Waterlooville Baptist Church Complaints Policy and Procedure 

 

The Trustees and Members of Waterlooville Baptist Church approved the following complaints procedure on 28 September 2023.
 

  1. Introduction
 
The primary purpose of the Waterlooville Baptist Church complaints procedure is to provide a process for dealing with complaints relating to the behaviour of, or activities and decisions taken by, the church’s staff, charity trustees, or volunteers. Please note that there is a separate complaints procedure for complaints about a nationally accredited Baptist Minister, Baptist Minister in Training, Nationally Accredited Baptist Church Worker, or a Nationally Recognised Baptist Pastor. That procedure is available at: https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/520969/Complaint_against_Accredited.aspx.
You can find out if someone is a nationally accredited Baptist Minister by looking them up on the directory of nationally accredited Baptist Ministers at
https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/504943/Ministries.aspx.
 
  1. General Principles
 
Wherever possible the church would prefer to follow Scriptural principles of reconciling differences. However, on occasion attempts to resolve an issue informally may fail or may not be appropriate. A formal complaints process is available for such cases.
 
  1. Can I make a complaint?
 
Yes. You do not have to be a member of the church to make a complaint. If you believe you have reasonable grounds to make a complaint and you cannot resolve the issue informally or believe it would not be appropriate to do so, you can make a complaint.
 
  1. What kind of complaint can I make using this procedure?
 
You can make a complaint about: The services that the church provides.
• For example, toddler groups, foodbanks, baptisms, weddings and funerals. Poor service might include dirty facilities or the trustees failing to carry out fire extinguisher tests or other health & safety requirements.
 
The behaviour of a church employee, trustee or volunteer that has affected you or someone for whom you are responsible.
• For example, inappropriate language or behaviour; persistent late payment of bills; sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination.
 
  1. What kind of complaints are not suitable for this procedure?
 
Safeguarding concerns relating to child or adult protection.
• Any safeguarding concern should be reported to church’s safeguarding officer following the church’s safeguarding procedure (name and number to be inserted her
A complaint about the conduct or service of an accredited Baptist Minister, Baptist Minister in Training, Nationally Accredited Baptist Church Worker, or a Nationally Recognised Baptist Pastor.
• This should be made following the procedure for accredited Baptist church workers: https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/520969/Complaint_against_Accredited.aspx
 
An employment grievance.
• The church has a staff grievance procedure which is set out in the employee’s contract of employment. Employment-related grievances should be dealt with in accordance with that grievance procedure.
 
  1. How do I make a complaint and how will the church deal with it?
 
You should submit your complaint in writing using the church’s complaints form (see Appendix 1). On receipt of your complaint, the church, acting through its charity trustees, will:
• Acknowledge your complaint and tell you who will review it within 7 working days of receipt;
• Within 14 working days, begin the review, contacting you for further information if needed; finding out what happened, when it happened, and who was involved, and if necessary, interviewing people involved;
• Inform the person who is the subject of the complaint about the nature of the complaint unless this would seriously prejudice the review;
• Recommend what remedial action, if any, should be taken, giving reasons;
• Write to you informing you of the outcome of the review.
 
The church may, on occasion, receive related complaints, or several people may make the same complaint. Depending upon the nature of the complaint and when each complaint is received, the trustees may decide to consolidate the review or to deal with the earliest complaint first.
The more complex the complaint is, the longer it may take the church to respond. This is especially likely if the complaint relates to historic matters or several people need to be interviewed. If the police investigate the person who is the subject of the complaint in relation to the same or related matters, the church may not be able to begin or complete the review until the police have completed their investigations.
Please be aware that the church may decide that it is under a duty to report the matter to statutory authorities or the Charity Commission. If this is the case, the church will write to you to tell you this.
The church will treat the facts and content of your complaint carefully and in line with the church’s data protection policy. However, on occasion, the church may need to make a public statement about the subject matter of the complaint, report it to statutory authorities or seek professional advice, and consequently the church cannot guarantee to keep your complaint confidential. You should maintain reasonable confidentiality as to the nature and content of your complaint, other than to seek professional advice if required. Once you have submitted your complaint and while the matter is being reviewed, you should avoid communicating with the person complained about.
 
  1. What if I am not happy with how the church deals with my complaint?
 
You should write to the church secretary stating that you want to appeal and the grounds for your appeal. An appeal should not include new evidence, unless you could not with reasonable diligence have provided that piece of evidence when you first complained.
The church secretary will consult with the church trustees to determine if an independent Association Regional Minister can review your appeal, and if so, how long it will take for that person to review your appeal. If the church is unable to allocate someone to review your appeal, the church secretary will let you know, and advise you instead to consider contacting the Charity Commission.
If you are unhappy with how the church deals with your complaint, you may choose to contact the Charity Commission, the regulator of charities, using the following form: https://www.gov.uk/complain-aboutcharity/.  
  1. Vexatious Complaints
 
If the church concludes that your complaint is vexatious and you are a church member, the church may consider exercising church discipline. If you are not a church member, the church may not answer any further complaints you make.
 
  
Waterlooville Baptist Church Complaints Form
Complainant details
Name
Address
                                                                                
                                                                                       Post Code
Phone                                                             E mail address
 
 
Details of your Complaint
Date (s)
 
Person (s)
 
Complaint about Briefly describe the nature of your complaint
 
 
 
Supporting Information
 
 
 
State the matter or the name of the person who is the subject of the complaint and what happened, when and where. Provide the contact details or statements of any witnesses, include any additional information that you think would be helpful.
 
 
 
Have you tried to resolve this matter informally?        Yes                            No
Explain briefly why you decided not to resolve this matter informally.
 
 
 
If you did try unsuccessfully, what happened?
State who you dealt with, when and where and what information you provided to them and what you felt was unsatisfactory about the outcome.
 
 
 
Action sought
Describe what actions you want the church to take. Although the charity Trustees cannot promise to do what you ask, it would be helpful to know what you are seeking.
 
 
 
The church will treat your data carefully and in accordance with the church’s data protection policy. The church cannot guarantee to keep the fact and the details of your complaint confidential if is necessary and proportionate to share your data in order to review and resolve your complaint.