Complaints

We are sorry that you feel you need to make a complaint. We are committed to providing the best possible experience for our members, and your feedback is important in helping us learn and improve.

Before making a complaint

Before submitting a complaint, please consider:

• Have you tried to resolve the issue informally, where it is appropriate and safe to do so?
• What specifically are you complaining about?
• What happened, and when did it happen?
• What would you like to happen as a result of your complaint?
• If you are making a complaint about a minor concern, what steps have you already taken to try to resolve the issue informally?

Complaints should normally be made as soon as possible and within 3 months of the incident or issue. In exceptional circumstances, we may consider complaints outside this timeframe, for example where the complaint concerns serious bullying or harassment, sexual misconduct or discrimination.

Level of Concerns

Level 1 – Informal resolution

Where appropriate, we encourage you to raise your concern directly with the person or people involved and try to resolve it informally. There is more information on how to do this here. 

If you are unable to resolve the matter informally, or it requires intervention from a UPSU staff member or Elected Officer, you may be able to escalate your concern to a formal complaint.

You will normally need to explain what steps you have taken to try to resolve the issue informally.

Level 2 – Minor concerns

Minor concerns are issues that have not been resolved informally and require intervention from UPSU.

Examples may include:

• Volunteer or inter society disagreements 
• Minor concerns about social media posts shared on UPSU owned platforms or UPSU related email addresses (unless they breach the 2010 Equality Act)
• Minor misconduct such as (but not limited to): use of offensive language, being rude to others either in person or on social media/messaging, low risk health and safety concerns e.g not signing a risk assessment 
• Where you feel the offense may be unintentional
• Where the issue has not been resolved informally (you will need to articulate what measures you have taken at the informal resolution stage)

If you are making a Level 2 complaint, you should explain what steps you have taken to try to resolve the matter informally.

Level 3 – Major concerns

Major concerns can be submitted directly as a formal complaint without first attempting informal resolution.

Examples may include:

• Repeated or large scale examples of minor concerns
• Breaches of Code of Conduct 
• Bullying or harassment
• Assault
• Discrimination
• Repeated level 2 concerns after warnings have been issued 
• Reputational damage to the Students’ Union

If your complaint relates to a crime, safeguarding concern, a serious breach of the University Student Conduct Policy, or involves a minor, UPSU may refer the matter to the University, Police or another appropriate organisation. Where this happens, you will be informed.

Definitions: 

• Bullying is behaviour that is continuous, offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting. Bullying can also be an abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone
• Harassment is behaviour that violates a person's dignity, and creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person. Harassment can be related to one of more of the nine protected characteristics or sexual harassment 
• Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on one or more of the nine protected characteristics
• Assault is when a person inflicts violence on someone else or makes them think they are going to be attacked. It does not have to involve physical violence and can be threatening words or body language 

Investigating officers will review all complaints that are submitted and may refer you back to the Informal Resolution stage if your complaint is in relation to a Level 2 (Minor Concern). It is the responsibility of the investigating officer to determine the level of the complaint. The investigating officer may choose to take no further action if they believe that your complaint does not meet at least Level 2 (Minor Concerns) requirements and can be resolved informally. 

How to submit a complaint

To submit a complaint about an Elected Officer, the Students' Union as a collective, or a member of UPSU staff, please click here.

To submit a complaint about a UPSU Student Group, Student Group Committee Member, Student Group Member, or other UPSU student representative/volunteer, please click here.

Please provide as much relevant information as possible, including the incident(s) you are complaining about, dates, people involved, any action you have already taken to resolve the matter, and the outcome you would like to see.

What happens after you submit a complaint?

Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days. We will let you know what the next steps are and, where possible, provide an indication of the expected timescale.

Where possible, investigations into Student Group/volunteer complaints will be completed within 20 working days. If this is not possible, for example because of availability or extenuating circumstances, you will be informed and given a revised timescale.

For complaints about UPSU as a collective, investigations will normally be completed within 28 days, where possible.

Complaints that are dealt with elsewhere

The UPSU Student Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure does not apply to every type of complaint.

Complaints about the University of Portsmouth

If your complaint is about the University of Portsmouth, its staff or the University as a collective body, you should follow the University's student complaints procedure here.

Complaints about another University student

If your complaint is about a University of Portsmouth student who is not acting in a UPSU elected or appointed role, or the complaint is unrelated to UPSU activity, you should report this through the University's Report and Support tool.

Course Representatives

For complaints involving Course Reps, please contact the Associate Dean of Students of that Faculty, or follow the Student Conduct Policy.

School Representatives

For complaints about School Representatives School Rep please follow the UoP Staff Grievance Policy.

UPSU Trustees

Complaints about Trustees, including Student Trustees, should be sent to clerk@upsu.net. Further details can also be found in Article 20 (Page 13) of the Articles of Association here. 

UPSU Elections

Complaints about the conduct of the UPSU Elections process are issued by the Returning Officer. These will be formally launched in the election notice which is issued on the main UPSU webpage prior to elections. Further detail can also be found in Byelaw 5

UPSU commercial partners

Complaints about UPSU commercial partners should be directed to hello@upsu.net, where they will be directed to the appropriate process.

Complaints from members of the public

Complaints from members of the public should be sent to hello@upsu.net.

Full policy

The full UPSU Student Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure is available here.