Procedures

Complaints Procedure
By listening to you, the parent and caregiver, we are able to evaluate and improve our services. In the event of any parent or caregiver being unhappy about any aspect of the care your child is receiving, or if you have any other reason for concern, you should, in the first instance, raise the matter with your child’s Lead Therapist or Senior Therapist. If you are still not satisfied with your concerns not being addressed, please raise your concerns with the Parent Liaison by completing a Parent Concern Form, which is kept with the receptionist.

Who can make a complaint?
Anyone using CEIMC services may file a complaint.

What might you complain about?
- Dissatisfaction with our services.
- Concerns about the conduct of a member of staff.
- If you see or hear something that worries you.
How can you voice your concerns?
Talk to the therapist involved. Sometimes a misunderstanding can be sorted out quite quickly.

How to make a formal complaint?
If you are not satisfied and wish to make a formal complaint, please ask the receptionist for a Parent Concern Form.

What happens next?
The Parent Liaison may want to talk to you and others involved in the complaint. After an investigation, she will inform you, in writing, of the decision. Parents and caregivers may wish to make a complaint against CEIMC or individual therapists. In the first instance, it is hoped that the complaint or concern will be dealt with at source, i.e., if the complaint is against a therapist, the complainant will talk to the worker in the first instance. The complainant may instead wish to talk to the Parent Liaison who may arbitrate.

If dissatisfied with the outcome of informal talks, the Parent Liaison will give details to the complainant about the next stage of the procedure. The Parent Liaison will give the complainant a copy of the complaint form which should be completed and returned. The Parent Liaison will then forward the complaint to the CEIMC Case Manager and/or the Director.

The CEIMC Case Manager and/or Director will talk to those involved in the complaint to gain a full understanding of the circumstances of the complaint. The CEIMC Case Manager and/or the Director will inform the complainant in writing of his decision and any action to be taken.

The Director will decide on the appropriate action to be taken in these cases:
- Accident to child or adult in the setting or on an outing.
- Police or social services involvement.

If there are likely to be any legal or financial implications as result of a complaint, CEIMC should consult its attorneys. It is expected that complaints should be dealt with in the first instance using CEIMC Complaints Procedures.

Fire Evacuation Procedure
- What to do in the event of fire will form a part of the induction of new CEIMC staff.

- On discovering a fire/or the fire alarm sounding, all staff and children must evacuate the building from the nearest fire door.

- Staff shall only tackle small fires using the appropriate fire appliances and where there is no risk to themselves or others.

- The Manager, Case Manager, or one of the Senior Therapists will telephone the fire brigade, if necessary.

- On evacuating the building act calmly and quietly to avoid alarming/ scaring the children. Take care on the stairs, do not rush the children which may result in accidents, provide reassurance and do not use the lift.

- The Senior Staff of each room must take the register with them.

- No one shall enter the building until informed it is safe to do so by the Director, Case Manager, Senior Therapists or Fire Brigade.

- Once the children are at the designated assembly points, Senior Therapists of each room must take a quick register to ensure that all the children are together in the safe point.

- Once all the staff/children have vacated the building, the register must be taken for each group room by the fire wardens.