How the CSSA will manage complaints

4 May 2023

How the CSSA will manage complaints

When we receive a complaint we may need to contact you to get some additional information or to clarify some points. We will do this within 20 working days of receiving a complaint.

We will speak with the church body being complained about to check whether they have had the opportunity to consider your complaint, and to check whether there are still stages of their complaints process that you can use.

If the complaint has not been considered by the church body, or the church body complaints process has not been concluded, we will refer the complaint directly to the church body being complained about.

In reaching our decision about whether we can investigate a complaint, we will consider what can be achieved by an investigation, including the outcomes sought by the person complaining. If nothing can be achieved for the complainant by the CSSA, then we may decide not to investigate.

The person complaining, and the church body, will be informed of our decision to investigate.

If we are proceeding, we will appoint an investigator who will speak with the person complaining to confirm what the investigation will focus on. The investigator will also speak with other relevant persons such as within the church body, or witnesses.