COMPLAINTS POLICY
Updated 17th November 2025
Introduction
Southpaw Dance Productions is a registered CIO on the Charity Commission Register of Charities with charity number 1198031.
At Southpaw we are committed to providing high quality services to everyone who comes into contact with us. We are delighted to hear from those who use our services and find them helpful. However, we’re always looking to improve, and we know that sometimes things might happen which make an experience at Southpaw less positive. If you feel we have not reached the standards you expect; you have felt discriminated against or unsafe; or you have any other feedback this policy explains what you can do and what will happen in such a case.
This complaints process is for Southpaw staff, trustees, volunteers, guests, service providers and partners. If you are a member of staff you can also refer to the staff handbook for guidance.
How do I complain?
Complaints will likely relate to either our services or the behaviour, language or conduct of a Southpaw stakeholder. To raise any kind of complaint, please make contact with the Executive Director in the first instance. Please make sure you provide your email address and phone number so that we can keep you updated on the progress of your complaint. Your complaint will then be assigned to an appropriate member of Southpaw’s executive team, depending on the nature of your complaint and any other relevant factors.
For all kinds of complaints, the first step of our response will be to arrange an initial conversation between you and the assigned member of the executive team. In this meeting they will discuss what happened with you, and form a summary of your complaint which will be circulated to you to check we have covered your concerns. If appropriate, the next step in our process will be to arrange a 1-1 conversation with another appropriate member of the team, or our board, to help us understand why this was unacceptable, and what we could do to avoid this happening in the future.
In some cases, further action may be necessary to identify the accountability mechanisms necessary to resolve it. We have aimed to make this process proportionate to the small number of complaints we receive, and transparent to ensure that everyone knows what to expect if something goes wrong.
Complaints against a Southpaw stakeholder
• Our principles
At Southpaw we believe that harm is complex, and accountability for the harm we cause others is a vital part of good leadership. While all of us have the capacity to harm others, most of us will also have experienced harm. We start from the principle of believing the complainant and making their safety while using Southpaw services a priority. At the same time we know that being the subject of a complaint can also be stressful, and that information about how the complaint is being investigated and progressed is often not accessible or withheld. We will aim to be transparent with both parties.
We want to encourage everyone to learn, develop and change their behaviours. As such this policy does not set out a list of punitive measures, but seeks to provide an adaptable framework for leaders who are willing to develop an understanding of their behaviour and be accountable for the harm we can cause others. Where this willingness is not demonstrated, it may be appropriate to terminate an individual’s membership or relationship with Southpaw. This course of action will be a last resort, but we accept that it may be necessary in very serious cases.
Sometimes it will be challenging to establish exactly what has happened (for example, if an incident was not witnessed or recorded). Please be patient while we try to gather the evidence necessary. We will make sure to review anything relevant to your complaint.
• Our process
We might not need to use all of these steps, and they may not need to happen in this order, but in the case of complaints against an individual we will use the following framework:
Measure
Outcomes
1-1 conversation with member of executive team
Outlining the key details of your complaint and forming a summary for your and our records
1-1 conversation with trustee if appropriate
Identifying any further information we need to understand your complaint; identifying any individual/s as the subject of your complaint; identifying what the complainant would like to see happen to feel safe and that their concerns have been resolved; referring the complainant for further support if necessary or desired
Reviewing additional material
Exploring other materials such as social media records; emails; digital event recordings/chats; speaking to any witnesses of an occurrence
1-1 meeting between member of executive team and subject of the complaint (if applicable)
Establishing acceptance or denial of having caused harm; exploring whether they would like to learn about their behaviour and may benefit from referral to training on a specific issue (e.g., language, discrimination, relationship management); exploring the option of an apology or acceptance of fault, and next steps to improve; ensuring the subject of the complaint feels they have been given all the appropriate information and informed of how they will be kept updated. If allegations are substantiated and redress cannot be reached, the termination of an individual’s membership, partnership or working relationship may be proposed to the board to be considered in line with our Constitution.
Meeting arranged between complainant and subject of complaint (with an external facilitator if requested)
Opportunity to explore accountability and apologise; understanding how to avoid causing harm again
Check in points agreed (e.g., three months later; annually; after attending training course)
If necessary/appropriate, agreeing when we will check in with people involved and check they are happy with the resolution we reached.
Complaints about our services
In cases where our services do not meet the standard you expect, we will use the following framework to understand your complaint and improve our outputs.
Measure
Outcomes
1-1 conversation with member of executive team
Outlining the key details of your complaint and forming a summary for your and our records
1-1 conversation with trustee (if appropriate)
Identifying any further information we can review to understand how our member benefits and services did not meet expectations; discussing what we can do differently in the future to change and improve our services
Reviewing additional material and Southpaw processes
Exploring other materials such as event planning processes; the content in question and how it was produced or commissioned; discussing with staff members how we can plan to avoid the incident recurring
Check in points agreed (e.g., after next event; content review points)
If appropriate, agreeing when we will check in with the complainant and review changes we have made to confirm that they feel their complaint has been adequately responded to and a resolution reached.
If you are still not satisfied
If we cannot resolve your complaint through using some/all of the mechanisms above, we will refer your complaint to the code of conduct breach sub-committee of our board of trustees. This committee is chaired by the vice-chair of the board, and other members will be convened at the time based on capacity, the details of your complaint, and any other relevant factors. They will explore the nature of your complaint; why a resolution could not be reached; and set out further proposals to resolve it. These will be discussed with you. Finally, as a charity we are regulated by the Charity Commission, so you can also use the Commission’s complaints procedure if appropriate.
Timelines
After your initial contact we aim to get back to you within two working days to confirm that we have received your complaint, and to organise an initial meeting within 10 working days. Beyond this initial timeframe we will deal with complaints on a case-by-case basis but always strive to be prompt and keep you fully updated. We aim to resolve all complaints within 12 weeks of receiving them, but in cases where the complexity of the complaint means that we expect it to take longer we will let you know.
If we cannot resolve your complaint and need to refer it to our board of trustees for discussion, we will let you know the date of the meeting when it will be discussed. We will come back to you within 10 working days of that meeting to update you on the discussion. Clear minutes will be taken as to the procedures to be carried out and you will receive full details of discussions relevant to your complaints. At all stages along the process, if any deadlines cannot be met you will be kept fully informed as to what is happening. Proceedings and records relating to complaints, will as far as practical, be kept confidential.
What we can’t do
As part of our commitment to transparency, it is important to explain the approach we take and why we cannot act in certain situations. Southpaw is run by a small team and while we will always take your complaints seriously, we want to be realistic about our capacity to carry out (for example) significant vetting, information gathering or interviewing. In the extremely rare cases where this might be necessary Southpaw would likely seek independent external support.
Some examples of where we will not be able to act include:
• Banning individuals from participating in Southpaw community casts: we do not assess the historical behaviour of participants, but ask all members to abide by our code of conduct. Any Southpaw stakeholder is subject to this complaints policy from the moment they join our casts and any discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour should be reported.
• Behaviour that has occurred outside of our work: Southpaw advocates for an inclusive sector where bullying and discrimination do not happen. However, this complaints policy only applies to events that take place as part of our work. We cannot respond to complaints about other occurrences across the sector.
• Complaints that make allegations about opinions but not behaviours: Southpaw cannot police thoughts and we want to create an environment in which a range of opinions can co-exist respectfully and professionally. If personal beliefs are enacted in discriminatory comments, behaviours or correspondence we will act in line with this policy.
How we will act on the outcome of your complaint
Part of our process will be to internally review how our processes allowed this to happen, and set out changes we will make to prevent it recurring. We will let you know how we are planning to change our processes and welcome feedback on how this is working, and whether it has been clearly communicated.
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