- Version 1.0
- Approved by Club Field Captain May 2023
- Next review due April 2024
Introduction
Sadly from time to time a Bowmen of Darenteford club member might have cause to raise a complaint against another club member, or even the club itself.
A complaint being submitted however isn't limited to club members only. This policy also applies to anyone that may be using Bowmen of Darenteford's services, i.e. as part of a beginners' course, taking part in a Have-A-Go session or a parent / guardian or carer of an existing club member.
As an archery club, Bowmen of Darenteford is affiliated to Archery GB, Kent Archery Association and Southern Counties Archery Society. The club and all its members agree to abide by the governing body's policies and procedures when their membership application is accepted by the committee.
- All complaints are taken seriously and will be dealt with thoroughly, fairly and in a consistent manner.
- In order for the complaint to be investigated, the Club Secretary will normally be the “Primary Investigator” unless they are the subject of the complaint, in which case, the Club Chairman will become the Primary Investigator.
- If it has not been possible to resolve the complaint in a less formal manner, then the Primary Investigator will present their findings to the club's committee where the complaint will be discussed.
- All complaints are to be resolved within a reasonable time period.
- The club wishes to promote a culture where it is both safe and acceptable for all members and others to raise any concerns or complaints. Others are defined as the parent / guardian of a club member who is under the age of 18, or a chosen nominee of someone who is deemed to be a vulnerable adult.
- Bowmen of Darenteford wishes to promote a culture where no individual should be victimised or bullied for making a complaint.
Archery has a well-defined structure in the UK. For Bowmen of Darenteford this is in the form of Archery GB (Governing Body), Southern Counties Archery Society (Region), Kent Archery Association (County) and finally the club itself.
All complaints should be dealt with at the lowest level possible. The complaint should be directed using one of the options below.
It should be noted that all complaints of a safeguarding nature or that contain a safeguarding element are to be referred to the Club Welfare Officer or Deputy Welfare Officer who will then automatically refer them directly to Archery GB's Lead Safeguarding Officer.
Complaint Levels
- Bowmen of Darenteford
- Club Secretary – [email protected]
- If a complaint cannot be dealt with by the Club, the Club Secretary must refer it to the County Secretary.
- Kent Archery Association
- County Secretary – [email protected]
- If a complaint cannot be dealt with by the County, the County Secretary must refer it to the Regional Secretary.
- Southern Counties Archery Society
- Regional Secretary – [email protected]
- If a complaint cannot be dealt with by the Region, the Regional Secretary must refer it to the Chairman of the Archery GB Case Management Panel (CMP) who may refer the matter to the Archery GB CMP.
- Archery GB Case Management Panel
- CMP Chairman, via Archery GB Membership Services
- Lilleshall National Sports & Conferencing Centre, Newport, Shropshire TF10 9AT
Serious Complaints: Serious complaints (as detailed by the AGB Disciplinary Policy Procedures) must immediately be referred to the CMP Chairman (via Membership Services, details as above).
Procedure
At the first instance, your complaint should be directed to the Club Secretary in writing. If the Club Secretary is the subject of the complaint, then you should put it in writing to the Club's Chairman.
Archery GB has a defined complaints procedure – see Archery GB's Policy and Procedures.
Should a complaint be upheld, then there are three possible levels of resolution to a complaint:
- Verbal Warning
- This is the first step the club will take, depending on the severity of the complaint. The Club Secretary will speak to the respondent advising them of the complaint. They will be informed of the three levels of this procedure. The date the verbal warning is given shall be recorded in the complaints record and noted in the minutes of the next scheduled committee meeting. The complainant and the respondent will only be identified in the minutes by their AGB number.
- Written Warning
- Should the issues arising from the complaint still not have been resolved by use of a verbal warning, the next step in the process shall be in the form of a formal written warning. A written warning has to be agreed by the majority of the club's committee and will be recorded in the complaints record and noted in the minutes of the committee meeting. This shall include that failure to comply with the warning will result in the complaint proceeding to a disciplinary panel.
- Disciplinary Panel
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Once all other avenues of resolution have been exhausted, a committee meeting shall
take place where the majority of the committee members would need to agree that the
complaint should move to an internal Disciplinary Panel (DP). The panel shall
consist of the Club's Chairman, Club Secretary, Club Treasurer and two other random
members of the committee.
Should the subject of the complaint be a member of the committee, that individual cannot be part of the panel.
The DP should be convened as soon as possible from the date the respondent is notified in writing. However, in order for the DP to fully investigate the complaint further, it may be deemed necessary for the respondent to be suspended from all club activities. In any case, the DP should convene within no later than one calendar month from the date of notification.
Disciplinary Hearing Procedure
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Before a Disciplinary Panel can be convened, the committee must:
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Notify the Respondent of:
- The nature of the complaint against them, sending copies of any relevant documents to the member which supports the complaint.
- The fact that disciplinary proceedings are going to be commenced and provide a copy of the procedure being adopted.
- Ask the Respondent for a full written response within 21 days and provide any documents or evidence they wish to refer to in support of their response.
- Inform the Respondent that they are entitled to bring a representative to the hearing.
- Set a date for the disciplinary hearing within one calendar month. This date should be agreed with the Respondent and, if possible, any witnesses. The Respondent must be given every opportunity to attend the disciplinary hearing.
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Notify the Respondent of:
- The Disciplinary Panel should be provided with all information regarding the complaint and the Respondent's response in advance of the disciplinary hearing. All information sent to the Disciplinary Panel should also be made available to the Respondent.
- An independent representative who could be from the Club, County or Region (who is not the complainant) should present the complaint to the Disciplinary Panel.
- The Respondent should be given sufficient opportunity to respond to the complaint against them during the hearing.
- Where possible, the Disciplinary Panel should give their decision as to whether the complaint has been upheld on the day of the hearing and also, if appropriate, impose a suitable sanction. The Disciplinary Panel should refer to the sanctions set out in the Archery GB Disciplinary Policy for guidance (AGB Disciplinary Policy Procedures). If the decision cannot be given on the same day, the Respondent must be notified of the outcome within seven days of the disciplinary hearing.
- A statement of the procedure along with the decision and reasons should be made.
- The process must be fair and transparent throughout to all parties involved, ensuring all views are heard and taken into account in a balanced way.
Appeals
There will quite possibly be occasions when either party of a complaint are not satisfied with the outcome and wish to make an appeal. In the majority of cases, a third party will be asked to review the complaint along with any evidence presented and consider the Disciplinary Panel's findings and recommendations.
The third party must be a person that is acceptable to all parties concerned.
The Respondent or Complainant has 21 days from the date of being notified of the outcome of the complaint in order to submit an appeal. All appeals requests must be put in writing to either the Club Chairman and/or the Club Secretary.
Bowmen of Darenteford aims to provide an outcome to any appeal within 28 days from receipt of the request.
Resources
