Introduction

able2sail aims to always provide high-quality, professional services to our participants and volunteers and to those we work with to provide such services. Whether you think we’re doing well and want to tell us or feel we need to do better, we value your opinion and want to hear from you. To do this, you need to know how to give feedback or to make a complaint and you as a volunteer or client, and those you interact with need to be able to refer you to our process.  We undertake that:

• feedback will be used as a way of ensuring our standards and  assist us to improve;
• complaints will be dealt with effectively and timeously in a fair and transparent process; and

• our volunteers will be  aware of this policy.

If you are not happy with able2sail in any way, please let us know as soon as possible. We welcome the opportunity to put matters right, for you and for others who might use our services in the future.

Where appropriate, complaints will be dealt with under the relevant policies (for example, children and adult protection) – see www.able2sail.org.uk/policies.
We are committed to taking appropriate action to protect any individual or volunteer that raises a concern arising from any harassment, victimisation or bullying.

If you wish to make an anonymous complaint, we will seek to investigate, but will not be able to respond to you unless you provide your contact details.

What is a complaint

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or concern about the standard of service, actions or lack of, taken by us as an organisation or our volunteers which affects an individual or group of individuals that we are involved with.

What to do

How do I make a complaint?

Any individual,group or volunteer can make a complaint or one can be made on behalf or someone else. In the event of a complaint being made on behalf of someone else we will consider data protection issues when responding.

You can complain in the following ways:

• In-person to any volunteer. First, speak to one of our volunteers providing the service as the people closest to the situation can often deal with most problems quickly.
• By email to feedback@able2sail.org.uk

• By phone +44(0) 141 266 0202 (select option 3)

• By letter: If you are unhappy with the response or feel unable to approach the volunteers directly then write to: able2sail, ℅  Kip Marina, Inverkip, Greenock, PA16 0AW.

Whatever method you choose, your complaint will be dealt with as set out in our complaints procedure. Complaints can be about the quality of our services and your experience, our policies and procedures or the attitude of or treatment received by a able2sail volunteer or representative. We can’t consider issues that are not in the control of the charity or issues already considered where a decision has been made. Because of the seasonality of our service we won’t consider complaints received more than three months after the event or experience, in the event of any negative comments expressed through social media, the poster will be invited to use this procedure via the channels listed above.

What happens next?

We will confirm receipt of your complaint within 7 working days. Hopefully we will be in a position to respond immediately about the matter you raise but we may require to carry out an evidence-led investigation in which case we will tell you how long this may take and how it it will be undertaken. We aim to resolve complaints within 25 working days. Some complaints take longer to investigate. When they do, we will contact you to tell you when you can expect a response from us.

We will handle all comments and complaints sensitively. able2sail will record your complaint and follow relevant data protection requirements. We will use the information to help us improve our services.

What if I’m not satisfied with the response?

If you have made a complaint and are unhappy with the response you receive or with the way your complaint has been handled, you can appeal by writing to [Chairperson, able2sail] using the above contact methods who will look at the situation and decide if further action is needed.

We will ask you to explain why you are unhappy with our response and what steps you would like to be taken to rectify the matter.

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the board of trustees of able2sail. 

The charity regulator OSCR can examine serious concerns about a charity regarding public trust and confidence but not matters which are in the remit of the charity’s trustees to conclude. Details are available at: www.oscr.org.uk/about-charities/raise-a-concern/how-oscr-deals-with-concerns-and-inquiries/our-role-as-a-regulator-what-we-can-and-cannot-deal-with

In certain circumstances the matter may be forwarded to the appropriate authority.

Version: 1.0

Last updated: 29 February 2024

Approved: 29 February 2024