This policy and procedure applies to complaints received by staff or Board members of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto about our activities, programs, services, staff or volunteers.
Definition: A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the service, actions, or lack of action by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto as an organization or a staff member or volunteer acting on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto.
Examples include but are not limited to:
Anyone personally affected can complain and their complaint will be reviewed in accordance with this procedure.
A complaint may be received verbally (by phone or in person) or in writing (by complaint form, mail, fax, email). An employee or volunteer who receives a complaint should first determine the proper person to handle it. This will generally be the person who has the primary relationship with the complainant or has the specific knowledge that is needed to resolve the problem. It is the responsibility of the person who receives the complaint to either resolve it or transfer it to another person who can resolve it. If the complaint is transferred, the recipient must acknowledge to the transferor that they have received it and will act on it.
The person who initially receives the complaint should acknowledge to the complainant that the complaint has been received and will be acted on either by them or another employee. If a timeframe for action can be determined, that should be included in the acknowledgement. Basic contact information including name, phone number and email address should immediately be recorded.
Every effort should be made to resolve complaints received in a timely fashion. When receiving a verbal complaint, staff should listen and seek to understand the complaint, and may attempt to resolve it immediately. Complaints received in writing shall be acknowledged within two business days, and staff shall attempt to resolve the matter within ten business days.
Where a complaint cannot be easily resolved, it shall be escalated to the Director of Service Delivery. If they cannot resolve the complaint, it shall be escalated to the Vice President of Operations and/or President and CEO. If the complaint is about the President and CEO, it shall be handled by the Chair of the Board. Complainants should be kept informed of the status of their complaint. Every attempt should be made to resolve an escalated complaint within an additional ten business days, such that the complaint is resolved within a month of having been received.
It is necessary to keep a record of any complaint that involves a dispute over money as well as any complaint that cannot be resolved on the same day that it is received. Information about such complaints must be recorded on the complaints tracking worksheet. Information recorded on the worksheet is to include a description of the complaint, who handled it, what was done to resolve the complaint, timeframe, and a description of the resolution.
A summary of the complaints received, including number and type, shall be reported to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto’s Board of Directors annually.
To submit a complaint, please click the button below. If you experience challenges accessing the complaint form below, please email infotoronto@
