Comments & Complaints Policy and Procedure

Burning Nights CRPS Support aims to provide high quality services that meet your needs. We believe we achieve this most of the time, but if we are not getting it right, please let us know.

We seek to deal with comments and complaints in a respectful, open, timely and responsible way within the constraints of our resources. This is integral to our commitment to transparency and accountability. In turn, Burning Nights CRPS Support expects people who make a complaint to communicate their concerns fairly and appropriately. 

In order to ensure our services remain at a high and improving standard, we have a procedure through which you can let us know if for any reason you are not satisfied with your dealings with the organisation.

We also welcome positive feedback. Please let us know if you are happy with Burning Nights CRPS Support ‘s services.

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of Burning Nights CRPS Support which is under the control of the Charity, its staff or volunteers – encompassing both our fundraising and advocacy work in the UK.

Introduction

Burning Nights CRPS Support views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person (or organisation) that has made the complaint.

Our policy is:

• To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint
• To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint
• To make sure everyone at Burning Nights CRPS Support knows what to do if a complaint is received
• To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way
• To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired
• To gather information which helps us to improve what we do

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How To Give Us Feedback

Please address your feedback (comment, suggestion or complaint) initially to our Charity Administrator. You can contact us in whichever way is most convenient to you: mail, phone or email via any of the details below.

Please remember to give us your name, address and contact telephone number. Please be respectful of our staff and volunteers when you give your feedback. We will not respond to feedback that is abusive or offensive.

Contact Details for Complaints

Written complaints may be sent to Burning Nights CRPS Support at: 

1 Alder Brook, Chinley, High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 6DN

Or by e-mail at: admin@burningnightscrps.org

Verbal complaints may be made by phone to: +44 (0) 1663 795055 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm | Voicemail available)

Or in person to any of Burning Nights CRPS Support staff or trustees at the same address as above or at any of our events.

What Happens After I Submit My Feedback?

Your feedback will be logged, and either answered directly by the Charity Administrator or passed to the Chair of Trustees as appropriate. If you have requested a response, we will aim to acknowledge your feedback within ten (10) working days. 

All feedback will be reported to staff, volunteers and the Board of Trustees, so that they can see any comments received and learn from them. Comments and compliments will also be recorded and may be shared within Burning Nights CRPS Support so we can use your feedback to improve the way we work.

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You can call us, write to us or email us about your complaint.

To help us investigate and address all complaints, we ask you to provide us with as much information as possible.

• The reason for your complaint
• Where and when what you’re complaining about happened
• The name(s) of anyone involved (if known)
• What outcome you are hoping for
• Your full contact details (name, address, daytime telephone number and/or email)

You can call us on 01663 795055 or email admin@burningnightscrps.org

If you would prefer to write, please send your complaint to: 

Chair of Trustees, 1 Alder Brook, Chinley, High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 6DN

We aim to respond in full to complaints within ten (10) working days. Where the matter requires more detailed investigation, we will respond in full within 28 days.

If, for any reason, you are not happy with the resolution of your complaint, then just reply to us, explaining why you were not satisfied with our response and what you would like us to do to put things right.

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Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have, such as social media. Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded.

The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should:

• Write down the facts of the complaint.
• Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number.
• Note down the relationship of the complainant to Burning Nights CRPS Support, e.g. donor, volunteer, sponsor.
• Tell the complainant that we have a complaints procedure.
• Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take.
• Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words.

What we will do on receiving your complaint

• We’ll listen, record your complaint and advise you how it will be handled.
• We’ll investigate whenever necessary. If the complaint involves a member of staff or volunteer, we will not divulge the name of the complainant during an investigation unless we are specifically given permission to do so.
• We’ll take action to resolve the problem and tell you what that action is.
• We’ll take steps to avoid a repeat occurrence.

At all times we will treat you with understanding and respect. We ask that you do the same for our staff and volunteers.

Confidential information in relation to your complaint will be handled sensitively.

We are not able to respond to anonymous complaints. We do not deal with matters for which the Charity is not directly responsible unless it involves a safeguarding issue.

Please note that Burning Nights CRPS Support does not use any cold calling techniques, directly or via third parties, as part of its fundraising activities.

Complaint response times

We would appreciate your understanding that, with limited resources, we cannot always respond to your complaint immediately, although we will whenever we can.

You will receive an initial acknowledgement and/or response within ten (10) working days of receipt of your complaint and we expect to resolve most problems in that time.

Where a more in-depth investigation is required, we aim to provide a full response within twenty (20) working days. If there are exceptional circumstances, where that is not possible, we will advise you.

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If you are not happy with Burning Nights CRPS Support, please tell us

If you are unhappy about any Burning Nights CRPS Support’s services, please speak to the relevant staff member, volunteer, trustee or Chair.

If you are unhappy with an individual in Burning Nights CRPS Support, sometimes it is best to tell them directly. If you feel this is difficult or inappropriate then speak to the volunteer or staff member's manager or the Chair of Trustees.

Often, we will be able to give you a response straight away. When the matter is more complicated, we will give you at least an initial response within five (5) working days.

Making A Written Complaint

If you are not satisfied with our response or wish to raise the matter more formally, please write to the Chair. If your complaint is about the Chair, please write to the Board of Trustees.

All written complaints will be logged. You will receive a written acknowledgement within three (3) working days.

The aim is to investigate your complaint properly and give you a reply within ten (10) working days, setting out how the problem will be dealt with. If this is not possible, an interim response will be made informing you of the action taken to date or being considered.

If after we have responded you are not satisfied, please write to the Chair who will report the matter to the next meeting of the Board of Trustees, which will decide on any further steps to resolve the situation.

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All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.

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Our commitment to you is to address each complaint in a sensitive, fair, transparent, equitable, professional and unbiased manner through the complaints handling process.

We will operate at all times from the premise that any person is entitled to express their views on our services and that those views should be taken seriously where this is warranted. We will not, however, tolerate any abusive or discriminatory language or behaviour towards any of our staff, and may decline to investigate a complaint further in such circumstances.

Stage 1

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate. Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the Chair of Trustees.

On receiving the complaint, if not already resolved, the Chair of Trustees will delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within five (5) working days. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaint’s procedure should be attached. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within fifteen (15) working days. If this is not possible, for example because an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is justified or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and (subject to the terms of Burning Nights CRPS Support’s Privacy Policy and Staff Privacy Policy) any action taken as a result of the complaint.

Stage 2

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage 1, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at Board level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Board of Trustees. The request for Board level review should be acknowledged within five (5) working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The Board of Trustees may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage 1. The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage 1 should be kept informed of what is happening.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within 20 (twenty) working days. If this is not possible, for example because an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

External Stage

As Burning Nights CRPS Support is a registered charity, the complainant can complain to the Charity Commission Regulator at any stage. Information about the kind of complaints the Charity Commission can involve itself in can be found on their website at: www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity

If you are dissatisfied with Burning Nights CRPS Support complaints process, you can contact the Charity Commission, who will be able to advise on whether they can provide guidance in the matter. Burning Nights CRPS Support's charity registration number is 1166522 (England and Wales).

The Charity Commission can be contacted at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission

If your complaint is about fundraising and you are not satisfied with the outcome of our internal procedure, you may contact the Fundraising Regulator within two (2) months of receiving our response. For details of how the Fundraising Regulator investigates complaints, visit www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/complaints

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Review of this Policy and Complaints Received

This policy will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees every 2 years and all complaints received (and compliments) will be brought before the Board for review at our regular Board meetings. Through this process of regular review we aim to improve our services to you and to ensure that any lessons learned are implemented within the organisation.

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.

Variation of the Complaints Procedure

The Board may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example a complaint about the Chair or a trustee should not also have the Chair and/or trustee involved as a person leading a Stage Two review.

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May 2022