Policy summary We are committed to working in an open and accountable way that builds the trust and respect of all our stakeholders. We also want to ensure the highest standards of activities across all departments in our organisation. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our services is by listening and responding to the views of our stakeholders, and in particular by responding positively to complaints regarding employees, grant holders or services and finding suitable resolutions. We take complaints very seriously and we treat them as an opportunity to develop. We are grateful to hear from people who are willing to take the time to help us improve. Our policy is: To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint. To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint To make sure everyone at the Foundation knows what to do if a complaint is received and to support them through the process where necessary. To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way. To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired. To gather information which helps us to learn and improve what we do. Definition of a complaint The Foundation considers a complaint to be a statement that something is wrong or not good enough in the opinion of the person making the complaint. It may not always be clear when an individual is making a complaint and the word may never be used, but where someone raises concern or dissatisfaction about our service or an organisation that we work with, we will treat it as a complaint. Where a complaint is about an organisation that we work with, where appropriate we encourage you to make your complaint directly to the organisation concerned. Whilst the Foundation wants to support the organisations that we work with and to ensure that our funds are spent well, we are not responsible for their governance or for investigating alleged crimes. We believe that in many cases service complaints are better dealt with by the organisation themselves. Procedure Whether a complaint relates to an organisation that we work with or directly about the Foundation, where possible complainants are encouraged to correspond in writing (although this is not essential) to Lloyds Bank Foundation at Pentagon House, 52-54 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1UN or by e-mail at enquiries@lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk The Foundation has a two-stage process: Stage One Complaints will be acknowledged in writing by the person handling the complaint within five working days. The acknowledgement will say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. In most cases you will receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress update will be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Stage Two If you feel that your complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, within four weeks of receiving a response from the Foundation at Stage One, you should set out in writing why you believe this is the case and you can request that the complaint is reviewed at Board level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Chair, Board of Trustees who assumes responsibility for the review of the complaint. Depending on whether the complaint relates to the direct work of the Foundation or about an external partner will inform the Chair about who is best to investigate at stage two. The Chair may investigate the facts of the case themselves, delegate a suitably senior person to do so (in practice usually the Chief Executive) or may appoint someone suitably qualified who is external to the Foundation. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One. Usually, you should receive a definitive reply within six weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress update should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to you should where appropriate describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final. 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