions, parents have said to me that there is a complaints policy but they feel that there is a defensive approach if they speak to the manager.

There are providers I know who welcome parents' complaints. This is because it is better for the parents to inform you rather than discussing the complaint in the frozen aisle of your local supermarket.

One of the things to remember is that parents have a right to raise issues and complaints and discuss with you what you may not wish to hear about the service you provide. Be mindful though that the complaint could be linked to a concern that you feel is not an important one, but it is still of great concern to the parent.

DISCUSS THE ISSUES

When investigating complaints in my role as a consultant, there are times when I look through the historical and chronological events of the complaint and see it started off as a small concern. But, as the concern was not taken seriously and/or the provider totally dismissed the parent's concern, it escalated into a full blown complaint. Remember the Pareto Principle of 80-20? That 80 per cent of your complaints come from 20 per cent of your parents.

Your Complaints Procedure and Policy should link to your Parents as Partners' policy, in terms of how you value their contribution and voice within your setting.

It is important to state that you welcome any issues that parents have, because you view this as a way of improving your practice, supporting their children and maintaining and sustaining your quality service.

Reflecting on your values and ethos, you should state that if at any time parents feel that your values have been compromised then they need to raise this. In addition, if they know that as a provider you are not meeting the legal requirements or they sense that the teaching and learning that their child (or any other child) receives falls below standard, this should be highlighted. It is imperative that they discuss these concerns with you as soon as possible.

Be mindful of your duty to inform Ofsted regarding complaints that you have received and how you have dealt with the complaint. There are times, as we know, that malicious complaints about your service go directly to Ofsted. This is why it is important to make sure that you have a robust Complaints Policy and Procedure and are adhering to the regulatory requirements of registration at all times - especially as Ofsted is now carrying out inspections as a result of complaints.

YOUR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Depending on the type of complaint and/or concern, in the first instance the parent should raise this with their child's key person. The key person should acknowledge and, if appropriate, address the issue. If not addressed and/or because it is a particular type of complaint, this will need to be passed to the line manager. However, the key person should still inform their line manager of the concern and/or complaint for their records.

State that complaints will be logged in a complaint log and, if linked to the legislation within the EYFS, they should be cross referenced. More importantly, clearly record any actions that need to be in place, with an emphasis that the actions will be met.

If the parent is not satisfied then they may need to speak with the manager who will investigate and may need to write witness reports.

Include that you accept complaints verbally, by telephone, in writing and by email.

It is important that parents receive a holding letter, stating that you have received their complaint and you will be investigating, explaining the methodology as to how you will investigate and the timescale of when you will respond. If there is a delay, state that they will receive another letter, informing them of the delay and the reason. For example, this could be to do with a witness being on leave.

If you have governors, a committee or trustees, be clear about the role they play if a complaint is raised. If you do not have this in place, you may consider the advice and support of an independent consultant, who will make sure that the complaint process has been transparent and fair - or the owner or chief executive should take this role on.

In your procedure, you should have systems to monitor concerns and complaints - for example, if you have a number of complaints that come up regarding food or to do with practice and what will you put in place as a result.

Here are some key policies you should ensure you have in place to reduce the likelihood of complaints in the first place.

KEY POLICIES

• No smoking

A clear no-smoking policy should be in place to ensure that no one smokes inside or in the outside areas of your setting.

You should be clear on how staff adhere to your no-smoking policy regarding smoking on their breaks, whether there is a designated area outside of the nursery, the procedure regarding changing uniform and hand washing routines. There are a few nurseries that have a total no-smoking ban for their staff, even when on their breaks. State that you have signs in place that show that you are a no-smoking zone.

• The event of a parent failing to collect at the appointed time

Your procedures should clarify how their child's welfare and care will still be a priority in the event of this happening and you will not alarm the child that their parent is late, so as to avoid causing the child any stress.

Make sure that parents have given you their up-to-date contact details - telephone numbers and email - and ensure you have the full details of their emergency contact and their relationship to the child. Explain the timeline of whom you would contact, for example: call the parent(s) within 15 minutes and the emergency contact within 30 minutes if there is no response from the parent. Also ensure you have up-to-date telephone numbers for your local children's services.

• The event of a child going missing

Your procedures should give clear instructions of what will happen if a child goes missing in your setting or off-site. Explain how you would analyse the unfortunate event and act on any recommendations and actions.

• Emergency evacuation of premises

Be clear how you would carry out an emergency evacuation of your premises (this could be due to a fire, or another emergency such as a flood or a gas leak) It is vital that you have a place to go. You must also have parents' contact details, a first aid box and an emergency bag with nappies, food etc within easy reach.

• Checking the identity of visitors

Outline in your procedures how you check the identity of all visitors. Do you ask for photo identification of all visitors? If their visit is not planned, would you telephone their organisations to check? Make sure that they sign in, with the date and time and that you explain the fire drill and mobile phone policy. Consider who is supervising the visitor during the visit.

Rounding up ...

One of the most important aspects of your policies and procedures is to make sure staff understand the policies and procedures, as stated within article one in this series (8 April).

And, crucially, that when you are considering whether or not to follow procedures, you should remember that the welfare of the child is paramount.

Laura Henry is managing director of Childcare Consultancy

laura@childcareconsult.co.uk

MORE INFORMATION

- Ofsted's Records, Policies and Notification Requirements of the Early Years Register, www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/factsheet-childcare-records-policies-and-notification-requirements-of-early-years-register

- Nursery World 'Management round table: implementing a smoking ban', www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1118393/ management-round-table-implementing-smoking-ban.