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Client Complaint Policy and Procedures

Silver Creek Centre for Early Learning & Development
Date Policy and Procedures Established: August 2017
Date Policy and Procedures Updated: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a transparent process for parents/guardians, Silver Creek Pre-School and staff to use when parents/guardians bring forward issues/concerns.

General

Parents/guardians are encouraged to take an active role in our specialized, therapeutic preschool and regularly discuss what their child(ren) are experiencing with our program. As supported by our program statement, positive and responsive interactions among the children, parents/guardians, Silver Creek professionals and support staff are of paramount importance. Fostering the engagement of and ongoing communication with parents/guardians about the program and their children occur in numerous ways at Silver Creek.

Our staff are available to engage parents/guardians in conversations on-site, by appointment, via email or phone. Additionally, goal setting occurs with families within the first 6 weeks of the school year, and a learning outcomes binder of children’s activities is sent home monthly.

All issues and concerns raised by parents/guardians are taken seriously by Silver Creek Centre and will be addressed. Every effort will be made to address and resolve issues and concerns to the satisfaction of all parties and as quickly as possible.

Issues/concerns may be brought forward verbally or in writing. Responses and outcomes will be provided verbally, or in writing upon request. The level of detail provided to the parent/guardian will respect and maintain the confidentiality of all parties involved.

An initial response to an issue or concern will be provided to parents/guardians within five business day(s). The person who raised the issue/concern will be kept informed throughout the resolution process. Our goal is to resolve most issues at the first point of contact. Investigations of issues and concerns will be fair, impartial and respectful to parties involved.

Confidentiality

Every issue and concern will be treated confidentially and every effort will be made to protect the privacy of parents/guardians, children, staff, students and volunteers, except when information must be disclosed for legal reasons (e.g. to the Ministry of Education, College of Early Childhood Educators, law enforcement authorities or a Children’s Aid Society).

Conduct

Our centre maintains high standards for positive interaction, communication and rolemodeling for children. Harassment and discrimination will therefore not be tolerated from any party.

If at any point a parent/guardian, provider or staff feels uncomfortable, threatened, abused or belittled, they may immediately end the conversation and report the situation to the Executive Director

Concerns About the Suspected Abuse or Neglect of a Child

Everyone, including members of the public and professionals who work closely with children, is required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

If a parent/guardian expresses concerns that a child is being abused or neglected, the parent will be advised to contact the local Children’s Aid Society (CAS) directly.

Persons who become aware of such concerns are also responsible for reporting this information to CAS as per the “Duty to Report” requirement under the Child and Family Services Act.

For more information, visit:
http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/childrensaid/reportingabuse/index.aspx

Escalation of Issues or Concerns:

Where parents/guardians are not satisfied with the response or outcome of an issue or concern, they may escalate the issue or concern verbally or in writing to the Executive Director. If the concern is about the Executive Director, the issue may be escalated directly to the President of the Silver Creek Board of Directors. The contact information is available through the office of Silver Creek Pre-School.

Issues/concerns related to compliance with requirements set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act., 2014 and Ontario Regulation 137/15 should be reported to the Ministry of Education’s Child Care Quality Assurance and Licensing Branch.

Issues/concerns may also be reported to other relevant regulatory bodies (e.g. local public health department, police department, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Labour, fire department, College of Early Childhood Educators, College of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language of Ontario, etc) where appropriate.