The following policy was agreed at the Cogges Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on November 28th 2023

St Mary’s Cogges views 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.

Our policy is to:

  • Respond to every complaint, whatever the nature or level of complexity as soon as it is received

  • Through a filtering system as agreed by the PCC, investigate all complaints fairly and in a timely way

  • Wherever possible resolve complaints and repair relationships

  • Ask every complainant if they wish their complaint and subsequent action to be recorded

  • Provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint

  • Publicise the existence of our complaints procedure on our website so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint

  • Ensure everyone at St Mary’s Cogges knows what to do if a complaint is received

  • Gather information which helps us to improve what we do

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of St Mary’s Cogges Church.

Where Complaints Come From

Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in St Mary’s Cogges Church or our activities, including inter alia members, donors, members of the local community etc.

A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing.

Where an employee of St Mary’s Cogges Church brings a complaint they will encouraged to follow the procedure outlined in St Mary’s Cogges Employee Handbook Section 2.6: Grievances, as per their training during their induction into their role.

Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with Cogges PCC

Review

This policy is reviewed annually and updated as required.

Complaints Procedure of St Mary’s Cogges

Publicised Contact Details for Complaints:

Written complaints may be sent to St Mary’s Cogges Church at Cogges Church Office, Church Lane, OX28 3LA or by e-mail to office@coggesparish.com.

Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 01993 779613 or in person to any of St Mary’s Cogges clergy or staff at the address above or at any of our services, events or activities.

Receiving Complaints

Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have.

Guidelines for handling verbal complaints received by telephone or in person can be found in Appendix 1.  At the end of the conversation complainants should be asked if they would like to:-

1.    Send in their own written account by post or email so that their complaint is recorded in their own words; OR

2.    If they would like you, the receiver, to record their complaint and subsequent action and send back to them for clarification

If 2, the following should be recorded:-

  • The facts of the complaint

  • The complainant’s name and contact details

  • The relationship of the complainant to St Mary’s Cogges Church (for example, church member)

  • That you have told the complainant that we have a complaints procedure (see below)

  • That you have offered a copy of the complaints procedure and whether or not they have requested it

  • What you have told the complainant will happen next and how long it will take

Complaints Procedure

Stage One

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about.  If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate.  Acknowledgment and action should be done within a week if at all possible.  That person should also report the complaint to their line manager as soon as possible to make them aware, certainly within two weeks, and the subsequent action they have taken to resolve it.

If the complaint relates to a specific person other than the person receiving the complaint, the person receiving the complaint should make their line manager aware as soon as possible to check they are the best person to investigate it or to pass it on as agreed.  The person about whom the complaint has been made should be informed of it and given fair opportunity to respond by the person investigating as soon as possible and certainly within a week.  The investigating person should also inform the complainant when they can expect a reply, certainly within four weeks, and a copy of this complaints procedure should be attached.

If a definitive reply is not possible within four weeks 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 justified 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.

Stage Two

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at PCC level.  At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Vicar.  The request for PCC level review should be acknowledged within one week of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply. 

The Vicar  may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed again and given a further opportunity to respond.  The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One should also be kept informed of what is happening.

Ideally 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 PCC decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution. 

External Stage

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]

Variation of the Complaints Procedure

Cogges PCC may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the Vicar should not also have the Vicar as the person leading a Stage Two review.

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Recorded complaints are reviewed annually by the Operations Manager to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.