At Bristol SU, we strive to ensure that all students, staff, and visitors have a positive experience. However, we recognize that sometimes things might go wrong, and we value your feedback to help us improve. This guide will help you understand how to share your concerns or complaints in a straightforward and effective manner.
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction or concern about something concerning Bristol SU, one of our groups, staff, or members. This can include:
The lists below show you when to use the SU complaints policy, and when to use University policies. The list is not exhaustive:
To follow the SU process, continue reading this information and see our complaints procedure or to use the University process please follow the process outlined here.
Firstly, it’s worth considering if your complaint can be resolved informally. If you feel comfortable you can talk to the most relevant person which could be a member of Bristol SU staff. As much as possible we try to resolve things informally through things like mediation or a refund, but we realise that you may not be satisfied with that, or you do not feel the issue can be resolved informally (particularly if you don’t feel safe talking to the individual involved).
If you need to make a complaint formally you can do that here.
What happens when you have submitted a complaint can depend on what the complaint was about, below we’ll outline what you can expect:
Depending on the nature and context of your complaint, it will be designated to an appropriate manager within the Students’ Union who will investigate the complaint.
The Investigating Manager will determine the facts, consider any mitigating circumstances and determine the appropriate outcome. Depending upon the seriousness of the complaint, it may be necessary for us to contact you to request additional information or evidence.
The Investigating Manager will contact you within 14-days of your complaint to provide a response.
If you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you may appeal the outcome by writing to the SU Complaints Officer at bristolsu-complaints@bristol.ac.uk.
Your appeal will be allocated to a member of the Senior Leadership Team (who has not previously been involved in your complaint). They will review your original complaint, the investigation and response and then will reply to you with an outcome to your appeal within 14-days from the date you submitted your appeal.
Depending on the nature and context of your complaint, it will be designated to an appropriate manager or staff member within the Students’ Union’s Student Opportunities team who will investigate the complaint. We operate a Student Groups Code of Conduct which all student groups are expected to abide by.
The Investigating Officer will determine the facts, consider any mitigating circumstances and determine the appropriate outcome. Depending upon the seriousness of the complaint, it may be necessary for us to contact you to request additional information or evidence.
The Investigating Officer will contact you within 30-days of your complaint to provide a response to your complaint. If the outcome from your complaint involves disciplinary action for the student group (or individuals) you will be given broad information but may not be given specific details of the action taken.
If you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you may appeal the outcome by writing to the SU Complaints Officer at bristolsu-complaints@bristol.ac.uk.
Your appeal will be allocated to a member of the Senior Leadership Team (who has not previously been involved in your complaint). They will review your original complaint, the investigation and response and then will reply to you with an outcome to your appeal within 14-days from the date you submitted your appeal.
You will receive acknowledgement to your complaint from the SU Complaints Officer, who will confirm the details of the process and expected timelines. They will also inform you the details of the Investigating Officer that will be investigating the allegations /complaint.
We operate a Member Code of Conduct which all students and associate members are expected to abide by. If your complaint is about the behavior or conduct of a member, your case will be investigated and managed under the Member Disciplinary Policy and Procedure which can be found here.
Any action taken under these procedures will be concluded as quickly as possible and normally within 30 days from the start of the investigation. An Investigating Officer will be appointed to investigate the allegation and will provide the person being complained about with a summary of the nature of the allegation and carry out an investigation as they deem appropriate. When the Investigating Officer is happy that sufficient evidence has been obtained, they’ll write a report which will state whether there is a case to answer and the report will be shared with the SU Complaints Officer.
The Complaints Officer will review the investigation report and can take several decisions including:
If the Complaints Officer decides it needs to be dealt with formally, they will convene a disciplinary panel with a hearing as soon as possible. Within 14 days of the heading panel, the person being complained about will receive the outcome and sanction imposed.
You, as the reporting party will also usually be informed of the sanctions if it has a direct impact on you, such as a non-contact order or apology.
The person complained about can appeal against any sanction within 7 days of the outcome being imposed.
If your complaint is about a full time officer or staff member, you should still use the complaints form, but your complaint will not follow these processes, but will instead be investigated and managed using our separate staff policies and protocols.
*Remember, depending on the subject you are complaining about, you may need to use the University process, such as for any kind of sexual misconduct.
When any complaint is received by the Students’ Union, we will make an immediate assessment of risk, and if appropriate carry out a full risk assessment which will include considering any precautionary measures.
Precautionary measures could include:
Our precautionary measures are victim-centred, seeking to promote an environment and culture where victims feel safe and supported.
Of course, we take the wellbeing of our members seriously; the investigating officer assigned to your complaint will be able to help you explore support options and you’re always encouraged to use the University Wellbeing Services which you can find here. We may automatically refer you to the University Wellbeing Services depending on the nature of your complaint. If you need support from us before making a complaint, please see our contact page for complaints.
We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of all our students including those who have been complained about, so you are also encouraged to use all the wellbeing services mentioned above. Even if you are subject to any precautionary measures, you are still able to access the Students’ Union Advice Service, although this may need to be remotely. You will be assigned a named contact in the Students’ Union to provide updates on the case.
In order to deal with formal complaints fully and fairly, it will usually be necessary to identify the complainant to those involved in the investigation and outcome decision. If your complaint is about someone else, they will usually be entitled to know who has complained about them, especially if the complaint progresses to a disciplinary hearing. At all times during investigations, confidentiality and discretion must be maintained by all those involved, regardless of the nature of the incident. Please come and talk to us if you’re nervous about making a complaint, we’ll support you through the whole process.
Of course, it’s not a normal part of everyday life to be submitting complaints and it’s usually because something has gone wrong so we completely understand we need to make the process as simple as possible. Please consult the flow diagram below for a simplified representation of the process.
