BMS World Mission is committed to delivering a high standard of service to anyone who engages with our work. We view complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or organisation that has made the complaint.
We aim to address any issues or concerns, promptly and carefully as they arise. It is our intention to learn from experience so that there will be no similar cause for complaint in future.
This policy aims to:
The organisation expects staff at all levels to be committed to fair, effective and efficient complaint handling.
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of BMS. As well as complaints being made directly to BMS, remember that some complaints ( or at least negative comments) may be made on social media.
Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has any interaction with BMS. A complaint can be received in person, by phone, email, letter or on social media.
All complaint information will be handled sensitively, informing only those who need to know whilst following any relevant data protection requirements.
Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the BMS Board of Trustees.
This policy is reviewed by the Board of Trustees annually and updated as required.
All significant complaints are reviewed at monthly senior management meetings to ensure they have been satisfactorily handled, and any training needs or operational or procedural changes identified and acted upon. An annual report is made to the Board.
This policy does not cover complaints from UK and overseas personnel, who should use BMS’ Discipline and Grievance policies.
October 2020
Written complaints may be sent to BMS at:
General Director
BMS World Mission
PO Box 49
129 Broadway
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 8XA
By email at: complaints@bmsworldmission.org
Verbal complaints may be made in the first instance to any member of BMS staff. Alternatively you can ask to speak directly to the Executive Administrator within the General Directorate Department, whose responsibility it is to log any complaints on the Complaints log.
(Click the + sign to expand each section)
1.1 Stage 1 – Early resolution
Where possible, complaints will be resolved at first contact with us and/ or by the person responsible for the issue. When appropriate, we may offer an explanation or apology to the person making the complaint.
We will ensure that any information is recorded in a systematic way so that if necessary, this can be easily retrieved for reporting and analysis by management and the Board of Trustees.
If the complaint is made in person or over the phone the staff member will:
Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the Executive Administrator within two working days. On receiving this information, the Executive Administrator will record it in the Complaints log.
We will acknowledge receipt of each complaint promptly, and preferably within five working days.
Consideration will be given to the most appropriate medium ( e.g. email, letter) for communicating with the person making the complaint.
1.2 Stage 2 – Assign, assess and investigate
Where an early resolution is not possible, the Executive Administrator will pass the complaint to a more senior member of staff within the organisation to assess and investigate the complaint further with the aim of coming to a resolution with the complainant.
If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given an opportunity to respond.
We will keep the complainant up to date on any progress, particularly if there are any delays. Complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. We will communicate the outcome to the complaint, including the reasons for the decision using the most appropriate medium. This may also include any remedies or resolutions we have put in place to avoid such complaints being made in the future.
1.3 Stage 3 – escalating complaints further
In the event where the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the review of their complaint, they may request that this is escalated. In this instance, the General Director (or Chair of Trustees in the case the complaint is with regard to the General Director) will undertake further assessment and investigation. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the people who dealt with the complaint at Stages 1 and 2. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond.
The people who dealt with the original complaint at Stages 1 and 2 should also be kept informed of what is happening.
Complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.
Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should 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, unless the Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.
The complainant can complain to the Charity Commission at any stage. Information about the kind of complaints the Commission can involve itself in can be found on their website at: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/cc47.aspx
If your complaint concerns some aspect of the way that our charity fundraises,you may contact the independent Fundraising Regulator at: www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/complaints
Variation of the complaints procedure
The Board may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary should there be a conflict of interest.
Monitoring and learning from complaints
Complaints are reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.
October 2020
© 2021 BMS World Mission - The Baptist Missionary Society: registered in England and Wales as a charity (no. 1174364) and a company limited by guarantee (no. 10849689)
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