Complaints Policy

Child Bereavement UK is committed to providing high quality, professional standards to all those who use our services and to people who support us in any way.

We recognise the importance of continuous improvement and view any complaint received as an opportunity to improve our practices and services.

Child Bereavement UK commits to ensuring that:

People who use our services, those who support us, and the wider public know how to make a complaint and can do so easily
Those making a complaint know that it will be dealt with sensitively, honestly and fairly
Complaints are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner
All Child Bereavement UK staff are aware of the complaints policy and procedures and feel confident in these
Complaints are reviewed on a regular basis as a standing agenda item for both the Senior management Team and Board of Trustees to inform service and process improvements

What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or concern about the standard of service, actions or lack of action taken by the charity as a whole, by its members of staff, or by its volunteers, which affects an individual or group(s) of people with whom the charity is involved.

How do I make a complaint?

Any individual or group can make a complaint, or a complaint can be made on behalf of someone else. In cases where a complaint has been made on behalf of someone else, we will be mindful of data protection issues when responding.

Complaints in relation to our services/activities can be made:

In person to any Child Bereavement UK staff member
By email: [email protected]
By telephone to our Head Office: 01494 568900
By letter to Sue Randall, Executive Manager, Child Bereavement UK, Unit B, Knaves Beech Way, Knaves Beech Industrial Estate, Loudwater, High Wycombe, Bucks HP10 9QY

Complaints regarding fundraising can be made:

By email: [email protected]
By telephone: 01494 568900

Any individual who posts negative feedback on any Child Bereavement UK social media channel will be invited to discuss their concerns further with a relevant staff member and/or to make a formal complaint via the channels listed above.

What will be done with my complaint?

All complaints will be acknowledged within five working days of receipt.
We will appoint a member of the Child Bereavement UK Senior Management Team to investigate the complaint.
We will inform you of the name of the person who will be investigating your complaint.
We may need to ask you for any further information that will help us with our investigation; this could include asking for input from the person on whose behalf you are complaining, in such cases.
We aim to resolve most complaints within fifteen working days of receipt. Some more complex issues may require investigation that might mean this is not possible; in these circumstances, we will keep you informed of progress.
We will respond to you, or the person on whose behalf the complaint was made, to communicate the findings and outcome of the investigation.
Any complaint which involves a potential fraud, safeguarding or whistleblowing issue will be progressed in line with our internal policies.

What can I do if I’m not happy with the response I get?

If you are not satisfied with the response you have received, the complaint can be referred to Child Bereavement UK’s Chief Executive. The final stage of appeal sits with Child Bereavement UK’s Board of Trustees.

If you are not satisfied with the final response you have received from us, you can contact the Charity Commission (England & Wales) or the Scottish Charity Regulator; If in relation to a fundraising matter, you can contact the Fundraising Regulator.

How does Child Bereavement UK use complaints to improve standards?

Our first priority is to satisfactorily resolve the complaint for the person who has made the complaint.

In addition, every complaint is reviewed thoroughly, so that learning points can be identified, and actions put in place, where required, to improve our services or processes. Any complaints received are collated in a confidential, anonymous complaints register which is reviewed by our Senior Management Team and reported to our Board of Trustees on a regular basis.

Our complaint management for fundraising issues is linked to the requirements set by the Fundraising Regulator, and ensures that we are accountable to our supporters and beneficiaries.

In order to ensure that we are responding to complaints properly and in the most constructive way possible, this policy is reviewed every two years.

February 2024

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