Complaints Policy

General Statement

The Boston Volunteer Centre Charity (BVCC) owns and manages the Len Medlock Voluntary Centre. BVCC is a registered charity no. 1069816. It aims to provide all users of the Centre with the best possible service but recognises that even in the best run organisations problems can occur from time to time. We positively welcome any suggestions that users may have to improve our service.

Usually, problems can be resolved informally. However, we recognise that from time to time there may be occasions when users of the Centre feel that the quality or level of service provided fall short of what they could reasonably expect. If this happens, we want to know about it so that we can make good the problem and avoid its repetition.

If you do have a complaint we would like you to tell us about it and this Policy sets out the procedure that we would like you to use and that BVCC will use.

This is what you should do

  1. If you have a complaint to make, it should be made within 1 month of the matter giving rise to the complaint to the Centre Manager, who will try to resolve the issue informally.
  2. If the issue is serious, or you are not satisfied after raising it with the Centre Manager, or if your complaint is about the Centre Manager, you should make a formal complaint.
  3. Your complaint should be made in writing, marked ‘Private & Confidential’, and sent to the Chair, Boston Volunteer Centre Charity, Len Medlock Voluntary Centre, St Georges Road, Boston, Lincs, PE21 8YB who will acknowledge it formally (normally within 14 days of receipt). If for any reason you think that the Chair is not available or there is some other reason why the Chair should not receive the complaint then you may address it to the Vice Chair in the same way to the same address.
  4. The Chair or Vice Chair will investigate your complaint or will ask another member of the Board of BVCC to do so and report to him or her. The person investigating the complaint may ask to meet you personally as part of the investigation but will not necessarily do so.
  5. The Chair or Vice Chair will communicate the results of the investigation to you within a reasonable time – normally 28 days from receipt of your complaint.
  6. If you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, then you have the right to put your complaint personally to a panel of Board members of BVCC. If you are attending personally, then you may be accompanied by a friend to help put your case and the panel may also have an advisor present.
  7. The decision of the panel shall be final.
  8. Where appropriate BVCC may make a written apology to the complainant, and/or offer any further action necessary to make good the complaint.
  9. All complaints and the responses made to them will be recorded and filed in a secure place.
  10. The Board of BVCC will be informed at the first available meeting of the nature and number of any formal complaints and their outcome, and will consider the implications these may have for the future provision of its services.

Date adopted by BVCC Board 02/02/2017