‍Bristol Children's Charity Complaints Policy

Last reviewed: June 2026

1.  Introduction

Bristol Children's Charity welcomes feedback and takes complaints seriously. We believe that handling complaints fairly and promptly helps us improve our services and maintain public trust. This policy applies to complaints from donors, supporters, members of the public, and anyone who has received services from us.

2.  What Is a Complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our work, services, volunteers, or fundraising activities that requires a response. This includes concerns about:

  • How a donation was handled or used

  • The behaviour of a volunteer or fundraiser

  • Our communications or fundraising materials

  • How we handled your personal data

  • Any other aspect of our work

3.  How to Make a Complaint

You can make a complaint by:

Please include your name and contact details, a description of your concern, any relevant dates, and what outcome you are seeking. Anonymous complaints will be considered where possible but may limit our ability to respond.

4.  How We Handle Complaints

Stage 1 – Initial response

We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days. A committee member will investigate the matter and provide a full written response within 20 working days. If we need more time, we will let you know.

Stage 2 – Escalation

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may request that your complaint be reviewed by the chair of the committee. Please do so in writing within 20 working days of receiving our initial response. We will provide a final response within 20 working days of receiving your escalation.

Stage 3 – External escalation

If you remain dissatisfied after our internal process is complete, you may refer your complaint to:

•       The Fundraising Regulator (if the complaint relates to fundraising): fundraisingregulator.org.uk

•       The Charity Commission for England and Wales: charitycommission.gov.uk

•       The Information Commissioner's Office (if the complaint relates to data protection): ico.org.uk

5.  Fundraising Complaints

Bristol Children's Charity is committed to fundraising in an open, honest, and respectful way in line with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice. We will not:

  • Use high-pressure fundraising tactics

  • Target vulnerable individuals

  • Mislead donors about how funds will be used

If you have a complaint specifically about our fundraising activity, please follow the process above. We will respond promptly and, where appropriate, report concerns to the Fundraising Regulator.

6.  Learning from Complaints

We record all complaints and use them to identify trends and improve our practices. The board of trustees receives a summary of complaints and their outcomes at least annually.

7.  Vexatious Complaints

We will treat all complaints in good faith. However, if a complaint is considered to be vexatious or made in bad faith, we reserve the right to close the matter. We will write to the complainant to explain our decision.

8.  Review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the board of trustees.