Complaints policy and procedure

1. Purpose

The Highland Cattle Society ("the Society") is committed to providing a fair, transparent and consistent process for handling complaints. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that complaints are dealt with promptly, impartially, and confidentially, and that all parties are treated with dignity and respect.

2. Scope

This complaints policy applies to complaints made by:

• Members of the Society;

• Employees, volunteers and office bearers;

• Judges, stewards and officials acting on behalf of the Society;

• Other organisations and members of the public.

This policy applies to complaints concerning:

• The actions or conduct of the Society, its members, representatives, officials, or volunteers;

• Alleged breaches of Society policies or codes of conduct.

This policy does not apply to:

• Decisions properly made by Trustees under the Society's Constitution;

• Employment matters, which are dealt with under employment policies;

• Safeguarding concerns, which will be referred immediately to the appropriate authorities and dealt with under safeguarding procedures.

3. Principles

The Society will ensure that complaints are:

• Taken seriously;

• Handled fairly, impartially and without discrimination;

• Dealt with as promptly as possible;

• Managed confidentially, with information shared only where necessary to investigate and determine the complaint;

• Recorded appropriately and retained in accordance with current relevant legislation.

4. Making a complaint

Complaints should be made as soon as possible and ordinarily within seven days of the matter arising. The Society may consider complaints made outside this period where there are reasonable grounds for the delay.

Complaints should be made to:

• The Breed Secretary, unless the complaint concerns that person;

• The President, unless the complaint concerns that person;

• The Vice-President, unless the complaint concerns that person.

Complaints may initially be made orally, but the Society will require a written complaint to be received before commencing a formal investigation.

The complaint should include:

• The name and contact details of the complainant;

• Details of the matter being complained about;

• Dates, locations and names of any persons involved;

• Copies of any relevant evidence;

• The outcome sought.

The complaint must be accompanied by a £20 admin fee.

Where a complaint is made on behalf of another person, written authority from that person must be provided at the time of submission.

5. Informal resolution

Where appropriate, the Society may seek to resolve complaints informally through discussion, clarification or mediation. Informal resolution may not be appropriate in cases involving serious misconduct, safeguarding concerns, harassment, bullying, discrimination or matters likely to bring the Society into disrepute.

6. Formal investigation

If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, or if the complaint is of a sufficiently serious nature, the President shall appoint a Complaint Review Panel consisting of not fewer than three Trustees, who:

• have had no prior involvement in the matter;

• have no actual or perceived conflict of interest; and

• are able to consider the matter impartially.

If the complaint concerns the President, the Vice-President shall appoint the Panel.

The Panel shall establish the facts on the balance of probabilities.

The Panel may:

• request written statements;

• interview relevant individuals;

• seek further evidence; and

• obtain professional or legal advice, where necessary.

7. Rights of the respondent

Any individual who is the subject of a complaint shall:

• be informed of the nature of the complaint;

• be provided with sufficient details to enable them to respond;

• have the opportunity to submit evidence and representations; and

• be accompanied at any meeting by a person of their choosing, if they wish.

8. Meetings

The Panel may invite the complainant, respondent, and/or any relevant witnesses to attend meetings. The Panel may determine the format of meetings and whether meetings are conducted in person or electronically.

9. Outcome

Following its investigation, the Panel shall prepare a written report and recommend one or more of the following:

• no further action;

• informal resolution;

• an apology or clarification;

• recommendations for improvements to procedures;

• referral to another Society policy or process;

• referral for to the Board of Trustees for disciplinary action;

• any other action considered reasonable and proportionate.

The outcome shall be communicated in writing to the complainant and the respondent, subject to confidentiality and data protection requirements.

The Society will aim to conclude investigations within four weeks of receiving the formal complaint. Where this is not possible, the parties will be updated on progress and given an indicative timescale.

10. Appeals

A complainant or respondent who is dissatisfied with the outcome may appeal in writing within fourteen days of receiving the decision.

Appeals may only be made on one or more of the following grounds:

• significant new evidence has become available; or

• a procedural error occurred; or

• the decision is deemed unreasonable in light of the evidence presented.

The appeal shall be heard by Trustees who have had no previous involvement in the matter, and who have no conflict of interest.

The appeal outcome shall be communicated in writing to the complainant and the respondent, subject to confidentiality and data protection requirements and cascaded to the Board of Trustees for information.

The Society will aim to conclude appeal investigations within four weeks of receiving the formal complaint. Where this is not possible, the parties will be updated on progress and given an indicative timescale.

The appeal decision shall be final.

If no appeal is received within fourteen days of receiving the decision the matter shall be considered closed, and the outcome cascaded to the Board of Trustees for information.

11. Vexatious or malicious complaints

The Society reserves the right not to proceed with complaints that are considered to be malicious, frivolous, vexatious, or an abuse of process.

12. Records and confidentiality

The Society will maintain confidential records of complaints and their outcomes in accordance with applicable current relevant legislation.

Records will be retained only for as long as necessary and access will be restricted to those with a legitimate need to know.

13. Review

This policy shall be reviewed by Council every five years, or sooner if required by changes in legislation, governance requirements, or other circumstances.

v1.0 September 2026