The UWS Students’ Union defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction with our services, staff, elected officers, volunteers, trustees, consultants or contractors.

You can complain about anything in which you feel that you have not received the service that you would expect from the University or Your Union at UWS. The details of our complaints process are set out in Bye Law 7.

Sometimes complaints can be dealt with informally. You can raise the issue directly with an appropriate Union staff member. You should first send a formal complaint in writing to the contact details below. Your complaint should set out the details of your issue, how it has affected you, and the remedy you are seeking. You can use the form linked at the bottom of this page if you wish.
All complaints should be sent to the UWS Students’ Union Senior Administrator. If your complaint is regarding the Senior Administrator then your complaint should be addressed to the Chief Executive. If your complaint is regarding the Chief Executive it should be addressed to the Chair of the Trustee Board (the President).

The relevant addresses are:

• Senior Administrator: Unionadmin@uws.ac.uk
• Chief Executive: sinead.daly@uws.ac.uk
• President: unionpresident@uws.ac.uk

Generally, complaints should be submitted within six months of either:

• the event you want to complain about
• finding out that you have a reason to complain. 

Sometimes complaints can be accepted after this time limit. You should indicate in your complaint why the time limit should not apply. 

You can expect the complaint to be acknowledged within 5 working days.

The UWS Students’ Union will investigate the complaint and aim to respond with an outcome within 10 working days. You may be asked to give more information about the issue to help the investigation. If we are unable to resolve the complaint in this timescale, you will be kept fully informed of the complaints progress until it is resolved. If you are content with the response from the UWS Students’ Union to your complaint, this is the end of the process.

If you are not satisfied with the response from stage 1, you have the option of asking for an appeal to be heard. If you wish for an appeal of the outcome of your initial complaint, you should state this in writing (by email or post) to the Chief Executive, stating the reason you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint. If your original complaint was against the Chief Executive you should address your appeal letter to the President. You should do this within 10 working days of receiving the written response from stage 1. The Chief Executive/President will respond, normally within five working days to inform you of the action which will be taken in regards to the appeal, and the expected timescale of the investigation.

The relevant history of the complaint will be made available to the Chief Executive, and/or the President. Additional investigations may be undertaken and may include interviews with you, any staff involved, and any witnesses and will also include documentary evidence where appropriate.

The outcome of the investigation will be communicated to you in writing with details of any action taken and time-scale for implementation (if applicable).

If you are still dissatisfied with the outcome of the stage 2 complaint, you have the right to seek further redress as below: a. If the initial complaint is regarding how the UWS Students’ Union, as a charity is run, you can seek further redress from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The website includes a section on how to raise such concerns.

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) 9 Riverside Drive, Dundee, DD1 4NY
www.oscr.org.uk

If the initial complaint is about any other matter relating to your dealings with the UWS Students’ Union, you can write to the University, as the responsible body under the 1994 Education Act, who will in turn appoint an independent person to investigate and report on your complaint.

Office of the University Secretary University of the West of Scotland High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BE
www.uws.ac.uk

This form has been included to help you structure your complaint. You do not have to use this, but it may help you include all of the relevant details.