Complaints procedure

If something about Delta Training — a session, our conduct, our communications, or our website — has let you down, we want to know. This page tells you exactly how to tell us, what we’ll do with it, and how long we’ll take.

Last reviewed: April 2026 · Next review: April 2027

Our promise

We promise to:

  • Take every complaint seriously, even if we end up disagreeing with it.
  • Acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days.
  • Give you a full response within 15 working days, or tell you sooner if we need longer and why.
  • Treat you with respect and not penalise you for raising a concern — including never refusing a future booking because of a complaint.
  • Be honest. If we got it wrong, we'll say so in writing. If we disagree, we'll explain why.

What counts as a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about:

  • The quality, content or conduct of a Delta Training session (public or private).
  • The behaviour of the facilitator or anyone acting on our behalf.
  • Our communications — emails, phone calls, social media, our website.
  • How we handled a safeguarding concern you raised.
  • How we handled your personal data or a data subject request.
  • Any fee, refund, or invoice related to a Delta Training booking.

You do not need to have been the attendee to make a complaint. Family members, carers, host organisations, and professionals acting on behalf of an attendee can all raise a concern.

There is no cost, and you don’t need to use a solicitor or a particular form of words.

How it works, step by step

1

Tell us, informally if you can

If it’s something small — a fact you think we got wrong in a session, a follow-up email that didn’t arrive, a venue issue — please tell us directly first. Most of the time we can fix it straight away.

  • Email hello@deltatraining.co.uk. Please put “Complaint” in the subject line.
  • Phone 01438 000 000.
  • Write to us at the postal address on request (we don’t publish the home address of the sole trader online; we’ll give it to you by email).
2

We acknowledge within 3 working days

You’ll get a short email back confirming we’ve received the complaint, who is looking at it, and when you can expect a full response.

If your complaint is about the lead facilitator personally and you would prefer it to be reviewed by someone independent, say so at this stage. We will appoint an independent reviewer (a named trusted professional outside Delta Training) within 5 working days and tell you who they are.

3

We investigate

Between the acknowledgement and the full response we will:

  • Read everything you’ve sent us carefully.
  • Check our own records: session attendance, emails, notes in the safeguarding log where relevant.
  • Speak to the host organisation if the session was delivered at their venue and they witnessed what happened.
  • If it would help, offer you a phone call or a face-to-face conversation.
4

We give you a full written response within 15 working days

The response will cover:

  • What we understood your complaint to be.
  • What we found.
  • Whether we’re upholding the complaint in full, in part, or not.
  • What we’re going to do about it — apology, refund, change to our process, training, or policy.
  • How you can escalate if you’re not satisfied.

If we need longer than 15 working days — for example, because someone central is on leave or the investigation is complex — we’ll tell you before the deadline, explain why, and give you a new date.

5

If you’re not happy with the response

Tell us within 20 working days of receiving our response and we will arrange an independent review by someone outside Delta Training. This might be:

  • A named trusted professional (for example, a safeguarding lead at a host organisation where you attended the session).
  • The relevant external body (see below), which you can always go to directly.

Going to an external body

You do not have to complain to us first. For some kinds of complaint, going directly to the right regulator is sensible.

  • Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

    For complaints about how we handled your personal data, cookies, or a subject access request.

    0303 123 1113 · ico.org.uk

  • Trading Standards (via Citizens Advice)

    For complaints about fee transparency, misleading claims, or refunds we have refused.

    0808 223 1133 · citizensadvice.org.uk

  • Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board

    If a Delta Training session has caused harm to a vulnerable adult, or if we mishandled a safeguarding concern you raised in Hertfordshire, you can raise this directly with the local safeguarding board.

    hertfordshiresab.org.uk

  • Local authority safeguarding team

    Outside Hertfordshire, the adult safeguarding team at the attendee's home council.

    Via the council's website

  • The commissioning organisation

    If a session was booked by a council, Age UK branch, or housing provider, you can complain directly to them — most have their own published complaints process that is often quicker than escalating via us.

    Ask the host organisation

Safeguarding concerns are different

If your concern is that an attendee is at risk of harm — not that Delta Training did something wrong, but that a person is in danger — please do not wait for a complaints investigation. Read our “worried about someone” page for who to ring now, and see our safeguarding policy for what we do when a concern is raised with us.

If someone is in immediate danger, dial 999.

What happens on our side

Every complaint is logged. The log records:

  • The date the complaint arrived and by what route.
  • A summary of what was raised.
  • Who looked at it and what they did.
  • The outcome, in one sentence.
  • Any changes to policy, process, or session content as a result.

Complaint records are kept for six years and then destroyed. We use anonymised summaries in our annual policy review — no identifying details are shared with host organisations or published anywhere.

If you’d rather not come to us first

If you are an attendee and the person you would normally complain about is the facilitator, you may prefer not to email us at all. That’s fine. You can go straight to:

  • The organisation that booked the session (if it was a private booking at a council, library, Age UK branch, etc.).
  • HertsHelp on 0300 123 4044 if the complaint involves a safeguarding concern in Hertfordshire.
  • The police on 101 (or 999 for immediate danger) if you believe a crime has taken place.

Commissioners and host organisations

If you are a commissioner reviewing Delta Training before booking, our complaints log summary from the last 12 months, along with our safeguarding policy and insurance documents, is available on request. Email hello@deltatraining.co.uk.