Catholic Charities of St.

Paul and Minneapolis Section: Client Grievances

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Volunteer grievance A grievance is a concern or disagreement raised by a volunteer because of an interpretation, application or violation of a Catholic Charities policy or standard. Policies include the provisions of this Handbook, the policies of a division or program, and agency-wide policies of Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities welcomes volunteer feedback about their volunteer experience. Catholic Charities also encourages open and honest communication and exchanges of ideas. Although we believe most concerns can be settled promptly by an informal discussion of the facts by a volunteer and his or her supervisor, we recognize the need for a formal system to resolve grievances. The volunteer has 20 calendar days from application of the policy being grieved to start the grievance procedure by submitting a written statement to: Catholic Charities of St. Paul & Minneapolis Director of Volunteer Resources 1200 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55403

Applies to: Purpose:

Programs To ensure that client-related problems and concerns are resolved promptly, in an equitable manner, consistent with the policies of Catholic Charities, and with due process. Prior to initiating the Client Grievance Procedure, the client and the program staff are encouraged to work together to resolve problems and concerns. When a problem or concern has not been resolved to the clients satisfaction, the Client Grievance Procedure is available. A client using the Client Grievance Procedure is protected from retaliatory actions. The Client Grievance Procedure is a confidential process confined only to those individuals directly involved. The Client Grievance Procedure will be posted in a highly visible and common area of each program where clients receive services. The client grievance and complaint process shall comply with contract, code of ethics, licensing and accreditation standards.

Policy:

Procedures: Complaints versus Grievances It is sometimes difficult to determine the difference between a situation in which a client is simply complaining and a situation in which he/she is attempting to file an official grievance. Generally speaking, a complaint will be considered a formal grievance when it is related to a program/agency policy, a service, service delivery, and/or a significant issue related to staff, volunteers or client behavior. Every attempt will be made by staff to assist the client in recording his or her complaint in writing whenever the client indicates, either verbally or otherwise, that he or she is not able to do it him or herself, even to the point of directly asking the client whether he or she wants the staff to write the complaint for him or her.

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Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis Section: Client Grievances

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When a client puts a complaint in writing and submits it to a staff person, the complaint will be treated as an official grievance and handled according to the agencys Client Grievance Policy and Procedures. If the client decides not to submit a formal grievance, the complaint will be addressed and documented in a way that they can be categorized, summarized and submitted on a quarterly basis. The Client Grievance Procedure will be posted in a highly visible area at each location where client services are provided, and will be posted in various languages to accommodate limited English-proficient clients. Agency staff is required to appropriately guide customers/clients through this client grievance process as it is stated below. Client Grievance Procedure 1. If possible, discuss your grievance with the staff person that was involved. If you cant work things out with the involved staff, ask to meet with the program manager. Put your grievance in writing if possible. If you are not able to write your grievance on paper, ask the program staff/manager to do it for you. 2. The staff and/or program manager has 10 working days to look into your written complaint and notify you in writing of their findings. 3. If you are not happy with the response from the program manager, you have the right to file your grievance with the division director. Ask the program manager to give you information on how to contact the division director. 4. The division director will meet with you in person or over the phone to hear your complaint. You will be asked for a copy of the grievance you gave to the program manager. If you dont have a copy of that grievance, you will be asked to write your grievance on paper. If you are not able to write your grievance, request that it be done for you. 5. The division director has 5 working days to look into your grievance. You will receive a written response to your grievance. 6. If you are not happy with the results from the division director, you have the right to file your grievance with the Executive Vice President of Programs. The Executive Vice President will meet with you in person or over the phone to hear your grievance. He or she will look into your grievance claims and respond to you in writing within 10 days. Call 612-664-8532 to make an appointment with the Executive Vice President. Staff Procedures Program Level 1. When a client attempts to make a complaint to staff, staff members will make every attempt to listen objectively to the clients complaint and make a concerted effort to resolve the complaint, within reason. 2. If a staff person is not able to reasonably resolve the clients complaint, and the staff person is not the program manager, the staff person will inform the program manager of the problem in a reasonable amount of time. At this time, the staff person will offer the client the opportunity to elevate his or her complaint to a formal grievance by recording his or her complaint in writing. If the client indicates that he or she does not

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3. 4.

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want to file a formal grievance, the program staff will record the complaint in the complaint file for future reference and evaluation. If the client chooses to file a formal grievance, the staff person will offer to record the clients complaint if the client indicates verbally or otherwise that he or she is unable to do so. Once a formal grievance has been submitted, the program manager has 10 working days to address the grievance and respond in writing to the client. The program manager will meet with the client in a confidential manner to objectively listen to and interview the client to gain a full understanding of the nature of the complaint/grievance. The program manager will make every effort to objectively investigate all aspects of the clients complaint/grievance by interviewing witnesses and other persons as needed, in a confidential manner. The program manager will keep documentation of the complaint/grievance in the clients file as well as in a file designated for complaints/grievances. Complaints and grievances will be reviewed on a monthly basis by program managers and their staff for the purpose of identifying trends and reported on a quarterly basis to the division director and on the quarterly reporting form. Quality improvement initiatives will be created to address negative trends identified in the review process and reported to the division director and on the quarterly reporting form. If the client is not satisfied with the program managers response to his or her grievance, the client has the right to continue through the grievance process by meeting the division director. The program manager will indicate the clients right to do this in his or her written response with directions on how to contact the appropriate division director. The program manager or other program staff will, in no way, prohibit a client from moving forward in the grievance process unless the proceeding steps of the process are not followed by the client.

Division Level 1. The division director has five working days to respond to the client in writing with his or her determination after he or she meets face to face or over the phone with the client. 2. The division director will meet with the client in a confidential manner to objectively listen to and interview the client to gain a full understanding of the nature of the complaint/grievance. 3. The division director will make every effort to objectively investigate all aspects of the clients complaint/grievance by interviewing witnesses and other persons as needed in a confidential manner. 4. The division director will keep documentation of the complaint/grievance in a file designated for complaints/grievances.

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5. Complaints and grievances will be aggregated and reviewed on a division-wide level on a quarterly basis for the purpose of identifying trends and reported on a quarterly basis to the executive vice president of programs. 6. A review of quality improvement initiatives related to client grievances will be evaluated on an on-going basis to determine effectiveness. Progress and results of these initiatives will be reported to the PQI Oversight Committee on a quarterly basis. 7. If the client is not satisfied with the division directors response to his or her grievance, the client has the right to continue through the grievance process by meeting with the Executive Vice President of Program Operations (EVP). The division director will indicate the clients right to continue through the grievance process in his or her written response with directions on how to contact the executive vice president of programs if the client is not satisfied with the outcome of the division directors investigation. Executive Level 1. The executive vice president of programs has 10 working days to respond to the client in writing with his or her determination after he or she meets face to face or over the phone with the client. 2. The EVP will meet with the client in a confidential manner to objectively listen to and interview the client to gain a full understanding of the nature of the complaint/grievance. 3. The EVP will make every effort to objectively investigate all aspects of the clients complaint/grievance by interviewing staff and other persons as needed in a confidential manner. 4. The EVP will make a final determination according to his/her objective investigation and state his/her determination of the clients grievance in writing, face to face, or over the phone. 5. The EVP will keep documentation of the complaint/grievance in a file designated for complaints/grievances. Review and Oversight All complaints and formal grievances will be documented and reviewed on the program level and reported on the quarterly reports. Program staff will use their documented information to identify trends and initiate quality improvement projects in partnership with divisional leadership. Trends and quality improvement initiatives will be reviewed by divisional and executive staff on a quarterly basis. Final review of agency-wide trends and responses will be made the PQI Oversight Committee and the Planning and Program Development Committee. Definitions: Term Resources: CR 1.01, 1.05; PQI 4.02

Definition

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Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis Section: Client Grievances Forms: Client Grievance Form Client Complaint Form Related Documents: Do You Have a Complaint-Hmong Poster Do You Have a Complaint-Somali Poster Do You Have a Complaint-Spanish Poster Do You Have a Complaint-English Poster Issued By: Programs Issued Date: March 13, 2003

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Revised By: Programs Reviewed By: Programs APPROVAL:

Revision Date: October 15, 2009 Reviewed Date: January 2011

___________________________________ CEO

___________ Date

We would then follow the client grievance guidelines (see attached). We are in the process of working on a specific volunteer grievance policy but don't have that yet. Hope this helps.

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