Do you have a complaint, suggestion, or question about the treatment you are receiving from Pawsitive Teams? Your good-faith complaints, questions, and suggestions are of interest to us so feel free to discuss your ideas or concerns with the Executive Director or use our complaint resolution process below.

CONCERNS, PROBLEMS, AND GRIEVANCES

A. FROM THE PUBLIC
1. Concerns, problems, or grievances emanating from the public must be immediately brought to the attention of the Executive Director in writing, who will review the basis for the complaint with the members of the Executive Committee and determine a path of resolution.
2. Any concerns that cannot be resolved by the Executive Director or Executive Committee will be presented to the Board of Directors for resolution.
3. The public should be informed of PT’s relationship with the Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and of the ADI Complaint Procedure listed below (part C of this policy).

B. FROM STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, APPLICANTS, AND GRADUATES
1. Concerns, problems, or grievances emanating from PT staff, volunteers, applicants, or graduates will be forwarded in writing to the chair of the appropriate program committee. If the issue cannot be resolved by the appropriate program committee it should be referred to the Executive Director who will review the issue with the Executive Committee and, if necessary, seek a resolution by the Executive Board. If the issue is from a staff member, it should be referred to the Chair of the Board of Directors.
2. Should the need for external recourse arise, PT will inform the concerned party of the following ADI Complaint Procedure listed below (part C of this policy).

C. ADI COMPLAINT POLICY AND PROCEDURE

“Members of Assistance Dog International (ADI) are expected to observe the ADI Standards. It is a sound personal and business management principle that problems/disputes should most often be handled at the lowest level directly with the parties involved. It is expected that all ADI (accredited and candidate) members have an agency complaint/grievance policy and ADI encourages complainants to exercise this avenue when differences arise. “
“Should a satisfactory resolution of a complaint not be reached within the mechanism provided by the ADI Accredited Member or Candidate program, the complainant may file a formal complaint with ADI. The ADI Executive Director receives a written complaint form and recommends to the ADI program that they make every attempt to resolve the situation. ADI does not judge the merits or attempts to resolve a complaint. ADI is concerned that the ADI Accredited member or Candidate program meets our ADI Standards and has a complaint policy and practices a procedure which offers the complainant an avenue of appeal up the chain of command to the board of directors of the program. ADI does not have the investigative expertise or resources to mediate or resolve complaints.” “The ADI Executive Director will send the formal complaint to the program including supportive documents and request a response from the program within one month. A copy of the complaint and the program response will remain on file and it will be reviewed when the next ADI accreditation survey is conducted.”
“It should be noted that the above Assistance Dog International procedure is reserved for applicants/clients/graduates and volunteers. This is not a system designed to settle labor disputes between employee and employer. It is only specific to the ADI Standards. ADI does not accept complaints regarding the decision of programs when accepting clients unless the complaint violates ADI Standards.”

Any inquiries regarding Pawsitive Teams, Inc.’s complaint policy should be brought to the attention of:

Dr. Eileen Heveron
Executive Director
Pawsitive Teams, Inc.
7031 Carroll Road
San Diego, CA 92121
[email protected]
Phone 858-558-7297
Fax 858-558-7298