Casselman Minor Hockey Association (CMHA)
Complaint Policy and Procedures
 
Last Updated: March 2015

The following document explains the process for complaint resolution within the Casselman Minor Hockey Association (CMHA).
Circumstances that may involve a criminal element are to be reported immediately to police authorities. Complaints can constitute several things, including but not limited to:

1. The identification of an incident or unacceptable behavior
2. The witnessing of a safety or risk related issue or situation
3. The identification of an ongoing process or action, by anyone, that poses a risk to the CMHA and\or its members.
4. Complaints can be directed at various entities (A team staff member, another parent, the CMHA, Etc…) 

POLICY

1. Coaches can decide whether or not they want to appoint a parent rep at the beginning of each season. The CMHA Executive reserves the right to insist that a coach appoint a parent rep. 
2. The role of a parent rep is to be an effective liaison between a complainant and the team staff.If a parent rep is appointed, he/she will manage all team-specific complaints by meeting with the complainant and then engaging the appropriate team staff. 
3. A 24-hour cooling off period is strongly recommended prior to this initial meeting. 
4. Parent reps or team staff members can obtain guidance regarding complaint resolution from the CMHA Executive. 
5. Complaints involving situations where children may be placed at risk are to be raised to the CMHA Executive as soon as possible. 
6. During tryout periods (prior to finalization of team), complaints are to be reported to the Casselman Vikings, Director of Risk & Safety. 
7. Complaints that are brought to the CMHA must be submitted in writing in order to be processed. Complainants are asked to follow-up with the CMHA if a confirmation of receipt has not been received within 2 days of filing the complaint. 
8. The CMHA has established a Risk, Safety, & Disciplinary (RSD) Sub-Committee by which all complaints are processed and heard.The RSD Committee reserves the right to enforce sanctions, impose corrective measures, and apply disciplinary actions to any CMHA member or other association members, following a thorough review of an alleged incident. 
9. A record of all confirmed incidents and resulting actions will be kept on file. 
10. The CMHA will treat all correspondence with due-diligence to protect the privacy of everyone involved.

PROCEDURES
STEP 1:
For a team-specific complaint, the complainant is to approach the parent rep (or coach) about the issue in a civil manner (keeping in mind the 24-hour cool-down period). The parent rep/coach hears the complaint and attempts to resolve it with the other team staff members. The CMHA expects the vast majority of all issues to be resolved at this level. If the problem is not resolved at this point, the complainant is to proceed to step 2. It is important to remember that timing can be critical when dealing with certain types of complaints or incidents. The faster the issues are identified and documented, the easier it will be to deal with appropriately and resolve efficiently.
 
STEP 2:
The complaint is to be documented indicating as much information as possible including
date\time of incident; location, description, and signature (note that anonymous complaints will be accepted, however, it is important to remember that the ability to react to such complaints
can be severely limited).
Complaints are to be sent to complaint@casselmanminorhockey.ca
Note that the CMHA may require that the complainant print the email and sign it for our records.
 
STEP 3:
The residing Chair of the RSD Sub-Committee will receive the complaint and facilitate a process
to properly investigate and resolve the issue (in coordination with all necessary resources). It
is important to note that complaints will normally be reviewed within a few days but may take
longer to properly investigate.
 
STEP 4:
The RSD Sub-Committee will meet, as necessary, to manage the complaint. This process may include a hearing and complainants or any other involved individuals may be called-in to discuss the situation and\or provide further details. Results of any outcomes will be sent, in writing, to the complainant.
 
Any further questions can be submitted to:
Casselman Minor Hockey Association
Risk, Safety, & Disciplinary Committee
complaint@casselmanminorhockey.ca

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