Cause for Complaint? How charities manage complaints about their services Annexes A - E

(Version March 2006)

Contents

• Annex A – Trustee checklist for complaints management
• Annex B – Research techniques and survey findings
• Annex C – Glossary of terms
• Annex D – Resources
• Annex E – Bibliography

Annex A – Trustee checklist for complaints management

This checklist offers questions for charities to consider in managing complaints about the services they offer. These questions have been drawn from our casework experience and our research for this report.

Not all questions will apply to all types or sizes of charity. For example, large charities may have different requirements from small charities; or a charity that simply provides grants may need a less stringent procedure than one which provides direct services to vulnerable users. It may be helpful to use some or all of the questions that apply to your charity, and any which are not ticked, as starting points for discussions.

Getting started

Does your charity have a clear definition of a complaint?

Do you have a clearly defined procedure or system for managing complaints? (NB: this doesn't only refer to a formal written procedure, but could also include, for example, a process for dealing with complaints agreed and minuted at a trustee meeting)

Are all potential complainants for example, service users, carers or other representatives fully aware of your procedure?

Have you considered the needs of your potential complainants/users, carers and representatives to make sure that your complaints procedure is fully accessible to them?

Does your procedure involve at least two stages?

Does it include input from an independent person or organisation in at least one stage?

Recognising and managing complaints

Does your procedure make it clear who is ultimately accountable for managing complaints?

Is everyone who may be involved in managing a complaint, at any stage, fully aware of your complaints procedure?

Is everyone who may be involved in managing a complaint, at any stage, fully aware of their role in the process?

Is your complaints system explained as part of the induction process for volunteers, including trustees, and staff?

Does everyone who may be involved in managing a complaint have access to training in complaints management?

Does your charity recognise and acknowledge any expression of dissatisfaction as a potential complaint?

Does your procedure have set timescales?

Do you deal with complaints quickly¹ ?

Do you deal with complaints locally, i.e. where and when they are first received?

Managing expectations

Do you ask the complainant, at the earliest possible stage, what they want as an outcome of their complaint?

Are you confident that your complaints management system will operate consistently at different times and/or in different locations?

Does your procedure include information about how to stop a complaint if it has become unhelpful to the complainant and the organisation?

Do you offer practical or emotional support to complainants?

Do you offer support to people who are complained about?

Do you seek support at an organisational level in managing complaints from another organisation or group, such as your parent organisation, an umbrella organisation such as the CVS, a statutory partner or the Charity Complaints Forum?

Managing and reviewing outcomes

Do you have a system for recording the number of complaints you receive and what they are about?

Do you analyse and publish information about the number, nature and outcome of the complaints you have received?

Do you use this information to review and improve the services you offer?

Are any learning points from complaints communicated throughout your organisation?

Do successful complainants receive suitable and proportionate redress?

Do you seek feedback from complainants about their experience of your complaints system, and use this to improve the way you manage complaints?

Is your complaints management system integrated with other systems within the organisation, such as your annual report, annual general meeting, staff training, quality assurance, or duty of care?

Do you review your procedure regularly, taking into account any issues that have arisen since the last review as well as any changes to best practice in complaints management?

Would you be able to offer any support or advice to another charity in setting up a complaints management system and/or managing complaints?

Annex B – Research techniques and survey findings

We commissioned a postal survey of a random sample of 3,000 registered charities, weighted across four income bands. We have also commissioned the collection and analysis of qualitative data from documents, interviews, focus groups and Commission staff seminars. We worked with the qualitative researcher to collect case studies from our casework, the interviews and the focus groups.

Quantitative Data Collection

The postal survey achieved a 38% response rate, which is high for surveys of this nature. In total, 1,129 completed forms were returned for analysis. This allows a confidence interval exceeding +/- 3%, which is industry standard.

The survey sample was stratified into the following income bands:

Size of charity	Income band	% of total register	Numbers selected for mailing	Numbers returned
Very large	£1 million or more	3	300	105
Large	£250,001 to £999,999	5	300	131
Medium	£10,001 to £250,000	34	900	349
Small	£10,000 or less	58	1500	544
Total		100	3000	1129

Quantitative data was analysed using Quantum software.

Qualitative Data Collection

Data for the qualitative analysis was collected from:

• two focus groups with seven members of the Charity Complaints Forum representing five large and very large charities, all of which had complaints procedures, held in July 2005
• telephone interviews with four members of the Charity Complaints Forum representing four large and very large charities, three of which had complaints procedures, held in August 2005
• interview with the Charity Commission’s Independent Complaints Reviewer Jodi Berg held in July 2005
• telephone interviews with 30 individuals representing 42 small and medium sized charities, five of which had complaints procedures, held in September 2005.

The participating charities covered a wide range of themes and activities. They included:

• urban and rural charities
• grant-makers to individuals and organisations
• service providers
• buildings/grounds providers
• sport and recreation charities
• arts charities
• animal welfare charities
• environmental and heritage charities
• Christian faith groups
• charities serving children and young people, families, elderly people, people with physical and learning disabilities, and people from black and minority ethnic communities
• charities concerned with the relief of poverty
• charities concerned with physical and mental health and medical issues
• charities concerned with education, training and employment
• charities concerned with accommodation and housing
• international charities

Relevant documents within the Commission and externally were analysed for reference to complaints procedures, the voluntary sector and good practice. Case studies were collected from the Commission’s caseworking archives and the Charity Complaints Forum, as well as through the focus groups and telephone interviews. Seminars were held with Charity Commission staff in all four offices to explore their perception of the issues.

Qualitative data was analysed using NVivo software.

Survey Findings

Some of the results refer to open questions or those where a charity could choose more than one option, so the aggregate score may not equal 100%.

Table 1 covers all charities. Tables 2–21 include data from all charities with complaints procedures. Tables 22–24 include data from all charities without complaints procedures. Where actual numbers are very small, the numbers have been included with the percentages.

Table 1: Does your organisation have a complaints procedure?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Yes	30	12	38	59	62
No	69	86	61	40	38
No answer	1	2	1	1	-

Table 2: How many times has your complaints procedure been used in the last 12 months?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
None	66	78	78	58	37
1-5	27	16	20	37	40
6-10	2	-	-	3	5
11-14	-	-	-	-	-
15-20	1	-	-	-	6
21-30	1	-	-	1	3
31-40	-	-	-	-	-
41-50	1	-	-	-	2
Over 50	2	-	-	1	5
Don't know	1	3	1	-	2
No answer	2	3	2	-	2

Table 3: Are your services paid for by users, subsidised or free?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Paid	11	5	4	14	28
Part paid/subsidised	7	2	8	10	9
Free/user does not pay	21	14	13	30	32
Don't know	2	2	2	3	2
No answer	68	81	80	56	45

Table 4: Number of complaints for paid services

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	35 (n=13)	67 (n=2)	80 (n=4)	27 (n=3)	22 (n=4)
Two	22 (n=8)	-	-	27 (n=3)	28 (n=5)
Three	8 (n=3)	-	-	9 (n=1)	11 (n=2)
Four	8 (n=3)	-	20 (n=1)	9 (n=1)	6 (n=1)
Five	5 (n=2)	-	-	9 (n=1)	6 (n=1)
More than 5	11 (n=4)	-	-	-	22 (n=4)
No answer	11 (n=4)	33 (n=1)		18 (n=2)	6 (n=1)

Table 5: Number of complaints for subsidised services

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	20 (n=5)	100 (n=1)	40 (n=4)	-	-
Two	16 (n=4)	-	20 (n=2)	25 (n=2)	-
Three	4 (n=1)	-	-	-	17 (n=1)
Four	4 (n=1)	-	-	13 (n=1)	-
Five	-	-	-	-	-
More than 5	16 (n=4)	-	-	13 (n=1)	50 (n=3)
No answer	40 (n=10)	-	40 (n=4)	50 (n=4)	33 (n=2)

Table 6: Number of complaints for free services

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	37 (n=27)	44 (n=4)	41 (n=7)	44 (n=10)	29 (n=6)
Two	16 (n=11)	33 (n=3)	12 (n=2)	13 (n=3)	14 (n=3)
Three	9 (n=6)	-	12 (n=2)	9 (n=2)	10 (n=2)
Four	1 (n=1)	-	-	-	5 (n=1)
Five	6 (n=4)	-	-	9 (n=2)	10 (n=2)
More than 5	9 (n=6)	-	-	4 (n=1)	24 (n=5)
No answer	21 (n=15)	22 (n=2)	35 (n=6)	22 (n=5)	10 (n=2)

Table 7: Number of complaints for services where payment not known

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	17 (n=1)	-	50 (n=1)	-	-
Two	-	-	-	-	-
Three	-	-	-	-	-
Four	-	-	-	-	-
Five	-	-	-	-	-
More than 5	17 (n=1)	-	-	50 (n=1)	-
No answer	67 (n=4)	100 (n=1)	50 (n=1)	50 (n=1)	100 (n=1)

Table 8: Number of upheld complaints

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	4 (n=12)	-	3 (n=4)	8 (n=6)	3 (n=2)
Two	2 (n=7)	2 (n=1)	2 (n=2)	3 (n=2)	3 (n=2)
Three	1 (n=4)	-	1 (n=1)	1 (n=1)	3 (n=2)
Four	0 (n=1)	-	-	-	2 (n=1)
Five	1 (n=2)	-	-	1 (n=1)	5 (n=3)
More than 5	1 (n=3)	-	-	1 (n=1)	3 (n=2)
No answer	91	98	95	88	82

Table 9: Number of partially upheld complaints

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	6 (n=19)	3 (n=2)	5 (n=7)	8 (n=6)	6 (n=4)
Two	3 (n=11)	2 (n=1)	2 (n=2)	4 (n=3)	8 (n=5)
Three	1 (n=4)	-	-	1 (n=1)	5 (n=3)
Four	0 (n=1)	-	-	-	2 (n=1)
Five	0 (n=1)	-	-	-	2 (n=1)
More than 5	1 (n=2)	-	-	3 (n=2)	-
No answer	89	95	93	85	79

Table 10: Number of not upheld complaints

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	7 (n=24)	2 (n=1)	4 (n=5)	9 (n=7)	17 (n=11)
Two	3 (n=9)	2 (n=1)	2 (n=2)	4 (n=3)	5 (n=3)
Three	2 (n=6)	-	-	1 (n=1)	8 (n=5)
Four	1 (n=2)	-	-	1 (n=1)	1 (n=1)
Five	-	-	-	-	-
More than 5	2 (n=5)	-	-	1 (n=1)	6 (n=4)
No answer	87	97	96	83	63

Table 11: Number of complaints with unknown outcome

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
One	2 (n=7)	-	4 (n=5)	-	3 (n=2)
Two	1 (n=4)	2 (n=1)	1 (n=1)	1 (n=1)	2 (n=1)
Three	-	-	-	-	-
Four	-	-	-	-	-
Five	-	-	-	-	-
More than 5	-	-	-	-	-
No answer	97	98	96	99	95

Table 12: How can people initiate a complaint?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Verbally	79	81	77	80	80
In writing	89	86	86	92	95
By email	47	41	38	46	75
Through an advocate	57	50	56	67	54
Other	5	6	2	7	5
No answer	8	8	12	5	5

Table 13: How do you let people know about your complaints procedure?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Verbally to service users as a matter of course	41	31	43	47	37
Verbally to service users when a complaint is made	39	44	35	35	48
Verbally to others as a matter of course	15	13	14	17	19
Verbally to others when a complaint is made	19	19	18	15	23
Leaflets	37	30	33	47	40
Posters	17	5	20	24	17
Website	11	11	7	13	17
Other	31	21	36	29	37
No answer	7	8	8	-	8

Table 14: Do you produce your complaints procedure in…?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Other languages	8	9	7	13	4
Other formats	5	5	2	13	5
Neither	83	83	85	77	86
No answer	6	8	8	1	6

Table 15: Do you formally analyse and/or publish the complaints you have dealt with?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Yes, analyse	46	39	32	59	63
Yes, publish	8	8	4	12	11
No, neither	41	48	47	35	26
No answer	12	13	18	4	9

Table 16: Have you ever used the outcome of a complaint to…?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Change the way the charity operates	19	13	13	26	29
Change the standard the service provides	28	27	22	40	28
Amend your complaints procedure	11	8	6	15	17
Make other changes	7	8	5	6	11
None of these	39	36	47	30	40
No answer	19	25	23	12	12

Table 17: Are any of the following features of your complaints procedure?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Escalation to a more senior person within the charity	74	55	75	83	82
Appeals process	50	31	41	67	66
Referral to an impartial person or organisation	38	28	41	41	40
Other	7	14	6	1	6
None of these	10	20	11	8	3
No answer	5	6	5	1	8

Table 18: What forms of redress might a successful complainant expect from your organisation?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Verbal apology	71	72	72	72	66
Written apology	89	88	87	94	92
Commitment to change, to ensure problem won't happen again	82	73	78	91	86
Financial or other form of compensation	16	9	13	19	26
Other	3	-	5	-	6
No answer	4	6	5	1	5

Table 19: What is the estimated cost to your organisation of dealing with complaints each year?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Nothing/no complaints received	64	81	73	58	39
Under £1,000	20	9	14	33	26
£1,001-£5,000	3 (n=9)	-	-	1 (n=1)	12 (n=8)
£5,001-£10,000	1 (n=4)	-	-	-	6 (n=4)
£10,001-£20,000	0 (n=1)	-	-	-	2 (n=1)
Over £20,000	-	-	-	-	-
Don't know	5 (n=16)	3 (n=2)	5 (n=7)	3 (n=2)	8 (n=5)
No answer	7 (n=24)	6 (n=4)	8 (n=11)	5 (n=4)	8 (n=5)

Table 20: Is there a timescale within which the complaint must be dealt with?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Yes, for the whole procedure	51	38	41	63	71
Yes, for part of the procedure	3 (n=9)	2 (n=1)	3 (n=4)	4 (n=3)	2 (n=1)
No	34	48	42	22	20
Other	6	5	5	8	9
No answer	7	8	10	4	3

Table 21: Overall, how does your complaints procedure affect your organisation?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Very beneficial	20	20	20	22	17
Beneficial	43	33	42	51	46
Neither beneficial nor detrimental	32	38	33	24	32
Detrimental	-	-	-	-	-
Very detrimental	-	-	-	-	-
No answer	5	10	5	3	5

Table 22: Why don't you have a complaints procedure?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Don't need one	78	84	76	62	68
Never got round to it	5	3	7	10	5
Don't see the point	2	1	3	-	3
It's currently being written	4	2	3	12	20
Other	9	9	9	17	5
No answer	1	1	2	-	-

Table 23: Does your organisation receive complaints from service users?
(This question was asked only of those respondents who said that they did not have a complaints procedure.)

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
Yes	8	5	9	21	25
No	91	94	90	79	73
No answer	1	1	1	-	3

Table 24: How many complaints have you had in the last 12 months?

	Total %	Small %	Medium %	Large %	Very large %
None	26	32	37	18	-
1-5	63	59	63	64	70
6-10	3	-	-	9 (n=1)	10 (n=1)
11-14	2 (n=1)	5 (n=1)	-	-	-
15-20	-		-	-	-
21-30	2 (n=1)		-	9 (n=1)	-
Over 30	-	-	-	-	-
Don't know	3 (n=2)	5 (n=1)	-	-	10 (n=1)
No answer	2 (n=1)	-	-	-	10 (n=1)

Annex C – Glossary of terms

In this report, where we use ‘must’ we mean it is a specific legal or regulatory requirement affecting trustees or a charity. Trustees must comply with these requirements. We use ‘should’ for items we regard as minimum good practice, but for which there is no specific legal requirement. Trustees should follow the good practice guidance unless there is a good reason not to.

Charity trustees are the people responsible under the charity’s governing document for controlling the management and administration of the charity (section 97(1) of the Charities Act 1993). They may be called trustees, managing trustees, committee members, governors, or they may be referred to by some other title. In the case of an unincorporated association, the members of the executive or management committee are its charity trustees. In the case of a charitable company, they are the directors.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the standards of service provided by a charity, which an individual user or a group of users claim has affected him, her or them.

For the purposes of this report, we define a complaints procedure or a complaints management system as:

• a formal document agreed by the trustees that outlines the series of actions and the manner in which they will be conducted (including for example the steps and timescales involved) in the investigation of a complaint; or
• an informally agreed procedure for the way in which a charity will deal with complaints it receives about its services. It may be recorded, for example, in the minutes of the meeting at which it was agreed.

The Charity Commission’s Independent Complaints Reviewer (ICR) is the Independent Reviewer to whom Charity Commission customers may complain if they remain dissatisfied having gone through its internal complaints procedure. The ICR has the authority to examine complaints which fall inside the remit of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman).

An ombudsman is an official appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints about an organisation’s administration, especially that of public authorities. The services provided by ombudsmen are free of charge. Each ombudsman scheme operates under slightly different rules, but in general an ombudsman does not consider a complaint unless the organisation, business or professional standards body concerned has first been given a reasonable opportunity to deal with it. If the ombudsman decides to conduct a formal investigation, a written report on the investigation will be issued, and will normally set out the evidence considered by the ombudsman and proposals for resolving the dispute. If a complaint is upheld, the ombudsman will expect the organisation to provide a suitable remedy.

A small charity is defined in terms of its income. For the purposes of this research, if a charity has an annual income of £10,000 or less recorded on our database in its last full financial year, we consider it to be a small charity. Almost 100,000 charities in England and Wales fall into this category.

A medium sized charity is defined in terms of its income. For the purposes of this research, if a charity has an annual income between £10,001 and £250,000 recorded on our database in its last full financial year, we consider it to be a medium charity. Almost 60,000 charities in England and Wales fall into this category.

A large charity is defined in terms of its income. For the purposes of this research, if a charity has an annual income between £250,001 and £999,999 recorded on our database in its last full financial year, we consider it to be a large charity. Just over 8,000 charities in England and Wales fall into this category.

A very large charity is defined in terms of its income. For the purposes of this research, if a charity has an annual income over £1 million recorded on our database in its last full financial year, we consider it to be a very large charity. Nearly 5,000 charities in England and Wales fall into this category.

A service is an act of help or assistance provided by a charity to an individual user or a group of users.

A stakeholder is anyone with an interest in a charity. For example, donors, users, staff, volunteers, trustees and people from partner organisations can all be described as stakeholders.

A user is anyone who uses or benefits from a charity’s services or facilities, whether provided on a voluntary basis or as a contractual service.

Annex D – Resources

There are some resources that charity trustees and staff can use to help them in managing complaints. While this is not a definitive or complete list, it does offer a good overview and a useful starting point.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales

The Charity Commission produces a wide range of publications and website guidance giving information and advice to charity trustees and the general public on issues relating to charity law, regulation and best practice. The full list of publications is on our website and in our publication CC1, but the list below is a selection based on the issues covered in this report.

Charity Commission Publications

CC24 Users on Board: Beneficiaries who become trustees
CC47 Complaints About Charities
CC60 The Hallmarks of an Effective Charity
The Charity Commission and Regulation

To obtain copies of these or any of our publications you can:

• View and print them from our website
• Order during office hours (0830 – 1800 weekdays) by phoning us on 0845 300 0218; or
• Write to the Charity Commission, PO Box 8585, Adamsway, Mansfield, NG18 9AJ

How to get in touch with us

Contact Centre for general queries and to contact any of our offices: Telephone: 0845 3000 218
Minicom: 0845 3000 219
E mail: Enquiries

Here are the contact details for each of our offices:

Liverpool	London	Newport	Taunton
Charity Commission 3rd & 4th Floor 12 Princes Dock Princes Parade Liverpool L3 1DE Fax: 0151 703 1555	Charity Commission Harmsworth House 13-15 Bouverie Street London EC4Y 8DP Fax: 020 7674 2300	Charity Commission 8th Floor, Clarence House Clarence Place Newport, South Wales NP19 7AA Fax: 01633 225 549	Charity Commission Woodfield House Tangier Taunton Somerset TA1 4BL Fax: 01823 345 003

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

The Advertising Standards Authority is the independent body set up by the advertising industry to police the rules laid down in the advertising codes.

Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6QT

Tel: 020 7492 2222
Email: enquiries@asa.org.uk.
Website: www.asa.org.uk/

Arbitration and Conciliation Service (ACAS)

ACAS is an organisation devoted to preventing and resolving employment disputes.

Head Office
Brandon House
180 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1LW

Tel: 020 7210 3613
Website: www.acas.org.uk

Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO)

ACEVO provides good practice resources and information on sector issues.

Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations
1 New Oxford Street
London
WC1A 1NU

Tel: 0845 345 8481
E-mail: info@acevo.org.uk
Website: www.acevo.org.uk

British and Irish Ombudsmen Association

The BIOA aims to encourage, develop and safeguard the role and title of ombudsmen, formulate and promote standards of best practice, improve public awareness of recognised ombudsman schemes and encourage their efficiency and effectiveness.

British and Irish Ombudsmen Association (BIOA)
Secretary
94 Milner Drive
Twickenham
Middlesex TW2 7PJ

Tel: 020 8894 9272
Email: secretary@bioa.org.uk
Website: www.bioa.org.uk/

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)

CEDR is widely regarded as a leading provider of alternative dispute resolution services.

International Dispute Resolution Centre
70 Fleet Street
London
EC4Y 1EU

Tel: 020 7536 6000
Email: info@cedr.co.uk
Website: www.cedr.co.uk

Charity Commission Independent Complaints Reviewer

If you make a complaint to the Commission and you do not think we deal with it properly, you can put your case to the Independent Complaints Reviewer:

Jodi Berg
New Premier House (Second Floor)
150 Southampton Row
London
WC1B 5AL

Tel: 020 7278 6251
Email: enquiries@icr.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.icrev.org.uk

The Charity Complaints Forum

This body was set up to share best practice and assist in complaints management across the sector. Any charity can become a member. For further information about the Charity Complaints Forum, please contact:

Jane Mason
Charity Complaints Forum

Tel: 020 7834 6242 x273
Email: janem@girlguiding.org.uk

Charity Law Unit

This department of the University of Liverpool's Law School conducts legal research of the charity sector, including subjects like alternative dispute resolution.

Joan Boardman
Charity Law Unit
The Liverpool Law School
University of Liverpool
Liverpool
L69 7ZS

Tel: 0151 794 3086
Email: boardman@liverpool.ac.uk
Website: www.liv.ac.uk/law/clu/index.htm

Charity Skills

Charity Skills provides a specialist database, telephone helplines, seminars and newsletters for its members in the voluntary sector.

Charity Skills
PO Box 43520
London
SW15 1WZ

Tel: 0208 785 3327
Email: info@charityskills.org
Website: www.charityskills.org

Charity Trustee Networks

This charity offers mutual support by encouraging and developing self-help trustee network groups providing cost-effective, peer-to-peer consultancy and mentoring.

Charity Trustee Networks
PO Box 633
Godalming
GU8 5ZX

Tel: 01428 682252
Email: info@trusteenetworks.org.uk
Website: www.trusteenetworks.org.uk

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Citizens Advice Bureaux help people with financial, legal and other problems by providing free advice and information, and by influencing policymakers.

You can find your local CAB, or make a complaint about a CAB, via www.citizensadvice.org.uk/contact_us.htm

Commission for Social Care Inspection

CSCI is the independent inspectorate for all social care services in England.

Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI)
33 Greycoat Street
London
SW1P 2QF

Tel: 020 7979 2000
Customer services helpline: 0845 015 0120
Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.csci.org.uk

Directory of Social Change (DSC)

The Directory promotes positive social change and provides a wide range of resources for trustees.

London Directory of Social Change 24 Stephenson Way London NW1 2DP Tel: 020 7391 4800

Liverpool Directory of Social Change Federation House Hope Street Liverpool L1 9BW Tel: 0151 708 0117

Tel: (General enquiries): 08450 777707
Email: (London) info@dsc.org.uk, (Liverpool) north@dsc.org.uk
Website: www.dsc.org.uk

Ethnic Minority Foundation (EMF)

EMF develops resources for black and minority ethnic organisations, these include networking and training opportunities and a trustee register.

Ethnic Minority Foundation Headquarters
Boardman House
64 Broadway
Stratford
London
E15 1NG

Tel: 020 8432 0000
Email: enquiries@emf-cemvo.co.uk
Website: www.ethnicminorityfund.org.uk

Healthcare Commission

This is the independent inspection body for both the NHS and independent healthcare in England.

Healthcare Commission
Finsbury Tower
103-105 Bunhill Row
London
EC1Y 8TG

Tel: 020 7448 9200
Email: feedback@healthcarecommission.org.uk
Website: www.chai.org.uk

Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS)

ICAS supports patients and their carers wishing to pursue a complaint about their NHS treatment or care. There are no central contact details or website for ICAS, but you should be able to find your local branch through the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk.

The Institute of Fundraising

This is the professional body for UK fundraisers, working to promote the highest standards in fundraising practice and management. In April 2006 they are launching a self-regulation scheme including a 'rigorous complaints process'.

Institute of Fundraising
Park Place
12 Lawn Lane
London
SW8 1UD

Tel: 020 7840 1000
Email: enquiries@institute-of-fundraising.org.uk
Website: www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk

Mediation UK

Mediation UK is a national voluntary organisation dedicated to developing means of resolving conflict in communities.

Alexander House
Telephone Ave
Bristol
BS1 4BS

Tel: 0117 904 6661
Email: enquiry@mediationuk.org.uk
Website: www.mediationuk.org.uk

National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS)²

This is the national umbrella body of Councils for Voluntary Service in England. A local Council for Voluntary Service provides advice, support and information to voluntary organisations and charities in their area, including help with charity registration. The National Association can put charities in touch with their local CVS.

National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service
177 Arundel Street
Sheffield
S1 2NU

Tel: 0114 278 6636
Email: nacvs@nacvs.org.uk
Website: www.nacvs.org.uk

National Consumer Council

The National Consumer Council is the independent voice of consumers in the UK. It deals with issues including complaints and alternative dispute resolution across the public and private sectors.

National Consumer Council
20 Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1W 0DH

Tel: 020 7730 3469
Email: info@ncc.org.uk
Website: www.ncc.org.uk

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

NCVO provides information on fund-raising and governance issues and a range of general support services.

National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Regent’s Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London
N1 9RL

Tel: 020 7713 6161
Tel (Helpdesk): 0800 2798 798
Email: ncvo@ncvo-vol.org.uk
Website: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

National Governance Hub for England

A group of voluntary and community sector support organisations, working to improve the governance of voluntary and community organisations in England. They produce guidance on best practice.

The Governance Hub
NCVO
Regent's Wharf
8 All Saints Street
LONDON
N1 9RL

Tel: 020 7713 6161
Email: governancehub@ncvo-vol.org.uk
Website: www.governancehub.org.uk

Ofsted

Ofsted, or the Office for Standards in Education, is the inspectorate for children and learners in England, covering childcare, schools, colleges, children's services, teacher training and youth work.

Alexandra House
33 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6SE

Tel: 020 7421 6800
Tel (Enquiry line): 08456 404045
Email: edhelpline@ofsted.gov.uk
Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

OSCR

OSCR is the regulator of charities in Scotland and an agency of the Scottish Executive.
OSCR
1st Floor
Argyll House
Marketgait
Dundee
DD1 1QP

Tel: 01382 220446
Email: info@oscr.org.uk.
Website: www.oscr.org.uk/

Plain Language Commission

The Plain Language Commission provides accreditation with the Clear English Standard for public documents.

Plain Language Commission
The Castle
29 Stoneheads
Whaley Bridge
High Peak
Derbyshire
SK23 7BB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01663 733177
Email: mail@clearest.co.uk
Web: www.clearest.co.uk

Trading Standards Central

Trading Standards Central is a one-stop shop for consumer protection information in the UK. Its website is supported and maintained by TSI, the Trading Standards Institute. See telephone directories for details of local offices.

Website: www.tsi.org.uk

The United Kingdom Parliament

The United Kingdom Parliament website provides information about the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Website: www.parliament.uk/

VolResource

This internet-only resource for charities offers quick links to useful organisations concerned with the effective running of charities.

Email: info@volresource.org.uk
Website: www.volresource.org.uk

Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA)

This organisation represents the interests of and campaigns for voluntary organisations, volunteers and communities in Wales. It provides a comprehensive range of information, consultancy, funding, management and training services.

Welsh Council for Voluntary Action
Baltic House
Mount Stuart Square
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF10 5FH

Tel: 0870 607 1666
Email: help@wcva.org.uk
Website: www.wcva.org.uk

Journals, magazines and newspapers

Charity Finance

3 Rectory Grove
London
SW4 0DX

Tel: 020 7819 1200
Email: rcoley@charityfinance.co.uk
Website: www.charityfinance.co.uk

Charities Management

Mitre House Publications
154 Graham Road
Wimbledon
London
SW19 3SJ

Tel: 020 854 27766
Website: www.charitiesmanagement.com

Charity Times

Tel: 020 7426 0496 / 0123
Website: www.charitytimes.com

The Corporate Citizenship Company

This company provides an overview and round-up of current issues, largely through case studies.

Email: mail@corporate-citizenship.co.uk
Website: www.corporate-citizenship.co.uk/publications

Governance

This bi-monthly journal is aimed at charity trustees, their chief executives and company secretaries.

www.charitygovernance.co.uk

Network Wales

Contact WCVA for details

The Guardian

The Society section in The Guardian is particularly useful.

Website: www.SocietyGuardian.co.uk

Third Sector

Tel: 020 8606 7500
Email: subscriptions@haynet.com
Website: www.thirdsector.co.uk

The Times

The Public Agenda section in The Times is particularly useful.

Website: www.timesonline.co.uk

Voluntary Sector

Contact NCVO for details – see above.

Annex E – Bibliography

Advice Services Alliance, (2003) Alternative Dispute Resolution – Issues for the advice sector and for government, a policy consultation paper published by the Advice Services Alliance (ASA)

Cabinet Office, (2002) Private Action, Public Benefit: A Review of Charities and the Wider Not–for- Profit Sector

Charities Act 1993

Charities Bill 2005

Charity Commission (2003) The Charity Commission and Regulation

Charity Commission (2003) Complaints About Charities (CC47)

Charity Commission (2004) Hallmarks of an Effective Charity (CC60)

Charity Commission (2000) Users on Board: beneficiaries who become trustees (CC24)

Children Act 1989

Children Act 2004

Courts and Legal Services Act 1990

Independent Complaints Reviewer (2003/4) Seeking A Fair Resolution. Annual report.

Charity Commission’s Independent Complaints Reviewer (2004/5) Seeking A Fair Resolution. Annual report.

Laurance, L & Radford A (2003) You’re not listening to me - dealing with disputes: mediation and its benefits for voluntary organisations. NCVO

Morris, D (2003) Disputes in the Charitable Sector. Charity Law Unit University of Liverpool

NCH Children's Charity (2003) Challenging Perspectives: Young People's Views on the Management of their Complaints by NCH

NCH Children's Charity (2003) Getting It Right 4U: Young people's views on sorting out problems and complaints in NCH residential services

National Audit Office (2003) Improving Service Delivery – How auditors can help,

National Audit Office (2005) Citizen Redress: What citizens can do if things go wrong with public services

National Consumer Council and Confederation of British Industry (2005) Future Services: A Consumer Blueprint for Responsive Public Services

National Hub of Expertise in Governance (2005) Good Governance: A Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector

National Hub of Expertise in Governance (2005) Learning To Fly: Piloting your local voluntary or community organisation

National Consumer Council (2004) Making Public Services Personal: A New Compact For Public Services

Public Service Reform, (2002) Measuring & Understanding Customer Satisfaction. A MORI Review for the Office of Public Services Reform

White Paper (1999) Modern Markets: Confident Consumers [Chapter 5: Helping Customers to get Redress], Department of Trade and Industry

White Paper (2004) Transforming Public Services: Complaints, Redress and Tribunals

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank everyone who has co-operated in the production of this report, especially the charities that gave their time to take part in our survey; participated in the qualitative research; and gave permission to share their experiences through case studies.

Special thanks also go to Helen Kara of Weresearchit for her help and valuable insight both during the research process and her analysis of the results; and members of the Charity Complaints Forum who were generous with their time and sharing their experiences of complaints management within the sector.

End notes

1. Because of the diversity of the sector, ‘quickly’ means different things to different people. 48 hours would be very quick even for a large charity with a complaints department. For a small charity that only meets quarterly, 'quickly' might mean 'within a month'. Our feeling, therefore, is that we leave the definition of 'quickly' to the charity concerned.

2. The National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS) will change its name to the National Association of Voluntary and Community Associations (NAVCA) from April 2006