Complaints procedure
Our promise
We aim to provide a safe, ethical and high‑quality service.
If something goes wrong, we want to hear from you and put it right. We handle
complaints fairly, confidentially and promptly, learn from them, and use them
to improve our service.
What this procedure covers
This procedure is for anyone who has a concern about our
service, including clients, prospective clients, referrers, website users,
suppliers and associates. You can complain about service or clinical issues for
example communication, boundaries, fees, cancellations, facilities, quality of
service or data‑protection/privacy issues about how we collect, use, share,
secure or retain your personal data. If your concern involves professional
conduct or fitness to practise, you can also raise it with relevant professional
bodies such as the BACP or NCPS. We’ll explain how to do this and cooperate
with any investigation.
How to complain
Please tell us what happened, when it happened, what outcome
you would like, and how we can contact you. Ways of contacting us are via
email: info@sheffieldcentralcounselling.co.uk,
post: Courtwood House, Silver Street Head, Sheffield, S1 2DD, or phone 0114 326
0043. If you prefer to complain by phone, we’ll write up what you tell us and
ask you to confirm accuracy. To make complaining accessible we can provide
reasonable adjustments such as large print, phone support, or a plain‑language
summary.
What happens next
We operate two routes - A or B. If your complaint spans both
clinical and privacy, you only need to complain once, and we’ll coordinate
our response.
A) Service/clinical complaints:
- Acknowledge
within 5 working days with a case reference and named contact
- Investigate
and update you at agreed intervals; we aim to respond fully within 20
working days. If it’s complex, we’ll explain why and give a new
date.
- Outcome
may include explanation, apology, service remedy, fee adjustment, changes
to processes, or other proportionate actions. We record learning to
improve care.
B) Data‑protection/privacy complaints:
- Acknowledge
within 30 days.
- Investigate
and keep you updated without undue delay.
- Outcome
provided within three months unless there are exceptional reasons (which
we would explain).
We log all complaints (what we received, actions taken,
outcomes) to evidence accountability and drive improvement.
We treat complaints in confidence and limit access to those
who need to know. We store complaint files securely and retain them in line
with our retention schedule and the law. If a complaint indicates risk of
serious harm (to you or others), we may need to share limited information with
appropriate services. Supervisors may see anonymised information for quality
assurance, in line with counselling ethics.
If you’re unhappy with our final response
If your concern relates to professional standards, you can
raise it with the counsellor’s professional body (usually the BACP or NCPS).
We’ll explain which route applies and how to contact them. If your concern is
about data protection and you remain dissatisfied after our internal process,
you can complain to the ICO (ico.org.uk). The
ICO generally expects you to contact us first.
If you have any questions about our complaints policy please
contact our director Gill Wier via info@sheffieldcentralcounselling.co.uk
or 0114 326 0043
