Conference Agenda Oct 2021 PRINT - Flipbook - Page 44
Party. To this end, Wales Green Party, each Regional
Party and each Local Party is expected to have its
own Disputes, Complaints and Disciplinary policy
and procedure (DCDPP) that is compliant with the
Constitution of GPEW. GPRC shall provide model
DCDPPs, available in the GPRC Handbook and on the
members website, for adoption by any constituted
group that does not have an agreed DCDPP in place
which is compliant with the Constitution of GPEW.
Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC) can be asked by
members or groups within GPEW to provide mediation
for members who are in dispute in accordance with
DRC Standing Orders.
1.2 The GPEW shall have a Disciplinary Committee
known hereinafter as the “Committee”. The
Committee will handle all complaints of a disciplinary
nature which have not been resolved at Regional,
Local Party or other party group level and which have
been brought on one of the following grounds:
i) that a member has contravened the Constitution
of the Party as interpreted by Standing Orders
Committee (SOC);
ii) that a member has made a breach of one or more
of the number of Standards in the Party’s Code of
Conduct.
.3
There shall be a Complaints Manager2 who will
receive all complaints sent to the national party and
who is responsible for managing them according to
the Disputes and Complaint’s Process published on
the member’s website and these Standing Orders.
The Complaints Manager shall be the senior manager
whose job description specifies the processing of
complaints.
1.4 The Complaints Manager may delegate administration
of the management of complaints to the staff
member3 whose job description specifies that role.
The Complaints Manager is responsible for managing
the confidentiality surrounding a complaint with
respect to who may need to be informed to minimise
potential reputational or other recognised risks.
1.5 There shall be a Disputes and Complaints Referral
Group hereinafter known as the ‘the Referral Group’.
The Referral Group shall be made up of the Chair of
the Committee (or their Deputy), a Co-Chair of GPRC
and a nominated member of GPRC (or their nominated
deputy) GPRC Standing Orders will specify the
nomination process for the GPRC nominated members
of the Referral Group.
1.6 The Referral Group will consider whether a complaint
has been brought on one of the grounds specified
in 1.2 and decide on this basis whether it should be
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referred to the Committee, to another appropriate
body or be dismissed.
1.7 GPRC shall have a subcommittee acting as
the appeals body, entitled the GPRC Appeals
Subcommittee hereinafter known as the ‘Appeals
Committee’.
1.8 It is a requirement that the Complaints Manager,
the Governance Assistant, the Minuting Secretary,
members of the Referral Group, the Committee
and the Appeals Committee observe appropriate
confidentiality in relation to the consideration of
and communications concerning all complaints with
respect to who may need to be informed to minimise
potential reputational or other recognised risks.
1.9 It is a requirement that the Complaints Manager, the
Governance Assistant, the members of the Referral
Group, the Committee and the Appeals Committee
shall receive training in discrimination law, bias and
unconscious bias, and Safe Spaces.
1.10 If the Complaints Manager, the Governance Assistant
or any member of the Referral Group, the Committee
or the Appeals Committee has prior knowledge of a
particular complaint, complainant or respondent then
they must declare the existence of potential interest
to their line manager, the group or committee. In
such circumstances the member should give due
consideration as to whether they can remain fair and
impartial in considering the case, using guidance
available within the party. If they decide that they are
unable to make a fair and impartial decision, they
must recuse themselves from any further decisions
regarding the case.
1.11 Officers and staff of the Party should be aware of their
duty of care should they become aware of breaches
of the Code of Conduct and associated policies. In
this case, they should in the first instance signpost
affected members to the complaints policy. Members
who require support in making a complaint should
be signposted to and approach the Governance
Administrator for reasonable support in doing so.
Officers and staff will be able to make a complaint
even if they have not been personally disadvantaged,
though it is good practice to obtain consent from the
parties before doing so. Exceptions to this include
situations where there is an immediate risk of harm to
personal safety or safeguarding policy infringements
(see the Safeguarding Policy and below).
2. Composition and Meetings of the
Committee