Family Holiday Charity is committed to ensuring that all our engagement with our families, referrers, our supporters, and the public are of the highest possible standard. We listen and respond to the views of the public and our supporters so that we can continue to improve. 

We are committed to resolving your complaint as quickly as possible, and to handling your complaints fairly and with impartiality. 

This policy details how we receive and manage complaints.

The purpose of this policy is to:  

• Make it as easy as possible to make a complaint. 
• Ensure both staff and our supporters or the general public are aware of our complaint logging and handling processes. 
  Tell you how we will respond - for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong and information on any action taken. 
• Help us to learn and develop – we learn from complaints, use them to improve, and monitor them at our Senior Management Team and Board level. Complaints are reviewed regularly to identify trends and inform improvements in every area, including fundraising practices.  

Any complaint will be: 

• Investigated impartially with a balanced view of all information or evidence.
• Considered on its merits, considering individual circumstances and needs.
• Treated seriously whether it is made by telephone, letter, email or in person.
• Dealt with quickly and politely.

In this policy a complaint means an expression of dissatisfaction. This could be by a referrer, family, supporter, partner, supplier or a member of the general public relating to any service provided by us. 

If you are dissatisfied with the service provided by us, you should in the first instance consider speaking directly with the staff member/s you have been dealing with.

If you are uncomfortable with this or consider the relevant staff member is unable to address your concerns, you can lodge a complaint with us in one of the following ways: 

• By telephoning us on 020 3117 0650
• By writing to us: Family Holiday Charity, Canopi, 82 Tanner Street, London SE1 3GN
• By emailing us at hello@familyholidaycharity.org.uk
• In person by speaking to any of our management or staff  

When we are investigating a complaint, we will be relying on information provided by the person making the complaint and information we may already be holding.

We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary.  

To help us investigate your complaint quickly and efficiently we will ask you for the following information:  

• Your name and contact details.
• The nature of the complaint.
• Details of any steps you have already taken to resolve the compliant.
• Copies of any documentation which supports the complaint.
• Details of conversations you may have had with us that may be relevant to the complaint. 

Anonymous complaints will be investigated depending on the nature and severity of the complaint, but our preferred approach is to understand who is making the complaint so we can discuss any missing information and so on.

When taking a complaint, we will record: 

• your name and contact details.
• all details of your complaint including the facts and the cause/s of your complaint,  
  the outcome of the complaint.
• any actions taken following the investigation of your complaint.
• all dates and times relating to actions taken to resolve the complaint and communications between us. 

On an ongoing basis, complaints will be monitored for any identifying trends by management and rectification/remedial action taken to mitigate any identified issues.  

Our privacy policy explains how your data and information will be handled.

This will direct you to our privacy policy which clearly outlines how we treat and protect your data. If you raise a complaint, we will record your personal information solely for the purposes of addressing your complaint.

If you are already a supporter, supplier or other person who receives information from us, this will continue.

We are committed to resolving your issues at the first point of contact; however, this will not be possible in all circumstances, in which case a more formal complaints process will be followed.  

• We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five (5) working days. 
  Once your complaint has been received and acknowledged, we will undertake an initial review of your complaint. This review will be conducted by a competent member of staff. The review may take up to twenty (20) working days.
• There may be circumstances during the initial review or investigation of your complaint where we may need to clarify certain aspects of your complaint or request additional documentation from you. 
• In such circumstance we will explain the purpose of seeking clarification or additional documentation and provide you with feedback on the status of your complaint at that time. 
• We are committed to resolving your complaint within twenty (20) business days from the formal acknowledgment of your complaint, however, this may not always be possible on every occasion, for example if we have sought clarification or additional documentation.   

Once we have finalised your complaint, we will advise you of our findings and any action we have taken. We will do this in writing, unless it has been mutually agreed that we can provide it to you verbally. You have the right to make enquiries about the status of your complaint at any time by contacting us.

If you are not happy with our response, you may get in touch again by writing to the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive will ensure that your appeal is considered at the appropriate level and will respond appropriately. If the Chief Executive was involved in the complaint or complaint response, we will ask another appropriate person to investigate and respond, to ensure impartiality.

If you complain about a person, for example a member of our staff, trustee, volunteer or other associated party, we will treat your complaint confidentially, impartially, and equally (giving equal treatment to all people).  

We will investigate your complaint thoroughly by finding out the relevant facts, speaking with the relevant people and verifying explanations where possible.  

We will also treat the person objectively by:  

• Informing them of any complaint about their performance.
• Providing them with an opportunity to explain the circumstances.
• Providing them with appropriate support.
• Updating them on the complaint investigation and the result.

Family Holiday Charity has a whistleblowing policy and process for staff and volunteers to follow, where concerns can be raised confidentially. This procedure protects individuals from victimisation, and outlines how concerns are handled.

Complaints relating to fundraising practices will be handled in line with the Fundraising Code of Practice. If unresolved, they may be referred to the Fundraising Regulator. 

Complaints relating to data, and the handling of personal data will be handled in line with ICO practice. If unresolved, they may be referred to ICO.

Complaints about Charity operations will be handled in line with guidance from the Charity Commission. If unresolved, they may be referred to the Charity Commission. 

If a partner, supplier, or commercial participator we are working with does not have a complaints policy of their own, they will be required to use Family Holiday Charity processes.