EbeTrust Concerns & Complaints Procedure
INTRODUCTION
This document sets out a procedure whereby anyone may raise a concern or complaint in respect of Ebetrust or Ebenezer Church and outlines the process that will be followed to achieve a resolution, where one is required.
There is a separate Grievance Procedure set out in the Staff Handbook which will cover any employment related complaints, but for anything not covered within the scope of the Grievance Procedure, staff or contractors may also raise a concern or complaint under this procedure.
It is hoped that most concerns and complaints can be resolved simply by discussion with the relevant individual(s). Where this is not possible for any reason, a formal complaint may be raised.
In order to ensure an audit trail exists of actions taken and decisions made, all concerns and complaints should be made by email or in writing.
Any complaint received that contains a safeguarding concern will be dealt with in accordance with the Ebetrust Safeguarding Policy.
Definition of Concerns and Complaints
For the purpose of this procedure:
● A concern is defined as an expression of worry or doubt over an issue considered to be important for which reassurances are sought.
● A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about Ebetrust or Ebenezer Church, its activities, trustees, members, volunteers, staff or contractors.
Raising a Concern or Complaint
In the first instance, concerns should be raised directly with a member of the Key Leadership team. We expect the vast majority of concerns to be resolved informally. If you think that your concern has not been resolved satisfactorily, or if it relates to a member of the Key Leadership team, your concern should be ‘formalised’ and sent to the church’s complaints handler, who is the Chair of Trustees.
Similarly, in the first instance complaints should be raised directly with a member of the Key Leadership team. If you think that your complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily, or if it relates to a member of the Key Leadership team, your complaint should be sent to the church’s complaints handler, who is the Chair of Trustees.
If a concern or complaint relates to the Chair of Trustees we recommend that you raise this with a member of the Key Leadership team.
Submitting a Formal Concern or Complaint
The best way to submit a formal concern or complaint with the Complaints Handler is by sending an email to our designated complaints inbox at complaints@ebe.org.uk or by sending a letter marked “Private & Confidential, for the attention of The Complaints Handler” to Ebenezer Church, 286 Filton Avenue, Filton, Bristol BS7 0BA.
Formal concerns and complaints raised with the Complaints Handler will be recorded in our Register of Concerns and Complaints which is audited annually by the Trustees of Ebetrust. All concerns and complaints raised will be reviewed on an anonymous basis.
Acknowledging and Responding to Formal Concerns and Complaints
We aim to acknowledge formal concerns and complaints within 72 hours.
Within 10 working days we aim to provide details explaining the next steps and the likely timescale for sending you our final written response.
We will always aim to respond to formal concerns and complaints within 8 weeks of initial receipt.
Understanding Formal Concerns and Complaints
We want to ensure that we fully understand formal concerns and complaints. Therefore, it may be necessary or appropriate for us to:
Ask you to provide further details in writing.
Write to you to clarify our understanding and the outcome you may be seeking.
Have a discussion with you to hear and understand your perspective.
Seek further information, as appropriate, from any other individuals involved in the issue.
Investigating Formal Concerns and Complaints
All formal concerns or complaints will be overseen by the Chair of Trustees, who will usually carry out the investigation or in the case of any possible compromise of independence, arrange for an independent investigation to be carried out on their behalf. The independent investigator will, where possible, be another Trustee or long standing member of the church.
Responding to Formal Concerns and Complaints
The outcome of an investigation will be communicated in writing, usually by email, but you may let us know if you would prefer a letter. We will set out our response following the investigation and how we reached it.
Formal Concerns and Complaint Remedies
We will discuss with you any remedies that may be appropriate in the light of our investigation.
Our aim is always to seek a resolution with which all parties are satisfied and we will work to the best of our abilities towards this end.
We do recognise however that there may rarely be occasions where this is not possible. In these instances we will work with you to see if we can find a mutually agreed, independent, third party, to review our investigation and outcome decision.
If you are not satisfied with our handling of your formal concern or complaint you may also be eligible to escalate it to the Charity Commission.
Escalating Complaints to the Charity Commission
The Charity Commission regulates registered charities in England and Wales.
You may refer a complaint to the Charity Commission where there is a serious risk of harm to the charity, or the people it was set up to help.
Examples of serious issues include:
a charity not following the law, with damaging consequences to its reputation and public trust in charities generally;
serious harm to the people the charity helps or other people who come into contact with the charity through its work;
a person or organisation receiving significant financial benefit from a charity;
criminal, illegal or terrorist activity;
a charity set up for illegal or improper purposes;
a charity losing significant amounts of money;
a charity losing significant assets, for example land or buildings.
More information is available on the Charity Commission website.
FINAL V1.0 PUBLISHED: 4 August 2023