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We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.

However, in some instances we may seek clarification from you that you are making a complaint.

You can complain about things like:

• Failure or refusal to provide a service
• Inadequate quality or standard of service, or an unreasonable delay in providing a service
• Dissatisfaction with one of our policies or its impact on the individual
• Failure to properly apply law, procedure or guidance when delivering services
• Failure to follow the appropriate administrative process
• Conduct, treatment by or attitude of a member of staff or contractor (except where there are arrangements in place for the contractor to handle the complaint themselves); or
• Disagreement with a decision, (except where there is a statutory procedure for challenging that decision, or an established appeals process followed throughout the sector).

Your complaint may involve more than one South of Scotland Enterprise service or be about someone working on our behalf.

There are some things we can’t deal with through our complaints handling procedure. These include:

• A routine first-time request for a service
• A request for compensation only
• Issues that are in court or have already been heard by a court or a tribunal (if you decide to take legal action, you should let us know as the complaint cannot then be considered under this process)
• Disagreement with a decision where there is a statutory procedure for challenging that decision (such as for freedom of information and subject access requests), or an established appeals process followed throughout the sector
• A request for information under the Data Protection or Freedom of Information (Scotland) Acts
• A grievance by a staff member or a grievance relating to employment or staff recruitment
• A concern raised internally by a member of staff (which was not about a service they received, such as a whistleblowing concern)
• A concern about a child or an adult’s safety
• An attempt to reopen a previously concluded complaint or to have a complaint reconsidered where we have already given our final decision
• A concern about the actions or service of a different organisation, where we have no involvement in the issue (except where the other organisation is delivering services on our behalf)
• Abuse or unsubstantiated allegations about our organisation or staff

If other procedures or rights of appeal can help you resolve your concerns, we will give information and advice to help you.

Anyone who receives, requests or is directly affected by our services can make a complaint to us.

This includes the representative of someone who is dissatisfied with our service (for example, a relative, friend, advocate or adviser).

If you are making a complaint on someone else’s behalf, you will normally need their written consent. Please also read the section on Getting help to make your complaint

All complaints should preferably be directed to complaints@sose.scot.

As well as by email, you can also complain in person at any of our offices, by phone or in writing. 

You may wish to make a complaint to a SOSE member of staff and they may respond directly to you or they may pass your complaint to the SOSE Corporate Relations Team. 

When complaining, please tell us:

• Your full name and contact details
• As much as you can about the complaint
• What outcome you are seeking

Our contact details

South of Scotland Enterprise
Carmont House
The Crichton
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4TG

Email: complaints@sose.scot
Phone: 0300 304 8888

Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of:

• The event you want to complain about; or
• Finding out that you have a reason to complain.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint.

Our complaints procedure has two stages and we will keep you updated on when we expect to respond and give you our decision.

Stage 1: Frontline resolution

For issues that are straightforward and easily resolved, requiring little or no investigation. 

We aim to respond to complaints quickly (where possible, when you first tell us about the issue).

This could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong, or immediate action to resolve the problem.

In some stage one complaints, a level of investigation maybe required, and this may take time to complete.

We will give you our decision at stage one in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

If we require additional time to reach our decision, we will let you know and tell you our revised time limit.

If you are not satisfied with the response we give, you can choose to take your complaint to stage two. 

You must normally ask us to consider your complaint at stage two either:

• 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).

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a stage two complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

Stage Two: Investigation

Stage two deals with two types of complaint:

• Where the customer remains dissatisfied
• Complaints that are complex and clearly require a higher level of investigation.

When using stage two:

• We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, normally within three working days
• We will confirm our understanding of the complaint we will investigate and what outcome you are looking for
• We will try to resolve your complaint where we can (in some cases we may suggest using an alternative complaint resolution approach, such as mediation);
• We will give you a decision as soon as possible, normally within 20 working days

If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will tell you our revised time limits and keep you updated on progress.

After we have given you our final decision, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it.

The SPSO are an independent organisation that investigates complaints. They are not an advocacy or support service (but there are other organisations who can help you with advocacy or support).

You can ask the SPSO to look at your complaint if:

• You have gone all the way through the South of Scotland Enterprise's complaints handling procedure
• It is less than 12 months after you became aware of the matter you want to complain about
• The matter has not been (and is not being) considered in court

The SPSO will ask you to complete a complaint form and provide a copy of our final response to your complaint. You can do this online at www.spso.org.uk/complain/form or call them on Freephone 0800 377 7330.

You may wish to get independent support or advocacy to help you progress your complaint. See the section on getting help to make your complaint below.

The SPSO’s contact details are:

SPSO
Bridgeside House
99 McDonald Road
Edinburgh
EH7 4NS

(if you would like to visit in person, you must make an appointment first)

Their freepost address is:

FREEPOST SPSO
Freephone: 0800 377 7330
Online contact www.spso.org.uk/contact-us
Website:www.spso.org.uk

We understand that you may be unable or reluctant to make a complaint yourself.

We accept complaints from the representative of a person who is dissatisfied with our service.

We can take complaints from a friend, relative, or an advocate, if you have given them your consent to complain for you.

You can find out about advocates in your area by contacting the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance:

Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
Tel: 0131 510 9410 Website: www.siaa.org.uk

You can find out about advisers in your area through Citizens Advice Scotland:

Citizens Advice Scotland
Website: www.cas.org.uk or check your phone book for your local citizens advice bureau.

We are committed to making our service easy to use for all members of the community.

In line with our statutory equalities duties, we will always ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to help you access and use our services.

If you have trouble putting your complaint in writing, or want this information in another language or format, such as large font, or Braille, please tell us in person, contact us on 0300 304 8888, email us at complaints@sose.scot

Please contact us by the following means:

By mail or in person:
South of Scotland Enterprise
Carmont House
The Crichton
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4TG

On our website: www.southofscotlandenterprise.com

Email: complaints@sose.scot

Phone: 0300 304 8888