You may decide that your internal complaint mechanism(ICM) will review complaints about a
wide range of matters, including the merits of decisions, policies
and service quality. An agency's review of a complaint may lead
to the conclusion that a decision should be changed or that
an exception should be made to established policy. Deciding
who should have the authority to make changes will depend on
the nature and importance of the issue under review and on the
type of review mechanism involved.
If the issue concerns a matter of considerable significance
to your organization, you may want to ensure that changes
are made only with the approval of senior management. Where
less significant decisions are concerned, it may be appropriate
to allow the complaint reviewer to authorize a change. Your
decision on this issue may also depend upon whether the complaint
is being reviewed close to the source of the original decision,
or whether it is being reviewed by a separate complaints department
or reviewer. If you have opted for a separate complaints department,
you may wish to consider whether it is appropriate for the
complaint reviewer to have the power to alter decisions unilaterally.
Depending on the nature of your organization, it may be more
appropriate to require complaint reviewers to consult with
the original decision-makers before making changes, or to
limit their role to making recommendations for change to the
original decision-maker.
Whatever system you choose, your ICM should define how such
decisions are to be made, and by whom.
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