Concerns and complaints

Who does this cover?

UMHAN is the professional body responsible for upholding the standards of work for Specialist Mentors accredited through the UMHAN accreditation scheme only. 

For complaints about the standards of work of other members, you should use their employer's complaints process.

If you are a student and wish to complain about a University member of staff, you will need to follow the complaints process of that University. If you have followed all of the relevant steps and you are still not satisfied, you can make a complaint to the Office of The Independent Adjudicator.

However, when any member renews their UMHAN membership they are bound by our Capability and Conduct Framework and so you can inform us if you feel this has been breached by using the form attached. Safeguarding concerns would be convered by this framework, however, we would encourage you to contact the person's employer in the first instance, if this is known to you. 

What might be the outcome of the process?

Depending on the nature of the concern, the member might have their membership suspended while they comply with some additional training or supervision requirement.

One of the outcomes is that an accredited Specialist Mentor's membership is terminated, and they are removed from our public register - this would have a direct impact on their ability to work. We would also inform their employer that their membership had been terminated. If the person is a sole trader, we will inform the funding body.

For other members, removal from the public register may not have an impact on their current employment, however we would inform their employer that their membership had been terminated.

We can not make a member apologise to you, or provide any kind of financial compensation.

Safeguarding concerns

Outcomes for a safeguarding concern might be different, as there are legislative reporting requirements to statutory bodies, such as the council or police.

How can I raise a concern?

Step One

We would normally expect you to raise any issues with the person concerned in the first instance; this might mean, for example, that they can adapt their way of working. 

For students

It is understandable that sometimes a Mentor/Student relationship may not work, for a number of different reasons. If you feel that you don't get on with the Mentor, or that you have different styles of working that can not be resolved you can request a change of Mentor. It may take some time to find a suitable replacement. Please ask a Disability Advisor at your University if you are unsure how to do this. 

Step Two

If the approach in Step One has not worked, you can raise an initial, informal concern by completing the form.  You should do this within 12 months of the issue arising, and sooner if possible. We may be able to respond quickly, and without investigation, and if so will normally contact you within 5 working days (N.B. As our inbox is unmanned during annual leave and sickness it may take longer during these times.)

If our response requires investigation, we will let you know within 5 working days, and aim to respond fully within 20 working days.

Step Three 

If you are not happy with our response, the issue will be escalated to an independent complaints reviewer who has not been involved in the process in any way up to this point. You will be asked to provide evidence along with your submission. They may contact you directly if they feel they need more information. The reviewer will aim to respond fully within 20 working days, which allows the Mentor time to provide a response.

Step Four

After this, if you wish to appeal an outcome, we will request that you provide either:

1. Evidence that our process has not been followed properly, and that this has therefore effected the outcome.
2. Further evidence to support your complaint, with an explanation of why this was not provided originally.

Step Five Appeal to Third Parties

There is no regulated third party with regard to complaints about support workers. However you may wish to contact your Disability Advisor, Needs Assessor or funding body to discuss your support.

Completing the form

To investigate this matter we will need to share the information contained in the referral to the mentor, and by completing this form you are agreeing that we can do so.

We may accept an anonymous concern, where you feel that a student's safety is at risk, however, we will not be able to let you know the outcome of any investigation. If you have concerns about us disclosing your information, please include this in the form text, and we will discuss this with you before contacting the complainant.

You can download our full complaints policy below.