Our Complaints Policy & Procedure

Fitzrovia Community Centre (FCC) strives to provide quality services that meet or exceed the expectations of users. FCC promotes a culture that is responsive to feedback, whether complimentary or critical. Feedback about our services are actively encouraged and acknowledged as a valuable source of information that we can evaluate and use to improve the quality of our provision to users.

Occasionally, services may not meet expectations and where this leads to dissatisfaction we will seek to address and resolve all complaints within a specified time frame, in a manner that is supported by clear and accessible procedures that ensure consistency, thorough investigation and fairness. This Complaints Policy is applied to any aspect of FCC, which is under the control of the Charity, its staff, volunteers or Trustees.

FCC believes that good communication between the users of our services, members of staff and volunteers can prevent minor issues from developing into major ones.

Making a Complaint

Any person who receives a service/communication from FCC, any of the partners we work with or anyone who is affected by our services can make a complaint. If necessary, a person can ask a representative to make the complaint on their behalf. Anyone who uses FCC may also make a complaint about any services that are provided at FCC by a third-party. As a representative of the community, we will endeavour to support you in making a formal complaint to the provider in question in accordance with their complaint procedure, however, our ability to resolve such matters may be limited.

How to Make a Complaint

Many complaints can be resolved informally. In the first instance contact FCC and, if you feel able, speak to the member of staff who is working with you or ask to speak to their manager, who will try to address the matter. If you make contact in person or by phone, make a note of the name of the person you speak to. If a solution is offered at this point, make a note of this as well.

If you are not satisfied or do not agree to an informal solution, you may pursue a formal complaint.

To Make a Formal Complaint

You will need to make your complaint in writing, either by email or letter, to:

Donna Yay, Director, Fitzrovia Community Centre, 2 Foley Street, London W1W 6DL. Phone Number: 020 7580 8680. Email: donna@fitzroviacommunitycentre.org, please cc info@fitzroviacommunitycentre.org

If you need support to put your complaint in writing, we may be able to put you in touch with an independent party who can assist you, for example through interpreting.

What Will We Do Upon Receiving Your Complaint?

  1. We will listen and record your complaint and advise you how it will be handled.

  2. We will investigate.

  3. We will take action to resolve the problem and tell you what the action is.

  4. We will take steps to avoid a repeat occurrence and update relevant policy and procedures as required.

  5. At all times, we will treat you with understanding and respect. We ask is that you do the same for our staff.

  6. Should you be unsatisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may then escalate your concern to the Board of Trustees by writing to: The Board of Trustees, COMPLAINT, Fitzrovia Community Centre, 2 Foley Street, London W1W 6DL.

Confidential information in relation to your complaint will be handled sensitively, in accordance with the FCC Privacy Policy and Data Protection Act 2018.

We regret that we are unable to respond to anonymous complaints or matters for which the charity is not directly responsible.

Response times

We endeavour to respond full and conclusively to all complaints within 10 working days.

You will receive acknowledgement of your complaint within 5 working days of receipt. You will be contacted to make sure that we have understood your complaint properly. You may be interviewed by the person investigating the complaint.

Whenever possible we will deal with it more quickly, if we think it will take longer, we will let you know.

If an in-depth investigation is required, we aim to provide a response within 20 working days.

Recording and Reporting of Complaints

A record of a complaint and its outcome will be kept and this shall be filed confidentially and separately from any of the personnel records of the individual in question. Those involved in the complaint will have access to this, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.

The Director will oversee complaints received by FCC. The Director will defer to the Board of Trustees where a complaint may pose severe implications on the charity and its reputation.

The Board of Trustees will receive a report of any complaints received at each quarterly Trustee Board meeting, including action taken, resolution and/or ongoing concern.

Last reviewed: December 2023

Next review due: December 2025