Engels Klachtenprocedure

Complaints committee and protocol for handling complaints Volksuniversiteit Breda

Volksuniversiteit Breda does its best to make sure all activities run smoothly, and yet sometimes things go wrong.  Expressing your dissatisfaction in a formal complaint is not pleasant, but it can be a stimulus for us to improve things. 
Definition complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction with a service rendered, a person or a product.

Verbal complaints

In the event that the complaint is directly related to the conduct of the class, we ask that you first consult with the teacher. 

Should you and the teacher not come to an agreement, we will ask you to submit the complaint in writing and the formal complaint procedure will take effect.  

1.       General 
Students who have complaints about an activity of Volksuniversiteit Breda can turn to the complaints committee. The complaints committee can be reached at the following address and by mail:

Complaints Committee Volksuniversiteit Breda, Molenstraat 6, 4811 GS Breda.  Mail address: mt.konsten@volksuniversiteit.nl.

 2.      Composition
The Complaints Committee consists of three people. Two independent external members, one of whom is the chairman of the committee, as well as a member of the Board of the Volksuniversiteit Breda.

 3.      Objective of the complaints committee 
The objective of the Complaints Committee is the adequate handling of the complaint(s) and the feedback of the results to all parties involved.

  4.    Protocol
Definition complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about a service rendered, a person or a product of Volksuniversiteit Breda.

Complaints can be submitted in writing via e-mail or by post. The details of the complaints committee can be found under the heading 'general'. 

Anonymous complaints will not be dealt with. A complaint must be accompanied by the name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the complaint, i.e. the person directly involved.

Upon receipt of the complaint, this will be confirmed in writing/mouth to the complainant by the director.

The complaints committee will first check the admissibility of the complaint: is the complaint caused by the actions of Volksuniversiteit Breda?

The complaint committee will then assess the content of the complaint.  For this purpose, the committee will, if desired, contact the complainant or other parties involved. In case the complaint concerns the functioning of employees, volunteers and/or teachers of Volksuniversiteit Breda, a hearing will take place in consultation with the director. In case of far-reaching financial consequences, the Board of Volksuniversiteit Breda will be contacted.

The actual information obtained while dealing with the complaint will be recorded in writing by the Complaints Committee and communicated to the person(s) providing the information.  Providers of the information inform the complaints committee whether they agree with the representation.

After this, the committee makes a written decision about the complaint and notifies all parties involved, as well as the Board of Volksuniversiteit Breda, resp. the director, who takes care of implementation.

 5.   Appeals
If, in the opinion of the complainant, the complaint has not been handled satisfactorily, an appeal can be lodged with the Board of the Volksuniversiteit. The complainant can submit the appeal in writing to the Board of the Volksuniversiteit Breda within six weeks after the decision of the complaints committee.  A complaint to the Board will be handled and settled in writing within a period of one month (not including vacations). As part of this appeal, the Board may decide to have a further discussion with those involved. Decisions of the board are binding.

6.       Evaluation and adjustment 
This protocol and the functioning of the complaints committee will be evaluated once a year. This document is an appendix to the Internal Regulations of Volksuniversiteit Breda. This complaint regulation is in accordance with the national agreements made within Cultuurconnectie, the umbrella organization of national people's universities of which Volksuniversiteit Breda is a member.

Breda, Jan 2023