Complaints

How to make a complaint:

If you feel that our work does not meet the standards we have set, then please make a complaint. Either:

by email to chair@etcofpwd.com

or by writing to:

ETC of PWD:

Higher Week

Iddesleigh

Winkleigh

EX19 8SJ

Please state your concerns clearly and make sure that you include a name, address and phone number (we cannot respond to an anonymous complaint) so that we can reply as soon as possible.

What is the difference between Whistle Blowing and making a complaint?

  • Whistle Blowing is the term used when an employee, trustee, volunteer or other stakeholder passes on information concerning wrongdoing. The wrongdoing disclosed must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others.
  • A complaint is about something that affects you as an individual.

If you want to raise a Whistle Blowing Concern please go to the Whistle Blowing Pages

What we cannot reply to:

Sometimes complaints do not relate directly to something that ETC of PWD has done or that we are not in a position to comment on. We are a charity with limited resources and we must use these in the best way possible.

There may be rare occasions when we chose not to respond to a complaint at all. These include:

  • When a complaint is about something that ETC of PWD has no direct connection to. We may choose to reply to clear our name but we are not obliged to.
  • When someone unreasonably pursues a complaint that we have already responded to. We may choose not to reply again, we will always inform you of our decision to do this.
  • When a complainant is being obviously abusive, prejudiced or offensive in their manner.
  • When a complainant is harassing a staff member.
  • When a complaint is incoherent or illegible.
  • When a complaint has clearly been sent to us and numerous other organisations as part of a bulk mailing or email. In this instance we can chose whether it is necessary for us to reply or not.
  • ETC of PWD cannot respond to complaints made anonymously. However, we will investigate the complaint and use the information to improve in any way that we can.

Our pledge

We treat all comments and complaints as an opportunity to improve. We are happy to acknowledge the mistakes that we have made, sincerely apologise for them and then try to prevent them from happening again in the future. Thank you for helping us work to provide the relief of poverty for persons with disability in Northern Uganda.

Who else can help if you want to make a complaint?

We really hope we can resolve your complaint in an honest, open and satisfactory way. However, if after contacting us you are still unhappy then you can contact other regulatory organisations on this page.

The Fundraising Regulator

ETC of PWD is committed to the highest standards in fundraising practice. If your complaint is to do with fundraising and you feel that it has been unresolved by us then the Fundraising Regulator can investigate your complaint.

You must contact them within two months of receiving your response from us.

Contact can be made to the Fundraising Regulator via their online complaints form here or via telephone: 0300 999 3407 or by writing to Fundraising Regulator, 2nd Floor, CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East Road, London, N1 6AH.

The Charity Commission,

If your complaint is related to another area of our work and you do not feel completely satisfied by our response then you can contact The Charity Commission at the address below.

The Charity Commission
PO Box 1227
Liverpool
L69 3UG

0845 3000 218

Or: www.charity-commission.gov.uk

Contacting the Charity Commission:

You should complain to the Charity Commission if a charity is, for example:

  • not doing what it claims to do
  • losing lots of money
  • harming people
  • being used for personal profit or gain
  • involved in illegal activity

Make a serious complaint about a charity.

When you make you raise your concerns with Charity Commission, they will ask you

for your:

  • identity details
  • contact details
  • details of your connection to a charity
  • the contact at any other agency/regulator to which the incident has been reported

They will ask you for information about your concern and its impact.

Before you start

Before submitting a complaint, you must:

Why you should complain to the Charity Commission:

Only complain to the Charity Commission if there is a serious risk of harm to the charity or people it was set up to help.

Examples of serious issues include:

  • a charity not following the law, with damaging consequences to its reputation and public trust in charities generally
  • serious harm to the people the charity helps or other people who come into contact with the charity through its work
  • a person or organisation receiving significant financial benefit from a charity
  • criminal, illegal or terrorist activity
  • a charity set up for illegal or improper purposes
  • a charity losing significant amounts of money
  • a charity losing significant assets, for example land or buildings

After you submit a serious complaint

The Charity Commission will consider and record all complaints and decide what steps to take but will not take action in every case.

When making their decisions they will consider the issue, the risk involved to the charity and its beneficiaries and the likely impact of their involvement.

The Charity Commission can only take action where it is evidence based and proportionate to do so.