Who Does this Policy Apply to?
This policy has been created for and applies to: Electric Athletics
Definition of Terms Used Within this Policy
Parent: Any person who is the primary caregiver for a child athlete. Electric Athletics recognises that this definition of parent includes, but is not limited to: biological parents, legal guardians, and non-biological, non-legal guardians who retain and exercise primary responsibility for the child, including, but not limited to, paid caregivers.
Child: Any person under the age of legal majority according to the laws of England and Wales (currently 18 years of age)
Athlete: Any person who uses the benefits, facilities and services provided by Electric Athletics, including personal participation in any of Electric Athletics’s teams or programmes; membership by an immediate family member in Electric Athletics teams or programmes; or access to any facility owned, leased or operated, either permanently or temporarily, by EA
Key Persons
Program Director – Becky Whittle
Safeguarding Officer – Tori Bould
What is Covered Within this Policy?
We take the safety and wellbeing of our athletes extremely seriously; however, we also understand that - despite our best efforts and precautionary measures – there will always be a risk that an issue might occur which could give athletes / parents a reason to file a grievance or complaint (a “procedure”). Our athletes / parents have the right to make a complaint to the director if, for example, they believe that the athlete has been subject to harassment or a violation of the anti-bullying policy. This complaints policy sets out how a formal complaint can be made and how the club will respond.
Why is this Policy Important?
We set ourselves very high standards. Sometimes, we may fall short of those standards and, if that should happen, we want to make sure that we are clear about how we will address the issue, so that we can put things right if necessary and to ensure that appropriate lessons are learnt.
What are the Aims of This Policy?
This policy aims to set out, clearly and transparently, how to raise a complaint, how it will be handled and what to do if you are not happy with the outcome.
Scope of this Policy
Our grievance procedure is the final stage in trying to resolve issues. We therefore ask athletes / parents to consider carefully whether the situation is severe enough to merit triggering our grievance procedure. Before invoking our grievance process, our first step will always be to try to resolve the situation through internal mediation – i.e. by speaking openly, honestly and impartially to all the parties involved and we will do our utmost to resolve the situation quickly and satisfactorily at this stage.
Guidance on our Grievance Procedure
Our grievance procedure, as set out below, is for guidance only. We may alter, add to or depart from this procedure at any time (e.g. to meet the needs of those involved). In addition, Electric Athletics is not bound to follow any step in this procedure and may omit or jump steps at its absolute discretion should it deem it necessary. It is important that you read this procedure carefully before submitting your complaint. By taking part in the grievance procedure, you are agreeing to accept:
The Stages of the Grievance Process
Submitting your Complaint
You must put your grievance in writing without delay, setting out the nature and grounds of the alleged grievance, to the program director. Depending on the nature of your complaint, you may be asked to provide further information. The program director will lead the grievance procedure, unless they are the subject of the complaint.
Complaints about the Program Director
If the issue you wish to raise is a concern about the conduct of the Program Director, and you do not feel confident that your concern will be appropriately addressed, you may contact the Welfare Officer on safeguarding.electricathleticsuk@gmail.com
If it is not appropriate for the program director to conduct the grievance procedure (e.g. they are the subject of the complaint), the key persons will appoint a trustee to lead your grievance procedure. This trustee will be your main point of contact during the procedure. At least one other trustee will also be appointed to ensure impartiality, make sure procedures are followed and provide procedural support (e.g. note-taking at meetings etc).
An Investigation
In some cases, it may be necessary for Electric Athletics to carry out an investigation into your grievance. The extent of any investigation required will depend on the subject matter and nature of your grievance and will vary from case to case.
It may involve interviewing and taking statements from the athlete / parent and any witnesses, and / or reviewing relevant documents, images, recordings or electronic communications. We require you to co-operate fully and promptly in any investigation. This may include informing Electric Athletics of the names of any relevant witnesses, disclosing any relevant documents to Electric Athletics and attending investigatory interviews if required.
A Grievance Meeting
Electric Athletics will arrange a grievance meeting with you, usually within ten working days of receiving the written grievance. The program director and one or more key persons will conduct this meeting. If the grievance process is being managed by another person, the program director will be replaced by another key adult.
If you are unable to attend the grievance meeting on the first date, the meeting may be postponed for no more than five working days after the original date. At the meeting you will be given an opportunity to explain your grievance and how you think it should be resolved.
Other Attendees at the Grievance Meeting
Please let us know in advance if you would like to bring someone with you to this meeting for support (i.e. someone unconnected to the issue or to the athlete, such as a friend), so that we have enough time to make arrangements to accommodate your wishes.
Similarly, we require sufficient notice if you intend to bring a legal representative so that we can decide if we should do the same and have enough time to make the necessary arrangements. We reserve the right to delay the initial meeting if our own legal representative cannot make a meeting within the given timescales above.
Follow-up Enquiries and Meetings
After the initial grievance meeting, Electric Athletics may carry out further investigations and may need to hold additional grievance meetings, as Electric Athletics considers appropriate, to ensure that the issues of all parties have been fully considered and that all relevant information has been taken into account. Such meetings will be arranged without unreasonable delay.
Notifying You of the Outcome
The director and key persons appointed to hear your grievance will consult with any other persons involved, and once a decision has been reached you will be notified as soon as practicable; we will aim to communicate the outcome to you within ten working days of the final grievance meeting.
When notifying you of the final outcome, the lead trustee for your grievance will set out the decision, including the reasons for the decision and what action, if any, Electric Athletics intends to take to resolve the grievance.
The Principles of our Grievance Process
We will ensure that the director and the board of trustees:
Confidentiality
All concerns will be treated in confidence by Electric Athletics. In return, we ask that you also respect confidentiality and do not share details of your concerns with others while the grievance is in process, to avoid prejudicing any investigations. In certain situations, such as disciplinary or legal proceedings as a result of the investigation, it may not be possible for us to disclose the details to you.
If you are not Happy with the Outcome
If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint, please notify the program director via email, at electricathleticsuk@gmail.com
Having completed our grievance process, if you wish to take the matter further, we may be willing to consider entering into mediation, facilitated by a qualified civil or community mediator. In this case, provided our agreement to enter mediation, we would:
Data Protection
We will process any personal data collected as a result of a complaint in accordance with our data protection policy. Data collected from the point at which a parent/guardian makes the complaint will be held securely and only accessed by, and disclosed to, those individuals who require access for the purposes of dealing with the grievance procedures (e.g. to conduct an investigation, to keep you informed about progress/the outcome etc).
Date Revised: April 2025
