The procedure

Complaint Form, Procedure and Guidance

There are five parts to the Complaint Handling Procedure; the first four parts are available further below which are relevant to staff handling complaints.

Part five is the relevant section for providing guidance to complainants. 

A complaint can be made in various formats (in person, via complaint form, via email, over Teams call/phone call). The  complaint form is optional but does provide a useful structure to aid in complaint submissions. If you choose to submit a complaint via another format, the complaint form also provides guidance on the relevant information needed to support a complaint submission.

If you require adjustments in accessing the complaint form or complaint procedure; you are welcome to get in touch with our team via: Complaints@ed.ac.uk to discuss adjustment requirements

The Complaint Handling Procedure lists a number of matters that it cannot consider; students should be aware that the Procedure cannot be used to challenge or appeal an academic judgment, appeal an academic decision nor does the submission of a complaint pause or prevent standard University processes taking place. A complaint cannot be used to achieve an academic outcome or mark.

Expected Behaviour Policy

The University recognises that people who wish to complain may be upset and act out of character due to the circumstances around their complaint, and we understand that undergoing the Complaint Handling Procedure can be stressful. However, the University have a duty to provide staff involved in complaints handling with a safe working environment, free of abuse and harassment, and to ensure that complaint consideration can be undertaken in an effective and efficient manner. Therefore, complainants are asked to be mindful of the Expected Behaviour Policy when interacting with staff as part of our processes.

Third Party Representation

If a complainant wishes to be represented by a third party or wants to make a complaint on behalf of a third party; relevant consent and data protection legislation will be considered. A lack of appropriate consent may limit the response provided. Relevant guidance is available below.              

Making a complaint in Gaidhlig (Gaelic)

Complaints submitted in Gaidhlig will be responded to in Gaidhlig where possible. Timescales for response may be extended due to the need for translation.

Stage 1 Complaints

Stage 1 complaints, also known as frontline, offer the complainant and local area the opportunity to review and respond to the matter promptly to provide resolution, learning or explanation. The Stage 1 process is suitable for the majority of complaints with over 90% of Stage 1 considerations not requiring further escalation. 

Stage 1 complaints are typically handled within 5 working days of your complaint submission, but areas are permitted to take up to 10 working days as required on a case-by-case basis

To submit a Stage 1 complaint, complainants should email or contact the relevant local area or staff member with their concerns or a completed complaint form. Please be aware of “out of office” responses which may require you to forward the matter to another staff member or inbox to avoid any delay. The central complaints team typically do not handle Stage 1 complaints so will usually forward on any Stage 1 matter to the relevant local area to handle the response directly. If you are unsure of who to contact for your complaint, you are welcome to contact the complaints team via Complaints@ed.ac.uk for contact details.

Feedback only submissions (non-complaints)

The complaint form can also be used to submit feedback comments which are not considered as complaints. To submit feedback only means there is no request to complain, no request for an investigation and no request for a complaint outcome. Feedback is considered constructive input which will be fed back to the relevant area(s) for consideration, in the interests of good practice and development. 

Feedback should be submitted to the relevant local area directly and noted as feedback. It may be acknowledged and then considered internally but no further action or investigation would be required. If you would like to request an investigation or an outcome; this should instead be submitted as a complaint rather than feedback.

Stage 2 Complaints

Stage 2 complaints are typically considered when matters at Stage 1 remain unresolved or not resolved satisfactorily. 

The complaint form can be used for Stage 2 submissions, if you are unsure if you have had a Stage 1 or frontline response; please do detail this in your submission as your complaint may be referred for Stage 1 consideration.

Complaints may be considered directly at Stage 2 where:

• The case is complex (determined by the Complaints Management team)
•  A stage 1 complaint is not suitable and requires full investigation
• Where a final University response is required

It’s good practice for Stage 2 complaints to contain all relevant information and evidence with clear summaries or timelines on the subject of complaint. Excessively long or non-relevant complaint submissions can delay complaint consideration and may not be accepted. 

When a Stage 2 complaint is submitted, it will be screened to ensure the complaint team can access documentation and that the team understands the matter of complaint. The complaint team may contact the complainant to summarise and confirm understanding of the complaint, to request clarification, or to confirm what matters may not be eligible for consideration under the Procedure.

The Procedure allows 20 working days for the consideration of Stage 2 complaints. However, the Procedure also permits extensions at Stage 2, particularly where complaints are complex and submissions are large.  If the investigation is to be extended, you will be advised of this.

If a matter cannot be handled under the Complaint Handling Procedure, you may be signposted elsewhere or have a Completion of Procedures letter issued.

The Stage 2 timescales typically begin when the complaint is confirmed to be understood by the Complaints Team, and a provisional completion date is provided.

Once a final outcome of a Stage 2 Complaint is issued, this signifies the end of the consideration of the complaint by the University, and you will be advised about the escalation option outside the University.

When can I submit a complaint?

Complaints are generally expected to be raised as soon as you are able, but the timescales from the procedure state a complaint should be submitted:

• within six months of the event, you want to complain about or finding out that you have a reason to complain; or 
• within two months of receiving your stage 1 response (if this is later)

The Complaint Handling Procedure is not intended for historical disclosures past 6 months, however, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a stage 2 complaint after the time limit.  If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please submit this exceptional reasoning and relevant evidence with your complaint submission. This will be determined by the complaint management team on the basis of your request. If a matter is deemed out of time, a completion of procedures will be issued.

For students, it is good practice to raise concerns as soon as you are aware, to permit the local area, School or College to review the matter and possibly offer mitigation or support. It is not typically considered exceptional circumstances to only raise complaints once a disappointing or unexpected academic outcome is known. For supervision, raising matters at an early stage is encouraged to allow for an improved ongoing student experience.

SPSO: Right of review

Once the complaint has exhausted all stages of the University Complaint Handling Procedure, you should be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter (CoP). The complainant may then ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to review the University's handling of their complaint.

Student Conduct Matters

The Complaint Handling Procedure cannot be used to investigate reports of alleged misconduct by current or former students. These are instead considered under the Code of Student Conduct and contact should be made with the Student Conduct team via: 

https://registryservices.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/students/conduct/code-of-student-conduct/request-investigation 

Data Protection Complaints

The Complaint Handling Procedure cannot be used to investigate a complaint regarding Data Protection requests. Please review the data protection webpage for these reports: 

https://data-protection.ed.ac.uk/breach-procedure

Complaints Handling Procedure (Parts 1-4)

These sections of the procedure are more relevant to staff management of complaint handling and shared for transparency