Battlefields Trust Complaints Policy

 

The Battlefields Trust 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 an informal option of raising concerns with members of the Board of Trustees who will look into issues and discuss them with the person raising the concern;

· 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 The Battlefields Trust 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

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of The Battlefields Trust which has been raised through this formal complaints process.

Where Complaints Come From

Complaints may come any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in the Battlefields Trust.

A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing.  Members of the public can make a complaint direct to the Board Secretary of the Battlefields Trust (boardsecretary@battlefieldstrust.com) or to any officer of the Trust who should then notify the Board Secretary. This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should use the Battlefields Trust internal Grievance policy.

Purpose

The Battlefields Trust complaint procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and, if possible, resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.

The Battlefields Trust will:

· acknowledge complaints raised formally under this process in writing;

· respond within 20 working days;

· deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint;

· take appropriate action if required;

The complainant’s responsibility is to:

· raise their concerns promptly and directly with the person concerned and if their concerns cannot be resolved satisfactorily informally, then to raise a formal complaint;

· explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date;

· allow the Battlefields Trust a reasonable amount of time to deal with the matter;

· recognise that some circumstances may be beyond the Battlefields Trust's control.

Monitoring and Reporting

Trustees of the Battlefields Trust will receive bi-annually an anonimized report of complaints made and their resolution.

Confidentiality

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

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the Board of Trustees.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.

 

Adopted on:…………………………… 23 March 2015

Last reviewed:……………………… 28 May 2019