1. The Aim

The aim of this policy is to enable service providers, service users and all stakeholders to forward any complaints that they may encounter in the provision of Child Day Care (CDC) Services to ensure the best interests of all concerned, above all, the best interest of the children. A complainant should initially level his/her complaint with the Child Care Centre management in order to seek redress therefrom, failing which the complainant may pursue the concern with the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education within the Ministry for Education and Employment, complete with supporting documentation of that is of relevance to the complaint.

2. Defintation

A complaint can be defined as a form of dissatisfaction with a service provided by a Child Day Care Facility or its staff. The Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE) will only investigate complaints related to non-compliance with the National Standards for Child Day Care Facilities, issued in July 2006.

3. Complaints Received

The Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE) receives complaints from complainants through the following channels:

• E-mail on [email protected]
• Telephone numbers: (356) 2598 1424

Personal information provided on the Complaint Form​ is protected and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act (Cap.440).

There is a time limit for making a complaint. The MEDE will not investigate complaints if these are not submitted within seven (7) working days from the date of occurrence. Any complainant submitting a complaint after this stipulated period will have to give valid reasons to justify late submission.

Should a complainant wish to remain anonymous, his/her anonymity will be respected, however the department will then be unable to provide feedback to the complainant on any action taken. All complaints will be dealt with in the most confidential manner.

4. Procedure

1. All complaints received by the DQSE, any action taken and the outcome of investigations will be logged in the Complaints Register kept by the DQSE..
2. All complaints or complaint forms received by DQSE are date stamped and registered by the Administrative Office of the Department. Whenever the complainant supplies his/her personal details, an acknowledgment is sent within one working day of receipt.
3. A copy of the complaint is filed in the Administration File, while the original is inserted in the Child Day Care file of the facility against which the complaint has been made.
4. If a complainant telephones DQSE, the details of the complaint, including the particulars of the person making the complaint will be registered on the appropriate form and processed in accordance with Point 3.
5. Thereafter the file is forwarded to the designated person within DQSE for file allocation and subsequent investigation. The designated person will inform the complainant of the details of the assessors designated to carry out the investigation within three working days of receipt.
6. The DQSE will try to resolve the complaint within twenty-eight working days from the date that the complaint is received by DQSE.
7. If DQSE is unable to resolve the complaint within the twenty-eight working days the complainant will be informed of the reasons for the delay and a new completion date will be indicated.
8. The DQSE will do its best to resolve all complaints as quickly as possible.

5. Outcome of Investigations

1. At the end of this process, assessors from the DQSE will prepare a complaint investigation report. The outcome of the investigations will be discussed with the DQSE. Thereafter, the DQSE will contact and inform the complainant about the main findings and outcomes together with any action taken. The DQSE will also contact the Service Provider concerned in the complaint, stating the nature of the complaint, the conclusions and recommendations and also stating the action the facility is expected to take, if applicable. The complaint investigation report is to be attached to the complaint form and inserted in the CDC file.
2. According to the nature of the complaint, assessors from the DQSE will, within a specific timeframe follow-up to confirm that the facility has taken the necessary remedial action, if applicable.