How to make a complaint

In many cases, concerns can be resolved quickly by having an informal conversation with a member of staff. Where possible, we use this approach to work with you and agree a practical resolution. If your concern is not resolved, or you would prefer to make a formal complaint, you are welcome to do so. We will always listen to how you would like your concern to be handled.

A complaint can be made by an individual or organisation about any aspect of YCDT’s work including our services, programmes, staff or volunteers.

If your concern relates to safeguarding, whistleblowing or data protection, we will manage it through the appropriate policy and procedure rather than a complaints process. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Georgia Prentice, Service Manager, and you can access our Safeguarding information here.

You can jump straight to our online complaints form here.

If you would prefer to speak to someone by phone or submit your complaint by email or post, please see our contact details here

How we will respond

When you make a complaint, we will:

• Acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days
• Ensure your complaint is reviewed by an appropriate member of the YCDT Management Team
• Carry out a fair and impartial investigation
• Provide a full written response within 20 working days. If we need more time, we will let you know why and keep you informed
• Explain any actions or improvements made as a result of the complaint, where appropriate

You can also expect us to:

• Listen carefully and take your complaint seriously
• Treat everyone fairly, without judgement and with respect
• Handle your information confidentially in line with our Data Protection Policy
• Be honest about what we can and cannot do
• Learn from your feedback to improve our services

If you remain unhappy
If you have completed our complaints procedure and remain dissatisfied, you may request that your complaint is reviewed by our Chief Executive, or where appropriate, the Chair of Trustees.

You may also contact the relevant external organisation:

• The Charity Commission (for serious concerns about governance or misuse of charity funds)
• The Fundraising Regulator (for fundraising complaints)
• The Information Commissioner’s Office (for data protection concerns)

We review complaints regularly and report themes and learning to our Trustee Board. Complaints help us to improve and we value the time you take to share your feedback.