Grievance Procedure

The written grievance should contain the following:

a. A description of the problem.
b. The date of the incident(s).
c. Name of individual(s) involved in or witnessing the incident(s).
d. The volunteer’s suggested resolution.
e. The date the grievance is filed with the volunteer’s signature.

To deal with complaints from individuals, community members and/or organizations regarding negligence or misconduct related to a volunteer advocate’s duties under Section 107.002 of the Texas Family Code the following grievance procedure shall be followed:

1. If a grievance is lodged against a Voices for Children, Inc. volunteer, it will be dealt with in
   the following manner:
   1. The grievance will be directed to the volunteer’s immediate supervisor and the Program Director will be notified of the grievance.
   2. The matter shall be reviewed and resolved by the immediate supervisor, with the Program Director and/or the Executive Director being consulted as appropriate.
   3. Each level of review and resolution will include contact with both the complainant and the volunteer.
   4. Any grievances lodged against a volunteer which the immediate supervisor is unable to resolve will be referred to the Program Director for resolution. If necessary, the Program Director will defer the matter to the Executive Director.
   5. Once the matter is addressed, a written reply stating that the grievance has been received and resolved shall be sent to the complainant, with copies provided to the Executive Director, Program Director, volunteer and Board of Directors as appropriate to the chain of command by which the matter was handled.
2. If a volunteer has a grievance against their Voices for Children, Inc. SUPERVISOR or another member of Voices for Children, Inc. staff, it will be addressed in the following manner:
   1. The volunteer should address their grievance with the SUPERVISOR directly.
   2. After the volunteer initially takes their grievance to the SUPERVISOR, the SUPERVISOR will attempt to resolve the grievance to the satisfaction of the volunteer.
   3. If resolution is achieved by the SUPERVISOR, an explanation of the matter will be documented in the volunteer’s file, with a copy provided to the Program Director and the volunteer.
   4. If the SUPERVISOR fails to resolve the matter, the SUPERVISOR will defer it to the Program Director in writing. If resolution is achieved by the Program Director, an explanation of the matter will be documented in the volunteer’s file, with a copy to the SUPERVISOR and the volunteer.
   5. The Program Director will discuss the matter with the SUPERVISOR prior to taking any action.
   6. Any grievances which neither the SUPERVISOR nor Program Director are able to resolve will be deferred to the Executive Director. If resolution is achieved by the Executive Director, an explanation of the matter will be documented in the volunteer’s file, with a copy to the SUPERVISOR, Program Director and volunteer.
   7. If the Executive Director cannot resolve the issue, it will be deferred to the Board of Directors. If resolution is achieved by the Board of Directors, an explanation of the matter will be documented in the volunteer’s file, with a copy to the SUPERVISOR, Program Director, Executive Director, and the volunteer.
3. If a grievance is lodged against a Voices for Children, Inc. staff member, it will be addressed in the following manner:
   1. The grievance will be directed to the staff member’s immediate supervisor for resolution. The supervisor will notify the Executive Director of the grievance.
   2. The matter shall be reviewed by the supervisor.
   3. Review and resolution of the problem will include contact with both the complainant and the staff member involved.
   4. A written reply shall be made to the complainant, with copies provided to the Executive Director and the staff member involved.
   5. Any grievances that the immediate supervisor cannot resolve will be deferred to the Executive Director. The Executive Director will provide a written report of the resolution to the complainant, involved staff member and the direct supervisor of the staff member.
   6. Any grievances that the Executive Director cannot resolve will be deferred to the Board of Directors. The President of the Board will provide a written report of the resolution to the complainant, Executive Director and involved staff member(s).
4. If a grievance is lodged against the Executive Director or a Board member, it will be addressed in the following manner:
   1. The Executive Board of Directors will be notified and will review and resolve the matter in such a way that includes contact with the complainant and the Executive Director or the board member involved.
   2. The Executive Board of Directors will provide a copy of the written response to the matter signed by the Board President to the Executive Director, board member and the Board of Directors.
   3. In the event of a grievance against a board member, the member shall remove him/herself from the review and resolution of the grievance.

The person who filed the grievance must be informed of the resolution in writing, and the Voices for Children, Inc. should keep a written record of all grievances filed against volunteers, staff members, the Executive Director, and board members.

Malicious Allegations: An individual is not required to prove the truth of an allegation, but they are required to act in good faith. Any individual who does not act in good faith in reporting a suspected violation may be subjected to disciplinary action.

Time Frame: It is recommended that the individual filing the grievance do so within seven days of the incident in question and that the person in charge of resolving the grievance do so within two weeks of the opening of the grievance.

Although not all problems can be resolved to everyone’s total satisfaction, it is through open discussion of problems that staff and volunteers develop confidence in each other. This confidence is important to the operation of an efficient and harmonious environment that benefits all parties.