Complaints

Before you pursue a formal complaint, you should first consider if this is the most appropriate avenue for you.

It’s good to start by thinking about what remedy you’re looking for, e.g., if you’re seeking an academic outcome then this might not be the right option for you and, the Academic Appeals process may be more appropriate. However, if you’re looking for an apology, new materials/adjustments or financial compensation – this is the right process to pursue.

If your don’t want to raise a formal complaint, consider other possible avenues such as:

• Report and Support: Report a concern anonymously or with details, on issues ranging from harassment, to bulling to mental wellbeing.

• Mediation: The Student Support Team runs a free mediation service which can help resolve issues quickly with an independent and impartial mediator, for example helping you communicate how you feel or what you need from another person/department. To find out more, contact studentsupport@brunel.ac.uk or Book an Appointment. If you choose to use the Mediation Service, you are still able to submit a complaint – before, during, or afterwards if you are unable to resolve the issue via Mediation. If you use Mediation during your complaint you will be asked to put your complaint on-hold and continue with it afterwards if unsuccessful.

• Student Representatives: Student reps are your academic representatives. They make sure that your voices are heard when it comes to changes and feeding back on courses and departments. Consider speaking with your Student Reps to provide feedback about your course and to raise these issues at Student Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs).

Email Summary

To start the Complaints process, you'll need to write a summary of your complaint and submit this to the College / Service Area. The aim of this is to try address your complaint locally and reaching an informal solution, so when writing your email consider addressing some of the following questions:

• What is the concern you are complaining about and which area(s) of the University is/are involved?

• What remedy are you hoping for and how can it be achieved?

• Is your concern straightforward and likely to be resolved with little or no investigation?

• Can your concern be resolved on the spot by providing, an explanation, alternative solution or apology?

• Would it be helpful to use mediation, and are you willing to engage with this service?

• Do you need any assistance or support taking your complaint forward, including whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made to help you engage with the process?

Submit your email summary of your complain to the relevant contact:

• CBASS - Complaints-cbass@brunel.ac.uk

• CEDEPS – Complaints-cedps@brunel.ac.uk

• CHMLS – Acsm-chmls@brunel.ac.uk

• Library - Library@brunel.ac.uk

• Residences – Res@brunel.ac.uk

If you’re not sure who to send this to, email student-complaints@brunel.ac.uk who can advise you.

Stage 1 Meeting

Once submitted, a member of staff should get in touch with you within 14 days to set up a meeting to discuss your complaint and try to agree on a solution. If you wish, you can attend the meeting with another student or adviser from the UAS.

After the meeting, you will receive a record of your conversation, including details of any action to be taken. If you are unhappy with your Stage 1 outcome, you can escalate this to a Stage 2 Complaint.

To escalate a complaint to Stage 2, you will need to complete the Stage 2 Complaint Form within 21 days of receiving your Stage 1 outcome (and if possible within 3 months of the incident). If you submit it outside of this timeframe, you will need to provide a valid reason why.

It is essential to include evidence in your Stage 2 Form, as University expects that the burden of proof sits with the student to clearly demonstrate how the circumstances you’re complaining about have affected you, your studies and/or experience. Especially if you’re seeking compensation, you must provide evidence of financial loss, e.g., payment receipts.

Eligibility

Once submitted, the Student Complaints Officer will evaluate whether your complaint is eligible for investigation by considering factors e.g., whether you’ve submitted it on time, provided sufficient evidence and a realistic proposed solution, as well as, whether a complaint is an appropriate avenure to address your issue.

• If eligible, the Student Complaints Officer will conduct an investigation into your complaint.

• If ineligible, you will receive a Completion of Procedures Letter stating that the University’s internal procedures are complete but, you can take it to the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator).

Investigation

The Student Complaints Officer will look into your case by reviewing your statement(s), evidence, formal documents and any other evidence they have access to. Additionally, they may ask to meet with you either in-person or virtually to discuss the complaint in more detail, especially if it is complex.

Outcome

Usually, you should receive a report from the Complaints Officer within 50 days of submission. The report will include their investigations, information gathered, conclusions drawn i.e., whether your complaint is justified and a recommended remedy.

Sometimes the investigation may take longer but, you'll be informed of a new deadline as soon as possible.

If you’re unhappy with your Stage 2 Outcome, the last step is to submit a Stage 3 Complaint by sending an email to COOcomplaints@brunel.ac.ukrequesting a review by the Chief Operating Officer (or their nominee) within 14 days of receiving your Stage 2 Outcome.

In this email, you will need to state what grounds you are submitting the Stage 3 Complaint on, why it’s relevant and include any new evidence you could not do so earlier in the process. To understand which grounds are most relevant in your case, consider the following questions:

• Were the correct procedures followed during the formal stage 2 investigation?

• Did you receive clear reasons why your complaint was rejected at Stage 2, and do you feel it was reasonable?

• If you have new evidence at Stage 3, do you have valid reasons for not supplying this earlier, and could it have made a difference to the outcome?

Then, review the grounds for appeal:

1. That there is new evidence that could have made a difference to the outcome, and you have good reasons for not supplying this evidence earlier

2. That the relevant procedures were not followed during the Stage 2 formal process and this has had a significant impact on the outcome

3. That clear reasons about why the complaint was rejected at Stage 2 were not given

4. That the Stage 2 outcome is unreasonable given the facts of the case

Outcome

Usually, you should receive your Stage 3 Outcome within 21 days of submission but may take longer for some cases. If they decide your Stage 3 Complaint is justified, they may overturn the outcome received at Stage 2 and propose a new outcome.

However, if they agree with the Stage 2 outcome, then you will receive a Completion of Procedures (CoP) letter. This means that the University’s internal procedures are complete and that you can take your complaint to the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator).

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint offered by the University, and you have received a Completion of Procedures (CoP) letter, then you may be able to apply for a review of your complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).

To find out more about the OIA’s eligibility criteria check this out, OIA - Can you complain to us?

Please note – you must submit your complaint to the OIA within 12 months of the date on your CoP letter.