Complaints Policy

1. Documentation of Complaints
a. All complaints received will be addressed with integrity and in equitable, objective, and unbiased ways. CityKidz expects all staff to be committed to a fair, effective, and efficient complaints management process.
b. CityKidz will ensure that details on how to send in/produce a complaint towards the organization or its programs is accessible via the main website or well publicised in signage relating to the organization (i.e., on or in its facilities).
c. A complaint may be received verbally (by phone or in person) or in writing (by email or mail) and by any CityKidz employee or volunteer.
d. When the complaint is initially received, acknowledgement will be sent to the complainant that the complaint has been received and will be acted on either by themselves or another (appropriate) employee.
         i. This can be done by electronic mail, letter mail or phone call
        ii. Complainants will be kept informed of the status of their complaint throughout the process.
       iii. All complainants will be informed of the following:
                   1. The timing expected for decisions and/or responses.
                  2. The progress of their complaint, and what (if any) delays are occurring towards resolution (and why)Complaints Policy 2
e. An employee or volunteer of CityKidz who receives a complaint will document the complaint (via the complaints form in Appendix B)
f. Information about complaints and incidents will be kept confidential. Information obtained about an incident or complaint, including identifying information about any individuals involved, will not be shared unless disclosure is necessary to protect workers, to investigate the complaint or incident, to take corrective action or otherwise as required by law.
g. The documented complaint will be sent to the Director of Operations for review and filing.
         i. CityKidz will ensure that complaints are documented and filed in a consistent manner to allow information to be collected and reviewed easily when future retrieval is necessary.
        ii. All complaint and investigation documentation will be filed and archived in the Operations department for a 7-year period (by calendar year).
h. It is the responsibility of the Director of Operations , in coordination with the individual that received the complaint, , to review the complaint for resolution, or to initiate an investigation process (via the investigations process in Appendix C).
i. Complainants will not face (or feel they have faced) reprisal of any kind for taking part in the CityKidz complaints management process
i. This includes any complaints brought against the Executive Director or those in charge of the complaints managing process.
j. Reports on the number of complaints received, resolutions made, investigations conducted, and follow-up of resolutions will be managed by the Executive Director and the Associate Executive Director as they report to the Board of Directors governing body quarterly.

2. Resolution of, and Investigation of, Complaints
a. CityKidz staff will be encouraged to resolve complaints quickly and fairly
b. Where possible complaints will be resolved at the first contact with the organization (or the “frontline”).
c. Complaints that require further investigation and/or involvement of other parties (i.e., other staff or parties) will be dealt with in accordance to the investigation of complaints process per Appendix C
d. Every attempt will be made to resolve escalated complaints, within a 45-day timeframe of the initiation of the complaint’s investigation process
e. Where complaints cannot be easily resolved, they will be escalated to the Associate Executive Director (AED). If the AED is unable to resolve the complaint, it will be escalated to the Executive Director (ED).
f. If a matter concerns an immediate risk to safety or security of staff, volunteers, participants or general stakeholders, the response will be immediate and will be escalated appropriately (i.e., with local authorities where necessary).

3. Management of Complainants
a. Where the complaints involve more organizations than CityKidz, CityKidz will aim to work collaboratively with all other organizations involved. All communication of the complaint, to or about the complainant, will be clear and a coordinated effort by all organizations.
b. Where the complaint in question involves more than one department, staff member, volunteer, or operational process, the communication to the complainant will be clear and will be done so in a coordinated manner with all parties.

c. Complaints about CityKidz , its programs, or operations, will also cover the actions of service providers within the facilities or involved directly in programs.
d. CityKidz stands by its policy against workplace harassment and abuse and as such is committed to supplying protection to staff and volunteers from unreasonable or abusive complainants. Abusive, threatening, or unreasonable conduct towards staff or volunteers will not be tolerated and appropriate steps will be taken to protect the health, safety and security of all staff and volunteers.

4. Categorization of complaints
a. Complaints and grievances will be collected and categorized based on:
        i. Type of Issue brought forward:
               1. Financial Integrity
              2. Child Welfare during programs or community visits
              3. Communication / misinformation by organization
              4. Products or commodities provided in community
              5. Staff or personnel interaction
              6. Social media or website
       ii. Department or stakeholder involved
              1. Operations Department
             2. Community Programs/Children and Youth Department
             3. Programming Volunteers
             4. Marketing and Resource Development Department
             5. Leadership Team
             6. Board of Directors
             7. Community partners
        iii. Severity of complaint
              1. The level of complaint is determined by the Director of Operations
              2. Level 1 where little to no inconvenience was realized and it is deemed “nonactionable”
                      a. The complaint received has not supplied any significant impact to the organization or complainant involved. The issue presented is not preventable. All organization processes were followed correctly.
              3. Level 2 where no harm was found and only minor inconveniences were realized
                      a. The incidence affected the complainant but did not cause any significant harm or concern.
              4. Level 3 where mild or moderate harm was incurred and additional investigation is required.
                      a. Where temporary harm (emotional or mental) needed intervention by an additional staff member.
              5. Level 4 where significant harm or impact was incurred and additional investigation is required.
                      a. Significant, and non-temporary, harm (emotional, mental, or physical) was incurred by complainant.
              6. Severity of complaint can be re-classified at any stage based on new information gathered throughout investigation.
              7. Any allegation involving the safety of children automatically escalates regardless of initial severity assigned.

5. Process of Investigations
a. Investigations will be conducted by the Director of Operations, Associate Executive Director or the Executive Director. Where the complaint in question involves any of those parties, the complaint will be investigated by a representative of the Board of Directors
b. All persons involved will receive written notice that a formal investigation has begun
c. All persons involved will be provided opportunity to share their perspectives during independent meetings with investigators.
d. The investigator will thoroughly interview both the complainant and any other relevant parties involved in the complaint.
e. Respondents will be made aware of all allegations against them and given the opportunity to respond to each of the specific allegations raised by the complainant.
        i. Multiple meetings or opportunities for them to share information may be required.
f. The investigator will interview any relevant witnesses named by either the complainant or the respondent(s) and gather any relevant documents.
g. Proper notes will be taken during all interviews and filed accordingly with the original complaint documentation
h. The investigator will prepare a report summarizing the allegations, the investigative steps taken, the information that has been gathered, an assessment based on the balance of probabilities, and recommendations for further action if identified
i. If the investigation findings support the complaint, CityKidz will implement appropriate actions to address the issues and reduce risk of recurrence and will provide a formal report to the ED and AED.
j. Appeals of investigations will be received on the following grounds of appeal:
        i. Where new and relevant information has been brought forward and not previously considered
       ii. Where there are concerns of bias or conflicts of interest identified
      iii. Where procedural errors occurred that may have had direct impact on outcome
      iv. Where insufficient rational has been concluded for the final decision

6. Organizational Accountability of Repeated Issues:
a. Systemic issues that arise from multiple complaints, that are creating trends or patterns of behaviour in the organization’s programs or operations, will be reviewed, and reported on by the Executive Director and/or Associate Executive Director at the Board of Directors governing body. Steps to eradicate or correct said systemic issues will be guided by the Board of Directors.

Definitions
The following definitions apply to this document:
COMPLAINT: When a formal allegation has been made, through the above prescribed method of lodging said complaint, against CityKidz, its programs, staff or volunteers.
COMPLAINANT: A person, organization or their representative that lodges a complaint with or within the organization (CityKidz) .
DISPUTE: An unresolved complaint towards CityKidz that is escalated to higher management (i.e., Board of Directors) or an outside source (i.e., local authorities)
POLICY: Internal legal documents that function as a statement of instruction for fulfilling the mission and vision of the CityKidz ministry
RESPONDENT: Term used in this policy to describe any person(s) who is the alleged offender.

Key relevant Documents
Legislation
    Public Guardian and Trustee – Ministry of the Attorney General

    Complaining About Charities – Ministry of the Attorney General (gov.on.ca)

Policies
CityKidz Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Policy
CityKidz Workplace Violence Policy
CityKidz Workplace Harassment Policy

Document management and control
Owner: Executive Director Content Manager: Director of Operations
Endorsed by: Governance Committee April 2, 2026
Approved by: Board of Directors
Date approved: June 9, 2026
Review date: June 2029