BONA GRASS GROVE LADIES HOCKEY CLUB
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Bona Grass Grove Ladies Hockey Club (BGLHC) shall operate the following complaints procedure should any situation arise in connection with players, officials, volunteers or spectators.
BGLHC shall operate its complaints procedure taking into account Scottish Hockey Union policy.
Any member of the coaching staff, official, volunteer, player and/or parent of a junior player has the right to make a formal complaint to BGLHC regarding the conduct of any member of the Club at any time.
The complaint, which should be submitted to the Secretary, whom failing to another Committee member, must:
The subject of the complaint (i.e. the person/s who the complaint is about) should be informed in writing of the nature of the complaint as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within 5 working days of receipt by BGLHC. The subject of the complaint has the right to confidentiality pending proper consideration of the complaint. Any members of the Committee who are parties to this information and breach this confidentiality will themselves be subject to the complaints procedure.
The subject of the complaint has 5 working days from receipt of the letter from BGLHC to reply in writing to the President of the Club (or the next Committee member in line, should the complaint be in relation to the President)
Taking into consideration the nature of the complaint as disclosed in the letter of complaint and the reply, if any, from the subject of the complaint, the President and Vice President shall consider the merit of the complaint. Should it be without obvious merit, the President shall inform both the complainer and the subject of the complaint of this decision in writing, at which time the matter shall be considered closed, unless either the complainer or the subject of the complaint appeal as hereinafter provided.
Should the matter, however, require further investigation the President shall commence the investigation.
Investigation
Upon receiving a complaint that requires further investigation the Committee of BGLHC shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, nominate a sub committee (of 3 or 5 people) to consider matters.
The subject of the complaint (whether or not they have previously replied in writing to BGLHC) shall be invited to attend a meeting, at which they are entitled to be accompanied by any person of their choosing, to put forward any further information relevant to the complaint. This meeting, which is entirely optional at the instance of the subject of the complaint, shall be recorded for information purposes only.
The sub committee shall gather such information as it considers necessary, including witness reports and impartial advice from others. Thereafter the sub committee shall meet to discuss matters. The nature of the complaint, the letter from the complainer and any reply from the subject of the complaint and/or the report from the meeting with the subject of the complaint, and all other information gathered shall be discussed at this meeting and the facts should be recorded for information purposes only.
At that meeting the sub committee shall, having considered matters fully, decide on the merits of the complaint and the appropriate sanction or sanctions. If the decision, as to the merits and/or the sanction or sanctions, is not unanimous then the decision shall be by a majority with the President having the casting vote if required.
The President shall inform both the complainer and the subject of the complaint of the decision of the sub committee and its reasons for the decision and, if appropriate, the sanction or sanctions, all in writing within 5 working days of the meeting. The committee members not on the sub committee shall also be informed.
NB: in the event that the nature of the complaint is in direct relation to a Child Protection matter, reference should be made to our Child Protection Policy and such complaints should be referred to our Child Protection Officer.
Sanctions
The following sanctions, singly or in combination, may be applied by the sub committee:
Appeal Process
Following a decision by either the President and Vice President that the complaint has no merit or by the sub committee following investigation, the complainer and the subject of the complaint shall have the right to appeal the decision and/ or the sanction or sanctions and to request further investigation into the matter. The appeal shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary within 10 working days of notification of the decision and/or the sanction or sanctions.
BGLHC shall acknowledge this appeal and undertake such further investigations as it considers necessary.
External Assistance
In the event of an appeal, the complainer and the subject of the complaint has the right to seek external assistance from either a professional body or suitable party to assist in the further investigation in conjunction with BGLHC.
Decision
The investigation shall be deemed closed and the decision final in the following circumstances:
The President and Vice President find the complaint to be without merit and there is no appeal.
The sub committee makes and presents a decision as to the merits and impose a sanction or sanctions and there is no appeal.
An appeal investigation makes and presents a decision that clearly reflects the Club policies and Code of Conduct
The Police or Social Services lead an investigation into a Child Protection matter.
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