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Records, Reporting and Compliance

Complaints and Safeguarding

Use this section to put in place the procedures a charity needs for two things that can go badly wrong if they are not handled properly: complaints from the public, beneficiaries or supporters and the protection of the people the charity comes into contact with.

What complaints procedures are available?

A clear complaints procedure shows the public how to raise a concern and shows the trustees how to deal with it consistently. The Guidance Notes: Complaint Procedures explains what a good procedure contains. The Complaint Procedure (Small Charity) is a straightforward procedure for a charity with limited staff. The Complaint Procedure (Large Charity) provides a fuller, multi-stage procedure for a larger organisation.

What safeguarding policies are available?

The Charity Commission regards safeguarding as a governance priority for every charity, not only those working with children or adults at risk. It expects trustees to have policies and procedures that match the charity's activities and risks. There are four safeguarding policies, so that you can choose the one closest to your situation: the Safeguarding Policy For Small Charity (No child contact), the Safeguarding Policy For Small Charity (Child contact), the Safeguarding Policy For Medium Charity (No child contact) and the Safeguarding Policy For Medium Charity (Child contact).

No template safeguarding policy fits every charity. A charity that operates from several locations, has significant numbers of staff, works directly with vulnerable people or is subject to sector-specific regulation may need to adapt the template substantially and should consider taking advice before adopting it. Board minutes for adopting a policy are in the Meetings and Decisions section.

Complaints and Safeguarding is part of Charity. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Charity for 1 year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is our charity legally required to have a complaints procedure? +

There is no statutory requirement for one, but the Charity Commission expects charities to handle complaints properly and the annual return asks about your policies, so a written procedure is the practical standard. It also protects you: complaints handled badly are what escalate into regulator contact and reputational damage. This section provides a full procedure for larger charities, a simpler version for small ones and guidance notes on choosing and operating them.

What should a charity complaints procedure actually cover? +
Who can complain and how, who receives and investigates at each stage, realistic timescales, how outcomes are communicated, an appeal or review stage and how complaints are logged and reported to trustees. Keep the first stage informal and fast; most complaints die there when handled well. Match the procedure to your size: a two-stage process suits a small charity, larger organisations need defined roles. Both template versions here follow that structure.
A complainant says they will go to the Charity Commission. What will the Commission actually do? +
Usually direct them back to your own procedure. The Commission is not a complaints service; it acts on regulatory concerns, serious harm, significant financial loss, trustee misconduct, not service dissatisfaction. Where a complaint does reveal a serious incident you should be the one reporting it, promptly and with your handling plan. A working complaints procedure is your best evidence that trustees are in control if the Commission ever looks.
How should we handle complaints about our fundraising? +
Through the same procedure, but know the escalation path differs: fundraising complaints can be taken to the Fundraising Regulator, which expects charities to have handled the complaint themselves first. Log fundraising complaints separately, they are a warning system for practices that could breach the Code of Fundraising Practice, and brief whoever fundraises for you, including agencies, on your procedure. The guidance notes here cover the fundraising route alongside the general one.
Is a safeguarding policy legally compulsory for our charity? +

If your charity works with children or adults at risk, treat it as compulsory: the Commission regards safeguarding as a governance priority for every charity and expects trustees working with vulnerable groups to have proper policies, checks and reporting routes. Safeguarding failures are also squarely within serious incident reporting, and incidents may need police referral. Even charities without direct contact should assess their exposure. The safeguarding policy templates here cover the expected ground.

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