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1. Introduction

Where a matter is unable to be resolved informally and a formal complaint is made, this policy should be followed. However, where a complaint is being made at WI or federation level, the complainant should first check whether the WI or federation have their own complaints policy. If they do, this should be followed in the first instance. WIs and federations are encouraged to frequently review their policies and are welcome to adopt this policy in full or in part. All complaints must be made as soon as possible in writing, either via email or letter.

Appendix A contains guidance on what information should be provided by the complainant before the complaints process begins.

Appendix B contains guidance on what information should be provided to the complainant when the complaints process ends.

Appendix C contains the NFWI Complaint Form (Download here). This is also available on request and from My WI.

2. Purpose of the policy

The purpose of this policy is to:

• - Offer an avenue of redress.
• - Ensure complaints are resolved.
• - Identify procedures that can be put in place to reduce the risk of complaints from occurring again.
• - Ensure support and information is provided where needed.

3. NFWI commitments

The NFWI is committed to ensuring complaints are dealt with professionally, appropriately and in a timely manner. All complaints will be handled in accordance with the following standards:

• - Complaints will be treated seriously and managed in a fair and transparent way.
• - All those involved in a complaint will be treated with respect, in line with the organisation’s values, at all times during the complaints process.
• - Complaints will be responded to in a timely manner in accordance with this policy.
• - Complaints will be kept confidential as far as possible and where this is not possible those involved will be notified.
• - Complaints will be handled without discrimination or judgement and those received from members and non-members will be treated equally and with objectivity.
• - Responsibility for the effective management of complaints rests at the level of the organisation most appropriate to the complaint (e.g. the WI, federation or NFWI).
• - Where a complaint is about an entire WI Committee or Federation Board of Trustees it will be escalated to the next level automatically.
• - External regulatory bodies, such as the Charity Commission and the Information Commissioners Office, will be notified as appropriate depending on the nature of the complaint.

4. Scope

This policy applies to any person wishing to make a complaint. This includes trustees at all levels of the organisation, federation staff, WI members and non-WI members (members of the public). NFWI staff should follow the internal Grievance Policy.

5. Complaints at WI Level

If you have a complaint about a WI, please send your complaint in writing to the WI secretary and you will receive an acknowledgement in writing within ten working days of receipt where possible.

Your complaint will be dealt with by the officers of the WI and you will receive a written response explaining the decision and outcome within eight weeks of receipt where possible.

If your complaint mentions an officer, they will not take part in the complaints process. If your complaint mentions all of the officers, your complaint should go straight to the federation following the below process.

If you would like to appeal the decision of the WI officers, please send your appeal in writing to the Federation secretary following the process below. Your appeal should include all the requisite information, any previous decisions and your grounds for appeal. An appeal can only be made on the grounds of new evidence that was not originally taken into account or concerns that the relevant complaints policy was not followed appropriately.

Please note where WIs have their own Complaints Policy, the timeframes stipulated in that policy will be applicable.

6. Complaints at federation level

If you have a complaint about a federation or are appealing a complaint, please send your complaint in writing to the federation secretary and you will receive an acknowledgement in writing within ten working days of receipt where possible.

Your complaint will be dealt with by the officers of the federation and you will receive a written response explaining the decision and outcome within eight weeks of receipt where possible.

If your complaint mentions an officer(s), they will not take part in the complaints process. If your complaint mentions all of the officers, your complaint should go straight to the NFWI following the below process.

If you would like to appeal the decision of the federation officers, please send your appeal in writing to the Membership Support Officer within the NFWI Membership and Engagement Team following the process below. Your appeal should include all the requisite information, any previous decisions and your grounds for appeal. An appeal can only be made on the grounds of new evidence that was not originally taken into account or concerns that the relevant complaints policy was not followed appropriately.

Please note where federations have their own Complaints Policy, the timeframes stipulated in that policy will be applicable.

7. Complaints at NFWI level

If you have a complaint about the NFWI or are appealing a complaint, please send your complaint to the Membership and Engagement Team using the NFWI Complaint Form and you will receive an acknowledgement in writing within ten working days of receipt where possible. If the NFWI are able to look into your complaint it will be dealt with by the Membership and Engagement Team in conjunction with the relevant department and you will receive a written response explaining the decision and outcome within eight weeks of receipt where possible.

Where appropriate the complaint will be formally investigated. Such an investigation will be supported by a relevant trustee or staff member. Where an investigation is undertaken then the response time is likely to be increased and you will be notified of the revised timescales when the complaint is acknowledged.

If you would like to appeal the decision of the Membership and Engagement Team, please send your appeal in writing to the General Secretary. Your appeal should include all the requisite information, any previous decisions and your grounds for appeal. An appeal can only be made on the grounds of new evidence that was not originally taken into account or concerns that the NFWI complaints policy was not followed appropriately. The General Secretary will work on the appeal with the NFWI Board of Trustees where required. You will receive a written response explaining the decision and outcome within eight weeks of receipt where possible.

If the NFWI is made aware of issues, they may choose to follow these up as a formal complaint even where this has not been specifically requested and the complainant will be contacted about this.

8. Sensitive complaints

If your complaint is of a sensitive nature, e.g. concerning the NFWI Inclusion Policy, safeguarding issues or whistleblowing, and you feel you are unable to complain following the usual process illustrated above, please direct your complaint to the NFWI Membership and Engagement Team following the process illustrated at section 7.

9. Complaints by non-members

If you are not a member of the WI but have a complaint, please send your complaint directly to the NFWI in the first instance. Your complaint will follow the process illustrated at point 7.

10. Investigations

Some complaints may require an investigation to be carried out at WI, federation or NFWI level. This may be for the following reasons:

• - To source further information about the complaint.
• - To obtain evidence relating to the complaint.
• - To talk to relevant people about the complaint.

Where an investigation is required, this must be carried out and concluded, where possible, within eight weeks from the commencement date of the investigation.

The investigation must be documented in writing and should follow a structure, such as:

• - The officers, or other person(s), who have dealt with the complaint decide the purpose of the investigation, what the investigation should cover and who will participate in the investigation.
• - Those investigating the complaint plan the investigation and ensure they are able to carry out the investigation appropriately.
• - The person who has made the complaint is informed that an investigation is going to take place, the purpose of this, the person(s) who will be carrying out the investigation and the timescales.
• - Those investigating the complaint carry out the investigation without undue delay, documenting each stage and asking for assistance from the federation/NFWI where necessary.
• - The investigation is concluded within eight weeks unless further time is required (please see section 11 for more information on timeframes).
• - The person(s) who have investigated the complaint reports their findings to the officers or other person(s) who are also dealing with the complaint.
• - Based on the findings of the investigation, a final decision is made within two weeks where possible and the complainant is informed of the decision in writing.

If you have any questions or would like assistance with investigations, please contact the NFWI Membership and Engagement Team.

11. Timeframes

The timeframes stipulated in this policy must be adhered to as far as possible. If the timeframes cannot be adhered to, the reasons for this must be communicated to the complainant and new timeframes set out. This includes if further time is required for an investigation.

Please note that during August and December some WIs do not meet and federation offices may be closed. Timeframes may therefore need to be adjusted.

As mentioned above, where WIs and federations have their own Complaints Policy, the timeframes stipulated in that policy will be applicable.

12. Serious incident reporting

The Charity Commission requires charities to report serious incidents. A serious incident is an adverse event, whether actual or alleged, which results in or risks significant:

• - harm to your charity’s beneficiaries, staff, volunteers or others who come into contact with your charity through its work;
• - loss of your charity’s money or assets;
• - damage to your charity’s property; and/or
• - harm to your charity’s work or reputation.

Therefore, complaints that follow this policy and other incidents may need to be reported to the Charity Commission and the trustees are responsible for this.

Please see the NFWI Serious Incident Reporting: Guidance for federations and WIs for more information.

13. Confidentiality and data protection

All complaints will be handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about data protection matters. For more information about data protection, please contact [email protected].

14. The Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you have the right to complain to the Charity Commission and/or the Fundraising Regulator.