Policy Statement

Whilst the Organisation strives to do the best for all its service users, all comments (positive or negative) are helpful to us to learn, grow, and thrive. You may wish to speak with us about a particular concern, or you may have a complaint. If you are dissatisfied in any way, please feel able to raise your concerns.

The policy should be read in conjunction with the Organisation’s Complaints Procedure, which provides detailed step-by-step guidance for employees on recording, investigating, responding to, and reviewing complaints. Employees are expected to follow the procedure to ensure complaints are handled fairly, consistently, promptly, and confidentially.

This purpose of this policy is to detail the way in which the Organisation handles concerns and complaints. The Organisation aims to ensure: –

• Your complaint is dealt with thoroughly, fairly, and in confidence
• Urgent complaints are treated as a matter of priority
• You receive an apology if a mistake has been made
• You are informed of what actions will be taken to put things right
• You are informed of the outcome
• Complaints are reviewed to identify learning, improvements and prevent recurrence

This policy covers complaints about all aspects of the Organisation’s activities, including our fundraising practices. A complaint may be an expression of dissatisfaction about actions taken, including how fundraising has been carried out or a lack of action, however made.

The Organisation is committed to:

• Fairness: All complaints will be handled impartially and without bias.
• Transparency: Complainants will be informed of the process and timelines.
• Confidentiality: Complaints will be treated sensitively, and information will only be shared with those involved in the investigation.
• Accessibility: Everyone covered by this policy can raise a concern without fear of reprisal.
• Responsiveness: Complaints will be acknowledged promptly, and urgent matters prioritized.
• Learning and Improvement: Feedback and complaints will be reviewed to identify trends, improve processes, inform training needs and prevent recurrence.

• Members of the public
• A parent, guardian or carer
• Volunteers
• Trustees
  

The following matters are managed under separate policies and procedures:-

• Safeguarding concerns (Safeguarding Policy)
• Data protection concerns (Data Protection and Privacy Policy)
• Employee grievances (Grievance Policy)
  • Follow the Complaints Procedure when receiving or handling complaints.
  • Gather relevant information and complete the complaints form when receiving a complaint.
  • Maintain confidentiality and ensure information is passed promptly to the relevant manager.
• Whistleblowing disclosures (Whistleblowing Policy)

Responsibilities

Employees/Volunteers:

Employees and volunteers are responsible for:

• Following the Organisation’s Complaints Policy and Complaints Procedure when receiving or handling complaints.
• Listening to concerns respectfully and responding professionally, courteously and without prejudice.
• Attempting to resolve concerns informally where appropriate and within the scope of their role.
• Gathering relevant information and accurately completing the complaints form when receiving a complaint.
• Reporting complaints promptly to the appropriate manager or designated person in accordance with the Complaints Procedure.
• Maintaining confidentiality and ensuring complaint information is only shared with those who need to know.
• Cooperating fully with complaint investigations and providing factual information when requested.
• Participating in training relating to complaint handling and applying learning to improve services.

Managers/Trustees:

• Ensure complaints are investigated thoroughly and fairly.
• Review complaint outcomes and ensure actions are taken to prevent recurrence.
• Provide support and guidance to staff handling complaints.
• Review complaint outcomes and ensure actions are taken to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure complaints are reviewed according to the Organisation’s risk framework.
• Monitor trends and support organisational learning through regular reporting.

CEO

• Oversee the implementation of this policy and procedure.
• Ensure staff are trained in complaint handling.
• Review formal complaints and high-risk complaints and escalate to Trustees where appropriate.
• Review formal complaints and all high-risk complaints.
• Ensure appropriate governance reporting is provided to Trustees.
• Oversee organisational learning arising from complaints and incidents.
• Ensure complaint trends, risks and organisational learning are reported through appropriate governance channels.

Complainants:

• Provide clear, honest, and factual information when raising a complaint.
• Respect the Organisation’s procedures and timelines.

In the first instance, the Organisation encourages concerns to be resolved informally wherever appropriate.

• Staff will listen to the concern, thank the complainant for raising it, and aim to resolve the issue quickly.
• Complainants may bring a friend or family member for support.
• The outcome will be confirmed in writing when appropriate.

If informal resolution is not possible or successful, the formal complaints procedure will be invoked.

Formal complaints arise when:

• The matter cannot be resolved informally, or
• The complaint is considered serious.

Formal complaints should be submitted in writing to the CEO via [email protected].
If the complaint relates to the CEO it should be submitted in writing to [email protected]

• The Organisation will investigate the complaint, requesting evidence or formal responses where necessary.
• The complainant will be offered the option to bring a friend or family member for support.
• The outcome of the complaint and any recommendations will be provided in writing.
• Formal complaints are managed in line with the Organisation’s Complaints Procedure, which includes recording the complaint, sending acknowledgements, investigating, responding within defined timelines, and reviewing outcomes.

Complaints relating to fundraising will be handled through the same complaints process set out in this policy.

• Fundraising complaints will be investigated by someone independent of the fundraising activity, team, or staff involved, in line with Fundraising Regulator guidance.
• Fundraising complaints will be recorded, reviewed and reported through the Organisation’s complaints governance process.
• The Organisation aims to resolve fundraising complaints promptly and fairly.
• If it is not possible to resolve the complaint internally, or the complainant remains unhappy with the outcome, the complainant can contact the Fundraising Regulator in line with its published guidance.

Monitoring and Review

The Organisation will monitor complaints to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.

Complaints will be reviewed regularly by the Finance & Resource Manager and CEO, with significant complaints and learning reported through the Senior Leadership Team and Trustee governance structures.

Reviewed May 2026
Next Review – May 2027

Lupus UK is committed to providing high quality services which meet your needs. In order to do this, we need you to give us comments about our service and to tell us when we get things wrong.

In order to ensure our services remain at a high and improving standard, we have a procedure through which you can let us know if, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your dealings with the charity. We treat any expression of dissatisfaction with our services as a complaint, which calls for a response. We listen to your complaints, treat them seriously, and learn from them so that we can continuously improve our services.

If you are unhappy about any of Lupus UK’s services, please speak to the relevant staff member.

If you are unhappy with a volunteer or Trustee of Lupus UK, it may sometimes be best to discuss it with them directly. If you feel this is difficult or inappropriate, then please contact a member of staff at the charity.

If you are unhappy with a member of staff, you may also wish to speak with them directly. However, if this is difficult or inappropriate, please submit your complaint using the contact details below.

To submit a complaint, please use one of the following methods:

Email: [email protected]
If your complaint relates to the Chief Executive, please email: [email protected]

Post: Lupus UK, St James House, Eastern Road, Romford, RM1 3NH | Lupus UK, The Finsbury Business Centre, 40 Bowling Green Lane, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 0NE

Often, we will be able to give you a response straight away. Where the matter is more complicated, we will aim to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within one working day and aim to provide a full response within ten working days. If we need longer to investigate, we will let you know and provide an updated timescale.

You can expect to be treated with courtesy, respect and fairness at all times. We ask that you also treat our staff, volunteers and trustees dealing with your complaint with the same courtesy, respect and fairness.

We will not tolerate threatening, abusive or unreasonable behaviour. Such situations are rare; however, should they occur, we may cease communication with the complainant in accordance with our Abuse and Harassment Policy and, where appropriate, inform the relevant authorities.

If you are not satisfied with our response or wish to raise the matter more formally, please write to the Chief Executive at [email protected]. If your complaint is about the Chief Executive, please write to the Chair of Trustees at [email protected].

All written complaints will be logged. We will aim to acknowledgement receipt of your complaint within one working day.

We aim to investigate your complaint thoroughly and provide a full response within ten working days. If this is not possible, we will keep you informed of the progress of our investigation and advise when you can expect a full response.

If, after receiving our final response, you remain dissatisfied, you may write to the Chair of Trustees requesting a review. If your complaint relates to our fundraising activities and you remain dissatisfied after our final response, you may also refer your complaint to the Fundraising Regulator in accordance with its published guidance.