The Complaints Panel is a customer panel dedicated to improving the customer experience and overall performance of Riverside complaints service.

The group purpose is to:

• Support Riverside to continually improve its service to customers who make a formal complaint, by offering quality assurance feedback and scrutiny on Riverside’s complaint handling service to improve customer satisfaction.
• Scrutinise performance against the Complaints section of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard and provide validation on the organisation self-assessment.
• Monitor compliance with the Housing Ombudsman Service code of practice.
• Review outcomes from Ombudsman complaints and monitor Riverside actions to reduce maladministration.
• Ensure lessons learned are captured and improvement actions are delivered to prevent re-occurring complaints.
• Support with co-creating policies and procedures that will enhance the customer experience.

The group will aim to have up to twelve members and will aim to be representative of Riverside’s customer base in terms of geography, diversity and tenure.

One membership space will be reserved for a customer member of Customer Experience Committee and one further for a member of TRIP Members must be customers* of Riverside; although members have discretion to co-opt an independent member to bolster specialist knowledge, if required.

Membership will be for a two-year term with the option of a second one-year term, subject to a successful end of term membership review with the Customer Engagement team and, where appropriate, Complaints Panel Chair.

Membership will be via a selection process of application and interview, co-designed by customers and managed by Riverside.

Membership will potentially be forfeited if two formal meetings are missed during the annual year, without offering apologies, subject to individual circumstances and review.

The quorum is a minimum of four members, which should include the Chair or nominated Vice Chair.

6 formal meetings per year (Mixed economy Teams/Face to Face – Location of face-to-face meetings will vary, taking into consideration geography and location of customer representatives)

Ad hoc meetings outside of the formal meetings may need to be added based on current priorities and projects, which are encouraged to attend.

The Complaints Panel is a resident-led group that offers the resident or customer perspective on Riverside’s complaint handling process, offers improvement solutions and holds us to account for better performance. The Complaints Panel will:

• recommend service improvements that improve the customer experience of the complaints handling process
• review and monitor Tenant Satisfaction Measures linked to complaints
• advise on and support customer consultation on policies and procedures relating to complaints and compensation
• monitor and challenge performance information
• monitor and confirm that recommendations from the Ombudsman have been completed and that customers are satisfied with the outcomes
• review and analyse complaints trends in service area, demographics and geography, reporting customer priorities to TRIP and other Panels, where relevant
• contribute to service reviews, improvement plans, and resident communications, providing lived-experience insight into projects and programmes impacting customers
• review complaint compensation levels for fairness and equity
• review complaints journeys and responses for quality assurance purposes and
• recommend and track improvements from lessons learned
• hold Riverside to account for accessibility of services
• communicate with the engagement groups within the Customer Influence and Accountability Framework and receive engaged customer feedback via reports from the Scrutiny Group, Accessibility Group, Customer Communications Group and
  Homeownership Group when relevant to the complaints service
• maintain open dialogue and two-way communication throughout the Customer Influence & Accountability Framework to gather insights and reports relevant to the
  complaints service to influence improvement plans.
• help Riverside recognise the impact on customers when a complaint is made
• Work closely with the Repairs Panel and Service Charge Panel to ensure joined up priorities

The Complaints Panel plays a crucial role by incorporating lived experiences into influencing and providing quality assurance in relation to Riverside’s complaints service.

The Complaints Panel will provide a report to the Tenant and Resident Influence Partnership (TRIP) on key highlights, findings and escalations from the Customer Influence and Accountability Framework, aligning to the Assure, Advise and Alert reporting framework. This information will form part of TRIP’s reporting to Committees and Group Board.

A senior member (Head/Director/Chief Officer) of the Complaints service will attend the Complaints Panel as a regular member. Riverside staff from Complaints, Customer Service, Asset Service, Building Safety and Housing Services (others as necessary) will be requested to attend the Complaints Panel as required, dependent on current priorities.

The Customer Engagement Team will provide administrative support to the group.

These terms of reference will be reviewed annually by the Customer Engagement team and every three years by the Customer Experience Committee