Complaints Policy and Procedure

Introduction

Eye Heroes 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

  • publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint

  • make sure everyone at Eye Heroes knows what to do if a complaint is received

  • make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way

  • make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired

  • 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 Eye Heroes – encompassing both our fundraising and our advocacy work in the UK.


Where complaints come from:
Complaints may come from any individual, volunteer or organisation who has a legitimate interest in Eye Heroes, including the general public. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing. This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should refer to internal policy.


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

Eye Heroes complaints policy

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the Directors and Project Lead of Eye Heroes.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.

Contact details for complaints

  • Written complaints may be sent to: 100a Queens Crescent, Camden, London NW5 4DY.

  • Email address for complaints: info@eyeheroes.org.uk

  • Verbal complaints may be made in person to any Eye Heroes staff or the Directors at the same address as above, or at any of our events. Or by phone if you have relevant contact information.

Receiving complaints

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 or phone.

Complaints received by phone 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 at the time it is received 

  • Take the complainant's name, address and telephone number

  • Note down the relationship of the complainant to Eye Heroes, 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.

Resolving complaints

Stage one

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person who is responsible for the issue that the complaint is about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so, if this is possible and appropriate. Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the Eye Heroes Project Lead within five business days.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within five 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 complaints procedure should be attached.

On receiving the complaint, the Project Lead records it in the complaints log book. If the complaint has not already been resolved, the Project Lead will delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action. If the complaint relates to a specific person, that person should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Ideally, complainants should receive a definitive reply within one calendar month. If this is not possible – because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed – a progress report should be sent to the complainant with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether or not the complaint is justified, 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.

Stage two

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at stage one, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at director level.

At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Directors. The request for director-level review should be acknowledged within five working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The Directors will investigate the facts of the case themselves. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at stage one. The person who dealt with the original complaint at stage one 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. 

Again, complainants should ideally receive a definitive reply from the Directors within one calendar month. If this is not possible – because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed – a progress report should be sent to the complainant with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Stage three

The decision taken at stage two is final, unless the Directors decide it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolving the complaint, in which case a complaint can be filed with the regulator in accordance with government guidance. Similarly if the complainant is not happy with the resolution, they can refer to the external regulators.

Variation of the complaints procedure

The Director(s) may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest – for example, a complaint about a specific director should not also have that Director involved as a person leading a stage two review.

Monitoring and learning from complaints

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

Any questions or comments on this policy should be sent to: info@eyeheroes.org.uk

Eye Heroes CIC

Last reviewed Jan 2021