This page is a supplement to our Conduct Policy, acting as a guide to submitting a complaint, the process QuidditchUK follows, and what to do if you're unhappy with the conclusion reached. Any questions or concerns about the issues raised in this policy should be directed to the Volunteers Director.
Updated: August 2023
If you're in any doubt as to whether something warrants a complaint, in the first instance you should approach a trusted QuidditchUK volunteer confidentially, on an informal basis. If you're unsure who to contact, any of the people listed below will be happy to help. The volunteer will be able to advise you as to the most appropriate form of potential further action, in which case the matter will be dealt with formally.
It may be possible that what's happened can be dealt with by talking to the offending person(s). However, this may not work or you may not wish to confront the individual(s) concerned, in which case you should use the procedure set out below.
Below is a list of people you should contact to report the allegation, in order of relevance:
You may also use the Contact Us form on our website; this will be sent to the Secretary who will triage it to a relevant volunteer without a conflict of interest.
Please note that, while QuadballUK will always do our best to investigate complaints thoroughly, complaints become increasingly difficult to manage with the passage of time. Players may move onto other teams or leave the sport, and witness testimony becomes less reliable with time. For these reasons we recommend that, where possible, complaints be made within six months of the relevant incident to ensure the best chance of a productive investigation. In cases where early reporting is not possible, we will still do our utmost to develop a fair conclusion within the limitations that the passage of time can bring about.
If you've been advised on making a complaint when you were unsure (stage 1) and then or otherwise formally made a complaint (stage 2), QUK has a disciplinary process it follows to ensure all complaints are dealt with swiftly and fairly. Each stage of this process is numbered, corresponding to point 3.x of our Conduct Policy, and summarised below.
Someone from QUK without a conflict of interest is chosen to carry out the investigation and assess the complaint. This could be the person you initially reached out to, but it could be someone else. For complaints of a severe/sensitive nature, two assessors may be chosen.
If it's appropriate and both parties agree, mediation is offered. This is a chance for those involved to sit down with QUK and discuss the issue at hand, and try to reach a resolution without formal action.
The assessor carries out the investigation with the aim of getting a full picture of what happened. This may involve speaking further with you, talking to other involved parties, and potentially the subject of the complaint.
The person(s) assessing the complaint and another member of EMT, who has been previously uninvolved, decide whether any offences potentially worthy of disciplinary action have taken place; if not the process skips straight to producing the report (stage 8).
If offences have taken place, the person assessing the complaint will decide what action to recommend. This could be a written warning, a review of practice, match suspensions, etc.
The person assessing the complaint writes up a report, summarising the findings of the investigation and any recommended actions. This is done within 14 days of the original complaint being submitted.
The report is reviewed by an uninvolved member of EMT to check that it's reasonable, clear, and consistent with QUK core values. This is done within 7 days of the initial report draft.
Copies of the report are then sent to you, the subject of the complaint, and QUK President. There's then a window (usually 2 weeks) in which you or the subject of the complaint can appeal the findings of the investigation and/or the recommended action (stage 10). If no appeal is made, the process is concluded (stage 15).
If either the person submitting the complaint or the subject of the complaint emails the assessor to appeal within the set window (stage 10), the process moves to a disciplinary hearing. Here further volunteers within QUK are involved in examining the situation in the following additional stages.
A disciplinary committee of around 4 EMT members is formed, the exact number and who depends on the nature of the complaint. This committee will be in charge of reassessing the complaint.
A hearing is held within 2 weeks of an appeal being registered. This is a meeting where each person appealing is given 15 minutes to say why they appealed, and the committee will ask them any clarifying questions.
The committee will then vote on what to do; this may be upholding the original decision, changing the recommended action, or dismissing the complaint if they deem no offence took place.
The initial report produced (stage 8) is amended to list who was on the disciplinary committee and detail any changes that resulted from it. These are distributed again to the relevant individuals.
When this is done, the disciplinary process is considered concluded (stage 15). Decisions made by a disciplinary committee cannot be appealed further at this point to QUK, though they can be further appealed to the IQA (see below).
Once QUK's process has finished (stage 15), any recommended action is carried out immediately.
If it's judged as safe and appropriate to do so, the assessor of the complaint will ask the submitter of the complaint whether they consent to the report being published on the Conduct Policy webpage. If no reply is received, the report will not be published.
The purpose of this is to allow other people to see how potentially similar complaints to ones they have were handled in the past. It also, for example, allows external event organisers to see whether there are any outstanding match bans against QuidditchUK members.
If you are unhappy with the results of a disciplinary hearing, or otherwise think QUK have handled your complaint poorly, you may further appeal to the Internal Quadball Association (IQA), in line with their harassment policy (sections 6.d, 10).
QUK will not publish assessment reports when it knows there is currently or soon to be an appeal to the IQA. Thus, when intending to appeal to the IQA, please notify QUK of your intent to do so as soon as possible.