- 13. A complaint that is raised outside of the three month time limit will be ‘out of time’ for consideration, and will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, e.g. where you are able to demonstrate clearly that you were unable to make the complaint sooner and within the three month time frame.
- 14. If there has been some delay with your complaint being investigated you are entitled to refer your complaint to the Head of Department. If the Head of Department is the person already dealing with your complaint please contact the Division for advice (graduate.studies@mpls.ox.ac.uk).
- Timescales and investigation steps
- 15. Once you have raised your complaint an acknowledgement will be sent to you as soon as possible and within five working days. The acknowledgement will include information on who will be dealing with the complaint and, if possible, provide an indication of preliminary steps and timeframe.
- 16. Your department should keep a written record of the complaint, but you are advised to keep your own records and to keep a copy of any written information sent to you at every stage of the process.
- a) If the complaint has been made in writing, the department will clarify any ambiguities in the written complaint with you. It may be appropriate to conduct an initial meeting with you so that all parties are clear what the complaint is about.
- b) If the complaint has been made orally, the department will summarise the complaint in writing and will send it to you as soon as possible with a request to clarify anything they may have misunderstood.
- c) If there are any inconsistencies or points that you do not agree with in any written communication you should note this in writing to the person dealing with the complaint as soon as possible.
- 17. If any meetings are scheduled to discuss the matter you are entitled to be accompanied by someone, e.g. a friend, your college advisor. You should notify the department of anyone who is going to accompany you and their relationship to you.
- 18. You will be contacted within ten working days of the complaint being made to update you on progress. The information will explain:
- a) Who is investigating the complaint and why this person is dealing with the complaint, e.g. they are the person responsible for dealing with student complaints of this type.
- b) What the department is going to do to investigate the complaint.
- c) How long it is expected to take, including when you should expect the next update.
- 19. The department will investigate the complaint, and gather any relevant information/evidence.
- a) You may be asked to provide evidence to substantiate the issues raised, where possible. The department will set out the types of evidence that may be required. This may include independent medical evidence, reports by professionals, financial information or witness statements, etc.
- b) The department will also gather any other relevant evidence from formal records, e.g. eVision, GSR, published information.
- c) The department may ask other parties to the complaint to give their perspective. However, before doing so, the department will inform you who is going to be made aware of the complaint prior to any information being disclosed. This may be in writing or meeting in person. If meeting in person, they will keep a record of what was said for the purpose of the investigation.
- i) If you object to information being disclosed to someone who is required for the complaint to proceed, the department may not be able to continue investigating the complaint or it may limit the action that can be taken (see complaint confidentiality section above).
- ii) All concerns raised are taken seriously and any information provided by yourself and other parties will be treated fairly.
- iii) Where other parties’ accounts have been provided these may conflict with what you have presented but will also be taken seriously and given consideration.