Weymouth Rowing Club

Complaints Procedure

 

The following complaints procedure, details the actions Weymouth Rowing Club will follow when a complaint is made to them.

 

1. PURPOSE

 

To provide a fair method of dealing with alleged failures to observe polices and procedures of Weymouth Rowing Club (WRC).

 

 

1. WHEN ACTIVATED

 

This complaints procedure will be used after a formal complaint has been made using the recognised club channels.  This will normally be a written or verbal complaint to the Welfare Officer, Club Chairman, Secretary or Trustees who will consider the next appropriate step in line with the Clubs Complaints procedure.

 

The use of this procedure should be considered a last resort as all members are encouraged in the first instance (where appropriate) to try and resolve the matter informally by considering having and honest and open discussion with the person concerned, about how their actions and behaviours made them feel.  However, the club recognises that informal resolution is not always possible, and this is where this procedure shall apply.

 

Disciplinary action is at the discretion of the WRC Club trustees and Club Chairman in consultation with the Welfare Officer and they will endeavour to exercise common sense and fairness in all matters relating to the complaint / allegations and any action taken.

 

1. INVESTIGATION-PROCEDURE

 

Any complaint should be made to the Welfare Officer, Club Chairman, Secretary or Trustees and be in writing.  The complaint must be received within a reasonable time limit of the alleged incident; two weeks would generally be deemed to be reasonable unless the complainant can provide justifiable reasons for delay. 

 

All complaints will then be reviewed by the trustees to determine the next appropriate step. 

 

If it is judged that further investigation is required the trustees will agree who will undertake an investigation and will inform the individual(s) that they are under investigation in writing.  If it feels no further action is needed the person who made the complaint will be informed in writing why WRC has reached that decision.

 

If the complaint relates to the Welfare Officer, Club Chairman, Secretary or Trustees, then the trustees will ask an individual to be deemed impartial to the matter to investigate.  This could be another member of WRC or a 3rd party individual.

 

The person undertaking the investigation will speak to all parties concerned.  They will keep notes and records of their investigation as appropriate.

 

Should they find that a breach of WRC polices has occurred the following options are available:

 

• A verbal warning. 
• A written warning. 
• Suspension from all rowing activities related to WRC.  This will be from the date contained in the letter informing the individual of the suspension 
• Expulsion from WRC.

 

If the club member concerned is under 18 years of age, all correspondence, at all times, shall be addressed to their parent(s) /guardian(s).  At no stage under any circumstances will such club member be interviewed or spoken to pursuant to the investigation of a complaint except in the presence of their parent/guardian.

 

1. OUTCOME

 

Once an investigation is complete a written record will be provided to the trustees advising of the outcome.  This record will contain the following:

 

The investigating officer’s decision and reasons for that decision stating rules broken, or the policy not followed. 

 

If it is found that there has been no breach of policy of policy or procedure, both parties will be informed and the reasons why.  This will also be contained in the written record.

 

If there is found to be a breach then the following sanction can be applied;

 

Verbal Warning – When the misconduct involved is judged to be unacceptable but not unduly serious.  This warning will be noted and retained by the WRC for future reference.

 

Written Warning – When the matter under consideration is judged to be too serious for a verbal warning, or has occurred whilst a verbal warning is in force.  This warning will be noted and retained by WRC for future reference. 

 

Suspension - In cases of gross misconduct where there has been a clear breach of WRC policies and the matter is considered extremely serious, or has occurred whilst a verbal or written warning is in force. 

 

Expulsion – Depending on the severity of the incident the investigation officer will have the discretion to recommend to the trustees that the individual is expelled from WRC and asked to leave the club.  This would also be applied in cases where previous written warnings and suspensions have been ignored.

All warnings and suspensions will be time limited and will normally be disregarded for any future compliant purposes after a period of two years.

 

1. APPEALS

 

The individual has the right to lodge an appeal against the decision. 

 

The individual should commence this appeal by notifying the WRC Trustees within 10 days from the date of the letter sent detailing the decision setting out full details of the basis on which they wish to appeal. 

 

The individual appealing has the right to a fair and proper opportunity for their appeal to be heard by an impartial and open-minded panel independent of the Trustees.

 

The purpose of the appeal will be to review the decision taken and ensure procedures have been followed correctly.

 

The WRC trustees will nominate someone independent of the original complaint and the subsequent investigation/decision; as far as possible, the review will be carried out by someone with suitable experience and knowledge of relevant Club policies and procedures.

 

This individual may involve others, including external professional advice, if they deem this to be appropriate, and shall have the power to confirm, set aside or change any findings or sanctions imposed by the WRC trustees.

 

The decision of the appeal is final, and will be communicated in writing to all parties.