Nursery complaints and compliments policy

At The University of Dundee Nursery Ltd we believe that parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their individual needs and wishes. We always hope that parents/carers are happy with the service provided and we encourage parents to voice their appreciation to the staff concerned.

We record all compliments and share these with staff.

We welcome any suggestions from parents on how we can improve our services and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns that parents may have. Any concerns will be dealt with professionally and promptly to ensure that any issues arising from them are handled effectively and to ensure the welfare of all children, enable ongoing cooperative partnership with parents and to continually improve the quality of the nursery.

We have a formal procedure for dealing with complaints where we are not able to resolve a concern. Where any concern or complaint relates to child protection, we follow our Child Protection Policy.

Internal complaints procedure

Stage 1

If any parent should have cause for concern or any queries regarding the care or early learning provided by the nursery, they should in the first instance take it up with the child's key person or a senior member of staff/room leader. 

Stage 2

If the issue remains unresolved or parents feel they have received an unsatisfactory outcome, then they must present their concerns in writing as a formal complaint to the nursery manager. The manager will then investigate the complaint and report back to the parent within five working days. The manager will document the complaint fully and the actions taken in relation to it in the complaints folder.  

(Most complaints are usually resolved informally at stage 1 or 2.)

Stage 3

If the matter is still not resolved, the nursery will hold a formal meeting between the manager, parent, and the senior staff member to ensure that it is dealt with comprehensively. The nursery will make a record of the meeting and document any actions. All parties present at the meeting will review the accuracy of the record and be asked to sign to agree it and receive a copy. This will signify the conclusion of the procedure. In current situation with COVID -19 any meeting which required more than 3 people will be having to be held on TEAMS or University of Dundee Campus.

Stage 4

If the matter cannot be resolved to their satisfaction, then parents have the right to raise the matter with the Care Inspectorate. Parents are made aware that they can contact the Care Inspectorate at any time they have a concern, including at all stages of the complaints procedure and are given information on how to contact them. The Care Inspectorate is the registering authority for nurseries in Scotland and investigates all complaints that suggest a provider may not be meeting the requirements of the nursery’s registration.

A record of complaints will be kept in the nursery. The record will include the name of the complainant, the nature of the complaint, date and time complaint received, action(s) taken, result of any investigations and any information given to the complainant including a dated response.

Parents will be able to access this record if they wish, however, all personal details relating to any complaint will be stored confidentially and will be only accessible by the parties involved. Care Inspectorate inspectors will have access to this record at any time during visits to ensure actions have been met appropriately.

Parents are also informed that they can complain directly to the Care Inspectorate at any time, which will investigate. Timescales are 20 working days.

Telephone contact details for the Care Inspectorate: 0345 600 9527

Parents will also be informed if the nursery becomes aware that they are going to be inspected and after inspection will provide a copy of the report to parents and/or carers of children attending on a regular basis.