MerryGoRound Complaints and whistleblowing Policy
Introduction
MerryGoRound is committed to working in an open and accountable way that secures the trust and respect of stakeholders, and as such recognises the role of an effective complaints policy in fostering transparency, fairness, and a culture of continuous improvement.
MerryGoRound undertakes to ensure that:
Making a complaint is as straightforward as possible.
Complaints are dealt with promptly, courteously, and discreetly – confidentially when appropriate. We will respond decisively with an explanation, an apology where we have been at fault, or information on the outcome.
We will learn from complaints and use them to make improvements in the way we work.
How to contact us
We hope that the majority of complaints can be dealt with informally, but in cases in which the formal procedure is more appropriate, we request that they are submitted in the following format:
In writing by email to hello@merrygorounduk.org with ‘complaint’ in the subject line.
It should include a full explanation of the problem, how it occurred, and the effect on you.
Describe what you think we should do to put things right.
Please provide your name and contact details - we are not able to respond to anonymous complaints.
We will deal with your complaint as follows:
We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receipt and provide you with the name and contact details of the person responsible for investigating the matter on your behalf.
The person responsible for the investigation will write to you with their findings and proposed resolution within twenty eight days from receipt of the complaint, 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.
If you are not happy with our response, please let us know and your complaint will be reviewed by one of our trustees. Ultimately, you have recourse to the online complaint form at the Charity Commission www.charitycommission.gov.uk (however we are not yet a registered charity).
Data Privacy Statement
We collate and analyse data about complaints so that we can improve the services we provide. We will collect personal information including your name and contact details, including postal address, telephone number, email address and social media contact information, in order to be able to communicate with you about your complaint. We will also collect sufficient information about the situation that you are contacting us about to be able to understand what has happened. We may need to request further information depending on the nature of your complaint. We have a legitimate interest in holding this information in order to be able to monitor and improve our services. Information gathered is accessed by MerryGoRound employees and may be shared with advice agencies or professional services firms only if appropriate, for example if your complaint relates to safeguarding and we seek guidance as to next steps. Where a complaint involves a project in our network, we may need to share this information with that project in order to understand what has happened and determine a resolution. We keep this information for 2 years after your complaint has been closed, unless we have a requirement to keep it longer. After this time the data will be aggregated and anonymised.
Whistleblowing
Whistle blowing is where you have a concern about a danger or illegality that has a public interest aspect to it such as:
Modern Slavery.
A criminal offence that has, is being, or is likely to be committed.
Unauthorised or inappropriate disclosure, misuse or loss of confidential, personal and / or sensitive information.
A miscarriage of justice.
Risk or damage to the environment.
A danger to the health and safety of employees or others.
Attempts to suppress or hide information relating to wrongdoing.
The concern can be about an incident that happened in the past, is happening now or that you believe is likely in the future. As long as you hold a reasonable belief that the information is true then you will be covered by the protection set out regardless of whether you are mistaken or the matter cannot be proved.
Whistleblowing may be very difficult and can be reported to hello@merrygorounduk.org. We will take every step to ensure we protect and support whistleblowers internally.
However, we recognise that people may feel more comfortable seeking external support in this situation.
The independent charity Protect can also provide support. Their lawyers can give you free confidential advice at any stage about how to raise a concern and they will also provide advice on the circumstances in which it may be appropriate for you to contact an outside body. www.protect-advice.org.uk
Date of policy review: March 2023
Date of next review: March 2024