Since 2012 all Scottish housing associations have been following the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman's (SPSO) Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP). This has recently been updated, with the new version adopted by Melville in March. There are no major changes to the way we handle complaints (2 stages and then the option to appeal to the SPSO) but they do add clarity and provide greater detail than the previous guidance. 

Following a consultation across all sectors that it covers, the MCHPs were revised to:

• standardise the core text across all of Scotland’s public services (to remove minor inconsistencies in how the MCHP operates within different sectors), while retaining individualised sector-specific content and examples in each version
• take on board feedback from organisations under jurisdiction (via a consultation survey and individual feedback from contacts with SPSO)
• resolve issues identified in casework
• take on board recent research and good practice in exploring alternative resolution approaches, promoting positive complaint behaviours and improving access to complaints for vulnerable groups

Find out more about the way Melville handles complaints and the new MCHP.