The Naval Childrens Chairty (NCC) takes complaints very seriously and views them 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 ensure that there is a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint.
• To make sure everyone at The NCC knows what to do if a complaint is received
• To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way
• To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired
• To gather information which helps us to improve what we do

Contact Details for Complaints:

Written complaints may be sent to Naval Childrens Chairty, Castaway House, 311 Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth, PO2 8RN or by e-mail to NCC@Navalchildrenscharity.org.uk

Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 02392 639534.

Resolving Complaints

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person managing the complaint within a week.

Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at a higher level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Chief Executive. (Where the Chief Executive has been actively involved in the initial process the complaint will be passed to the Chair of Trustees.) 

The request for Chief Executive level review should be acknowledged within a week of receiving it.

Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken because of the complaint.

The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Chief Executive decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

Complaint Procedure

• We will listen, record your complaint, and advise you how it will be handled
• We will investigate whenever necessary. If the complaint involves a member of staff or volunteer, we will not divulge the name of the complainant during an investigation unless we are specifically given permission to do so
• We will take action to resolve the problem and tell you what that action is
• We will take steps to avoid a repeat occurrence

At all times we will treat you with understanding and respect. All we ask is that you do the same for our staff. Confidential information in relation to your complaint will be managed sensitively.

We are not able to respond to anonymous complaints. We do not deal with matters for which the Naval Children’s Charity is not directly responsible unless it involves a safeguarding issue.

All written complaints will be logged. You will receive a written acknowledgement within a week of the complaint being received.

The aim is to investigate your complaint properly and give you a reply within four weeks, setting out how the problem will be dealt with

If after we have responded you are not satisfied, please write to the Chair who will report the matter to the next meeting of the Trustees, which will decide on any further steps to resolve the situation.

Finally, please also let us know if you are happy with the Naval Children’s Charity’s services.

What if our response does not satisfy you?

If your complaint concerns data/information we hold about you, you can contact:

Information Commissioner’s Office  

Wycliffe House 

Water Lane 

Wilmslow 

Cheshire 

SK9 5AF 

Tel: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45 

Fax: 01625 52 45 10 

www.ico.gov.uk  

If your complaint concerns an area of The Naval Childrens Charity work, you can contact:  The Charity Commission 

PO Box 1227 

Liverpool 

L69 3UG 

Tel: 0845 3000 218 

www.charity–commission.gov.uk  

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

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