Statement of Intent

KidsBank is committed to maintaining high standards across all aspects of its work. However, we recognise that there is always the possibility that we may fail to meet the high standards that we set for ourselves. 

What to do if you have a complaint

If there is anything to do with KidsBank about which you feel you need to complain, please tell us as soon as possible. If we do not know about a problem, we cannot begin to resolve it for you and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

As a children’s charity, we take child protection extremely seriously. If you have any concerns about the behaviour of one of KidsBank’s staff, volunteers, or beneficiaries in any situation, it is vital that you tell us about it immediately so that appropriate action can be taken.

All complaints are dealt with by the CEO.

In the event that the complaint is in relation to the CEO, the complaint will be dealt with by the Deputy Chair of Trustees.

How to contact us

You can email the CEO at dee@kidsbankchester.com

You can email the Deputy Chair of Trustees at laura@kidsbankchester.com

You can email the Chair of Trustees at mick@kidsbankchester.com

You can also write to us at: KidsBank, 21-23 Garden Lane, Chester, CH1 4EU.

 

What we will do on receiving your complaint

• We’ll listen, record your complaint, and advise you how it will be handled.
• We will forward your complaint to the CEO, (or in the event that the complaint is in relation to the CEO, we will forward your complaint to the Deputy Chair of Trustees), who will investigate the complaint, listening to all staff, volunteers, children, and families affected or involved.
• If the complaint involves a member of staff or volunteer, this person will have the opportunity to express their point of view, accompanied by a friend. We will not divulge the name of the person who has made the complaint during an investigation unless you give us permission to do so.
• We’ll take action to resolve the problem and tell you what that action is.
• We’ll take steps to avoid a repeat occurrence or if necessary, exclude a person(s) from KidsBank.
• At all times we will treat you with understanding and respect. We ask that you do the same for our staff and volunteers.
• Confidential information in relation to your complaint will be handled sensitively.
• We are not able to respond to anonymous complaints.
• We cannot deal with matters for which KidsBank is not directly responsible unless it involves a child protection or safeguarding issue.

Complaint response times

We would appreciate your understanding that, with limited resources, we cannot always respond to your complaint immediately. However, we will act as promptly as we can.

You will receive an initial acknowledgement and/or response within 5 working days of receipt of your complaint and we expect to resolve most problems in that time.

Where a more in-depth investigation is required, we aim to provide a full response within 20 working days. If there are exceptional circumstances, where that is not possible, we will advise you.

What constitutes a complaint?

We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction with any aspect of KidsBank which is under the control of the charity, its staff, or volunteers.

 

What if our response does not satisfy you?

If you are not happy with our response, please let us know and your complaint will be reviewed by our Chair of Trustees. Ultimately, you have recourse to the online complaint form at the Charity Commission (www.charitycommission.gov.uk) but we hope we would be able to resolve any situation to your satisfaction.