External Stakeholder Grievance Procedure

Clean Slate is committed to addressing external stakeholder concerns fairly, respectfully, and transparently.  Stakeholders may raise grievances relating to employees, contractors, or business operations without fear of retaliation.

Clean Slate employees should not use this procedure and instead follow the internal staff grievance policy as referred to in their contract of employment.

For safeguarding matters, do not use this procedure, instead for immediate assistance contact safeguarding@clean-slate.co.uk or call 01332 573555 and ask to speak to the safeguarding lead.

Accepted Grievances

We accept grievances relating to (for example):

• Discrimination or harassment
• Service quality or other business operational matters
• Health, safety, or environmental concerns
• Employee or contractor conduct
• Breaches of company policy or legal obligations

We may decline grievances that fall outside our operations, lack sufficient information, have already been resolved, or are considered malicious or knowingly false.

Grievance Process

1. 1. Submit – Grievances may be submitted by filling in our Google Form or in writing to our registered head office address: Clean Slate UK Ltd, Unit 1 Raynesway Park Dr, Raynesway, Derby, DE21 7BH.  For any safety matters that require an immediate response, you should call 01332 573555 and ask to speak to a director urgently.
   2. Acknowledgement – We aim to respond within 1 business day with a timescale for appropriate investigation, or reason why the matter was not accepted as a grievance to be investigated under this policy.
   3. Investigation – Accepted grievances are reviewed fairly and confidentially by Mike Armitage, the managing director.  We will review the information provided and, where appropriate, speak to the people involved.  The managing director’s decision shall be final, save that where the grievance concerns the managing director personally, it will instead be reviewed and decided by an independent person appointed by the board for that purpose.
   4. Resolution – We aim to provide the outcome within 20 business days of acknowledgement.  If more time is needed, we will explain why and give a revised date.  We will update the complainant at least every 10 business days until the grievance is closed.  The outcome will be given in writing, with our reasons and any action taken.
   5. Recording – All grievances are recorded in our grievance log, managed by Kate, our HR Manager.

Protection Against Retaliation

We prohibit retaliation against anyone raising a grievance in good faith.  Some concerns raised under this procedure may also amount to a protected disclosure under whistleblowing legislation (Part IVA of the Employment Rights Act 1996); where that applies, those statutory protections apply independently of the outcome of this procedure.

Confidentiality

All grievances are handled confidentially where reasonably practicable.  Information provided will only be shared with individuals directly involved in assessing, investigating, or resolving the grievance, unless disclosure is required by law.  Grievance records are securely stored, and access is restricted to authorised personnel only.  Personal data provided is handled in accordance with our privacy notice and retained for no longer than six years from the date the grievance is closed, in line with our data retention policy.

Review

This procedure (version 4) is dated September 2026 and will be reviewed by the Directors at least annually, and in any event by September 2027.

Approved by:

Mike Armitage, Managing Director

Date: 30 September 2026