Complaints Policy

We welcome comments, compliments and complaints from:

•  the people who use our food bank,
• referral agencies,
• volunteers
• staff
• anyone else we come into contact with during our work.

These help us to see what we are doing well and where we can make improvements. This policy is designed to cover both positive and negative comments which include but are not limited to the following list:

• Compliments
• Suggestions
• Complaints
• Grievances
• Safeguarding issues
• Whistleblowing
• Financial irregularities
• Fraud
• Discrimination
• Bullying
• Racism
• Harassment
• Assault
• Theft
• Drug use
• Breaches of Health and Safety procedures
• Religious intolerance

In the following, ‘Complaint’ includes all of the above list. How you choose to contact Warrington Foodbank will depend upon the nature of your communication. See ‘How to register a complaint or give feedback’ in the paragraph below to choose how to contact us.

Philosophy

Warrington Foodbank undertakes to ensure that:

•  Making a complaint is as straightforward as possible.
• Complaints are dealt with promptly, courteously, and discreetly, with information shared on a ‘need to know’ basis only.
• We will respond decisively, outlining a clear outcome of our investigation.
• We will learn from complaints and use them to make improvements in the way we work. The policy and procedure is accessible to all regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, belief or sexual orientation. If you require a copy of this policy in an alternative format, please contact us on any of the contact details in the section below.

How to register a complaint or give feedback

If you have a complaint, or would like to share a concern, compliment or comment on any aspect of our service, you can contact us in one of the following ways:

• In person to staff/volunteers at the food bank or to the Operations Manager
• By using the Suggestions Box which is available in units 2 and 9.
• By phone: 01925 977630
• By email: [email protected] where Foodbank staff will deal with your complaint.
• Write to the following address: Operations Manager, Warrington Foodbank, Unit 9 Tanning Court, Warrington, WA1 2HF

If you wish to remain anonymous you may email your information to [email protected] or leave an anonymous note in one of our suggestions boxes. Notes are dealt with by our Operations Manager.

Please tell us what your compliment, comment or complaint is about and what you would like to see happen as a result, if anything. Please also tell us how we may contact you with our response. If you choose to remain anonymous, we will not be able to request further information or respond to your complaint.

Complaints process:

1. Where appropriate, we will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receipt and provide you with the name of the person responsible for investigating the matter on your behalf. This process will only be used for significant issues. Please indicate whether you would like feedback on how your complaint is being dealt with
2. Where the issue concerns Safeguarding or Data Protections, please refer to our Safeguarding or Data Protection policies.
3. Staff Grievances are dealt with separately in accordance with Staff Terms and Conditions of Employment.
4. The person responsible for the investigation will write to you with their findings and proposed resolution within twenty-one working days from receipt of the complaint*.
5. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation, you may appeal or escalate your concerns to the Chair of Trustees via [email protected]. Letters must be received within twenty one working days of the date on the correspondence notifying you of the outcome of the first investigation.
6. The complaint will be re-investigated and you will be informed of the outcome within 10 working days.*

* unless the complaint is particularly complex or time-consuming, in which case you will be kept informed of the progress of the investigation and notified of the expected date of completion. Wherever possible, Warrington Foodbank will respect your confidentiality. Any information about the complaint will usually only be shared with those who need to know in order to help resolve it. There may, however, be occasions when we cannot provide absolute confidentiality, for example in circumstances where a child or adult with additional support needs may be at risk of harm. Please see our Safeguarding and Data Protection policies on our website for more detailed information.

Special cases

• Whistleblowing: If you wish to report something that you feel is not right (whistleblowing) then you will not be treated adversely as a result of speaking up.
• Staff Grievances: Staff grievances which are not resolved satisfactorily via your line manager will be dealt with in line with your Terms of Employment.

Data Privacy Statement

Warrington Foodbank is registered as a data controller with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office under registration number ZA507793. We use the personal information that you provide in accordance with data protection law to process your complaint. We have a legitimate interest in holding this information in order to be able to monitor and improve our services. We will collect personal information such as your name and contact details, postal address, telephone number, email address and social media contact information, in order to be able to investigate your complaint and to communicate with you about it. We will also collect sufficient information about the situation that you are contacting us about to be able to understand what has happened and help you seek a resolution to your complaint. We may also provide information to authorities such as the police or social services where necessary. Information gathered is accessed by food bank staff and/or volunteers and may be shared with advice agencies or, professional services firms (e.g., if your complaint relates to safeguarding and we seek guidance as to next steps). Information gathered may be accessed by food bank staff and trustees and may be shared with advice agencies or, professional services firms (e.g., if your complaint relates to safeguarding and we seek guidance as to next steps. We keep this information for 6 years if the complaint is upheld or 3 years if not, unless we have
a requirement to keep it longer, in which case we will inform you of this. After this time the data will be aggregated and anonymised. For further information about how we use your personal information see our Privacy Policy.