Charter of Client Rights and Responsibilities

Our commitment to you and your responsibility to us

Thank you for choosing us.

Relative Connections (formerly Relative Connections) is a Trace and Intermediary Agency. We are delighted you have chosen us to support you on your journey to find and attempt to contact your person.

This guide is to ensure you understand our process. It sets a clear agenda as to what we can do to help you but also what we cannot do.

Our Values and Mission.

Our service is intended to bring resolution and happiness to people’s lives by reconnecting them with the people that matter most.    We only ever work with this aim in mind, and we work ethically and tirelessly towards this goal.   We ask our clients to come to the search with this same good intent. (Please see helpful leaflet ‘your intentions’).   We always strive for the best possible outcomes, but we may make mistakes along the way.  If you feel we have made an error, please contact us straight away and give us your feedback so that we can put problems right immediately.

What you have instructed us to do.

You have instructed us to attempt to locate and contact someone on your behalf.  We have explained our costs, and you have paid a non-refundable deposit. We will not process any further payments without contacting you first.

What happens next.

We have a clear process that we follow. This process keeps you, the person we are looking for and our organisation safe by adhering to ethical code of practice.   It also ensures the highest chance of a positive outcome.

The first step in the process as our client, is your consultation.  We will arrange this with you shortly. The consultation is an opportunity to collect further details and discuss your needs fully.

What we cannot do for you.

Our team follow a clear ethical and safeguarding process but there are situations we cannot control. We have explained and you have agreed you understand the following,

– We cannot control the outcome if your person does not respond when we contact them. We send a maximum of three letters when attempting contact.

– We cannot control the outcome of the search. We may identify that the person you are looking for has passed away or they may inform us that they do not wish to have any contact.

– We never visit properties as part of our service or pass on any personal data.

– We cannot speak to third parties about your search and will not do so

We can support you through these outcomes and work hard to maximise the chance of a positive outcome.

Our expectations of you.

Please treat our staff with the respect and kindness they will show you. Some searches are complicated and frustrating, but we will not accept abusive or threatening calls. Please talk to us if you think there is a problem so we can work with you to put this right.

If at any time we feel that you are not approaching the search with a respectful and reasonable attitude towards all involved, we reserve the right to close the search down.

To protect you.

If you are going through a vulnerable time, please tell us. We may ask a professional such as doctor, nurse, or counsellor to confirm it is safe to go ahead with your search. This may need to be on our file before we proceed.

We have a duty to protect vulnerable adults from exploitation. You must tell us about any vulnerabilities or special needs so we can support you and exercise our duty of care. This should be done during your consultation.

Please let us have diversity information in your consultation. This allows us to run a respectful service that meets your cultural needs. This can be any sensitivity around gender, race, ethnicity, disability, or any equality issue.

We have a counselling service to support you through the intermediary service through solution focussed counselling.    This does not address long term or enduring mental health issues.  We will endeavour to sign post you to any extra support you may need.  Please also see our website for signposting to supportive mental health services.  Please inform us if any problems arise for you in this regard.

Safeguarding.

Our team meet with a Safeguarding Consultant every week to make sure that we are keeping all parties safe.  We are trained in protection of vulnerable adults, and we are alert to exploitation of vulnerable people.  If you feel concerned about any aspect of safeguarding, please contact us immediately by e mailing sue@relativeconnections.co.uk.

If you are not happy at any point with our service you.

We have a clear complaints procedure. You should use this at any point if you do not feel you are getting the level of service you have paid for. The complaints procedure is on our website.

Time Frames.

We always endeavour to complete our work in a timely fashion. Sometimes there are unavoidable delays due to regulations. We will keep you posted of the reason for delays.

And finally.

Again, thank you for choosing our service. We find this framework of care allows us to do the best possible work for you as we strive to get you the best outcome.  We have a range of advice leaflets on our sister website www.joannanorthassociates.co.uk on every aspect of our Intermediary work in order to support you but please address any questions to us at info@relativeconnections.co.uk