The National Archive strives to satisfy the needs of its clients, but recognizes that there may be occasions when actions carried out by the organisation or its´ staff will not meet the reasonable expectations of the public. The policy and procedures set out below are to be used to deal with general complaints about the the institution or the service it provides. Please note that complaints regarding FOI requests are handled through the Internal Review Process and the Ombudsman Cayman Islands.
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction that relates to the standard service, actions or inaction by the Cayman Islands National Archive or its staff. Complaints can be made by an individual client or group of clients either verbally or in writing. All complaints will be formally recorded.
Formal complaints can be made in the form of a letter to the National Archive or alternatively, clients may wish to fill in and submit a complaints form in person, or by mail. Verbal complaints can be made in person or via the telephone.
Written complaints must be clear and state the nature of the issue including individuals involved, dates, times, etc. Contact details (mailing address, telephone numbers, email, etc.) are required and all such complaints must be signed and dated in order to be processed as promptly as possible.
If the National Archive is unclear about any part of the formal complaint at any point, clients may be contacted to provide further clarification before a full investigation can be conducted.
When your complaint has been received it will be processed in the following manner:
An acknowledgement letter will be sent out within 5 business days of receiving a complaint.
The matter will be investigated and a full response will be sent out within 15 business days of receiving the complaint.
Where a full response cannot be made within 15 business days, the client will be notified of the progress of the complaint and advised when a response can be expected.
All parties involved will be given an opportunity to provide the Archive with the necessary information to resolve the issue. All information will be gathered as appropriate to the case.
All attempts will be made to handle complaints with confidentiality and sensitivity. In exceptional circumstances it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality in order to resolve the issue. Should this be the case, the client will be consulted to discuss available options.
The National Archive will send a response to clients in writing, to advise of the out-come of the complaint process. Correspondence will be clearly written providing details of the investigation and the decision made. Complaints may be resolved in various ways including:
Issuing a formal apology
Provision of a particular service to client
Changing or implementing procedures to prevent similar issues arising in the future
Not accepted.
Where you are not satisfied with CINA's response to your complaint you can contact the Ombudsman of the Cayman Islands. This is an independent office which investigates allegations of maladministration causing injustice to the complainant.