Feedback Policy

Feedback helps us to highlight the areas of service delivery that are working well and identify those that require attention.

Feedback from our clients about their experiences with the criminal justice system and support services can also provide us with evidence which allows us to advocate for the needs of victims and witnesses within the wider sector, and to lobby for governmental and legislative change.

Victims of crime often feel disempowered by the crime itself and VSIOM strives to ensure that the services they provide are of the highest standard. We believe that by actively encouraging and supporting victims to feedback (either positively or negatively) about the service they received, this in turn can be used as a catalyst to empower victims to address the areas in which the crime has negatively impacted on their lives.

As an organisation, we seek to learn from the feedback so that we can continuously improve our service delivery.  We appreciate any feedback you can provide.  Details on how to send us feedback can be found at the bottom of this page.

WHAT WE DO WITH YOUR FEEDBACK

All feedback will be taken seriously and will be logged.

Where a complaint is made an investigation will be undertaken with the aim of ensuring that maximum learning is achieved, and that any poor performance identified can be appropriately addressed.

Equally, compliments will be passed on to the individuals or teams concerned, and these will be used as examples of good practice.

OUR FEEDBACK PROCEDURE:

Compliments
VSIOM wish to hear from people when we get things right. This helps us to:

• understand what services people value and why;
• share good practice;
• make sure we learn and develop in a way which keeps providing a good service to our clients; and
• recognise the role played by our volunteers and staff
• establish a research base of clients who may be willing to engage in future research or media opportunities

Whilst clients regularly thank us for the help we provide, we will actively seek to explore specific comments received about a service provided to understand what made the difference to the client. This will in turn help to inform practice development and quality assurance.

Complaints

VSIOM values the unique role we play in supporting people affected by crime and are committed to ensuring that the services we provide meet the client’s needs and are delivered in a supportive and respectful manner. It recognises that in most services, people do not tend to complain and that a low complaints procedure is not necessarily an indicator of high satisfaction or performance levels.

Client satisfaction

VSIOM is committed to its vision of a society that ensures that the appropriate support and information is available to people affected by crime. We recognise the role that our services play in the achievement of this vision and will regularly survey clients to gauge their experience and satisfaction with the services we provide to ensure they are fit for purpose. The survey process will also capture client section 75 data which will be used to help ensure that our services are accessible to all victims of crime, regardless of age, gender, religion, ethnic origin, disability or sexual orientation.  Information gained through this process also assists the organisation to build strong evidence of the victim experience enabling us to speak up and speak out for victims and witnesses.  More information on the Victim and Witness Charters can be found here (Hyperlink to Useful Information Code of Practice for Victims and Witnesses of Crime)

HOW WE WILL RESPOND

We aim to respond to all compliments and complaints in a timely manner.
In the case of a complaint which cannot be immediately resolved and requires an investigation, we will send a written update on the progress of the complaint within 4 weeks and in most cases, will aim to have the complaint resolved to all sides’ satisfaction within 8 weeks.  In a small minority of cases, this may take longer, but we will keep you regularly updated on the progress of your complaint if this occurs.

In cases where we believe a crime has been committed, we will inform the appropriate agencies, unless you ask us not to.

HOW TO SEND FEEDBACK

If you would like to send us any feedback – positive or negative, you can do so by emailing enquiries@victimsupport.im

You can also contact us by phone during office hours at: 01624 679950