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Compliments, Comments and Complaints Policy

We Are Stronger Charity is a registered charity operating across England and Wales. We Are Stronger Charity is made up of members, volunteers, trustees, supporters, contractors, and consultants.

Our work aims to prevent bullying by running targeted interventions, workshops and promoting mental health and wellbeing. We support those who are being bullied or targets of bullying by:

  • The provision of anti-bullying programmes and one to one counselling sessions
  • Telephone advice line and legal support
  • Raising awareness and understanding of the effects of bullying

Our Policy Statement / Objective

The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear statement of intent regarding the handling of compliments, complaints and comments.

We Are Stronger Charity strives to be excellent in all its activities towards anti-bullying. We recognise that despite our best efforts there may be times when we do not meet the high standards that we have set for ourselves. All feedback is welcome and appreciated, which helps us address the situation as quickly as possible and install preventative measures to improve the quality of our work and achieve our vision and mission.

A complaint in this context is an expression of dissatisfaction:

  • about the programmes, services, policies, or procedures of We Are Stronger Charity or,
  • with a Trustee, consultant, volunteer, or any person acting on behalf of We Are Stronger Charity

Policy Principles

We will ensure that:

  • Our complaints procedure is fully accessible, so people know how to contact us to make a complaint and everyone at We are Stronger Charity knows what to do if a complaint is received.
  • Every effort is made to respond positively and effectively to complaints and put right any shortcomings that are within our control so that any complaint is resolved to satisfaction and on time.
  • All complaints are taken seriously; treated fairly; properly documented; responded to as quickly as possible and investigated fairly in a timely way.
  • We are committed to learning and actioning changes arising from feedback and complaints. All our volunteers, staff and trustees are responsible for the reputation and continuous improvement of We Are Stronger Charity’s operations and should use feedback and complaints when evaluating their work.

Procedures and Guidelines

Making a Complaint

  • We expect We Are Stronger Charity staff, trustees, and volunteers to provide open information about what we are doing and why, as well as clear channels of communication for anyone interested in or affected by our work.
  • If you have a concern or you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service, we also want to hear from you so that we can respond to your concern and learn from it.
  • It is usually best to contact the person who is providing the service as they are best placed to respond to your feedback promptly.
  • If you have a concern or problem, you should first try to resolve the problem with the person concerned. They will often be able to put things right quickly or point you in the right direction.
  • If you do not know who to contact or do not feel comfortable raising it in the way suggested, then please send an email to: feedback@wearestrongercharity.org.
  • If you are working with or using the services provided by, We Are Stronger Charity, any external complaints should be directed to our feedback team at feedback@wearestrongercharity.org.
  • If you are a volunteer currently working with the charity and you have any concerns or problems that you wish to highlight, please speak to your team leader in the first instance. All concerns will be dealt with in confidence by the team leader with support from the HR team. If you do not know who to contact or do not feel comfortable raising it in the way suggested, then please contact the feedback team at feedback@wearestrongercharity.org.
  • For any complaint or compliment, whomever it is sent to, it would be helpful if you could state clearly and briefly:
    • your name, address and contact details (telephone and/or email)
    • specific details of the complaint or compliment
    • when and where it happened
    • who was involved
    • what action (if any) you would like to recommend in response to your feedback
  • Complaints made anonymously will be recorded and investigated accordingly, however action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a complete and fair investigation.

Response to your feedback

We aim to respond to any compliment, complaint or comment in a polite and timely manner. We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as possible and aim to provide feedback within 14 [fourteen] days of when we receive it. Where this is not possible, we will let you know when we hope to provide you with a full response.

All complaints will be treated with an appropriate degree of confidentiality, and information will only be shared with staff and volunteers as necessary to assist in understanding what has happened and to respond.

If You Wish to Take the Matter Further

If, after you have received this response, you still think that the matter has not been resolved, you should contact the Chair of the Charity at olga.venosa@wearestrongercharity.org. Your comments will then be passed to a trustee who will investigate the facts themselves or delegate the matter to a senior person in the Charity (who has had no previous dealing with the issue), and they will look at the issue further.

You will be informed in writing within 7 [seven] days of who that person is and when they will respond to you. You will receive a written response to your concerns within 21 [Twenty-one] days after the first communication, giving you our findings and recommendations.

Reporting on Feedback

An annual report is submitted to the Board of Trustees, which summarises the compliments, complaints and comments received during the year.

Taking your complaint outside of the We Are Stronger Charity

If you remain dissatisfied with the response you have received, you are entitled to take your concerns to any relevant statutory body, including but not limited to:

The Charity Commission (England & Wales): https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity

The Advertising Standards Authority: https://www.asa.org.uk/

The Information Commissioner’s Office: www.ico.org.uk