Complaints procedure

Applicants may complain to the Foundation using the method outlined if they believe that one or more of the following has occurred.
a) Their application has been incorrectly or negligently assessed.
b) The assessor or any other staff member acting on the Foundation’s behalf has failed to conduct themselves appropriately (e.g. by breaking confidence where boundaries have been made clear).
c) The assessor or any other staff member has contravened any legal requirements (e.g. equal opportunities legislation).
d) The assessor or any other staff member has failed to notify the trustees of matters which would affect their decision.
e) The assessor or any other staff member has acted in some manner which was deleterious to the applicant and/or which breached the Foundation’s expectations of professional and respectful conduct.
Applicants may not appeal against a decision taken about the interpretation of the Foundation’s guidelines or any rejection unless they have grounds as in 1 above.

Complaints should be made in writing to the Foundation Chief Executive (or to the Chairman of the Trustees if the complaint concerns the Chief Executive’s conduct). The written complaint should give factual information: time, place, persons involved and/or witnessing the incident (if appropriate), exact factual nature of the complaint and any supporting evidence.
Complaints must be received at the Foundation within three months of the incident or decision being made.

All complaints will be acknowledged within five working days of receipt at the Foundation.
Normally the Chief Executive will discuss the matter with the complainant and the person who is the subject of it separately and will attempt to resolve it reasonably. A report of the discussions will be available to both parties. If there are grounds to review a decision, the Chief Executive will ensure that this is done independently and objectively.
The complainant will be informed of the outcome of the investigation in writing within 28 working days of acknowledgement.
In rare cases it may be necessary to refer matters to the Trustees and to discipline the person about whom the complaint has been made. Complainants may be asked to an interview by a Trustee or, in the case of a dismissible offence, by a personnel officer. Attendance is entirely at the discretion of the complainant but failure to attend may result in a complaint having to be dropped.
Complainants should be aware that, while minor matters resolvable within the Foundation’s staff team may be kept confidential, anything more serious is likely to become more public.
The Foundation will try to ensure that reasonable complaints are resolved rapidly and that the making of a reasonable complaint does not adversely affect the complainant’s future relationship with the Foundation.