Version 2.0, last updated 30/09/2024. Next review due: 30/09/2027.

You can download the Complaints Procedure in full here, or as a one-page flowchart here. The full complaints policy is available upon request.

Introduction

Voscur is the support and development agency for Bristol’s Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector. We support organisations in and around Bristol to increase their impact and help more local people, through dedicated capacity building services, strategic development and advocacy work, and collaboration and partnerships.

Voscur aims to provide high quality services that are effective, efficient, and accessible to all community and sector organisations, and to work in a manner that is professional, respectful, and equitable.

Voscur welcomes feedback (both positive and negative) and suggestions to allow continuous improvement of our services and work. External stakeholders and the public are welcome to contact Voscur to express any thoughts, issues, or concerns they may have around Voscur and its work.

To facilitate this commitment, central office contact details for Voscur are available at the end of this procedure, and on the Voscur and VCSE Academy websites. Voscur also publishes a list of current Voscur staff, their role titles, and their contact details on the Voscur website (https://www.voscur.org/staff).

Making a Complaint

If you are unhappy with the service you have received from Voscur, or have any concerns about the organisation, its work, or its operations, you are encouraged to raise this informally with the member of Voscur staff involved, if applicable.

If you are uncertain as to which member of staff to contact about a particular topic, you are welcome to contact the central office team to enquire.

If your concern is not resolved through informal discussion, or you feel that the issue is inappropriate for informal resolution, please follow the below procedure to make a formal complaint.

Step one - contacting the Voscur Team

A formal complaint can be made by:

  • Calling or addressing a letter to Voscur’s central office team, whose contact details are displayed at the bottom of this procedure. Please indicate clearly that a formal complaint is being made; the recipient will pass the complaint to the relevant manager.
  • Emailing the Chief Executive Officer directly at voscurceo@voscur.org

If the individual to whom a complaint has been addressed feels that they are not the appropriate person to handle the complaint, Voscur may pass the complaint to another appropriate manager, the Chief Executive Officer, the Board of Trustees, or an independent investigator as appropriate.

The Chief Executive Officer will be notified of all complaints made. If the complaint relates to one or more specific staff members, they will also be notified of the complaint unless the Chief Executive Officer feels it is inappropriate to do so.

Summaries of complaints and their resolutions will be reviewed by the members of the Board of Trustees.

The individual investigating the complaint will:

  • Acknowledge receipt of the complaint within five working days.
  • Investigate the complaint, endeavouring to hear from all parties involved and reviewing systems and documentation as appropriate, keeping written records of their findings.
  • Provide a written response to the complaint within fifteen working days, which may also be shared with related parties. If the complainant requests this response verbally, the response will be provided in both formats.
  • If the complaint is upheld, outline in writing any steps or measures that will be taken to rectify the issue and prevent recurrence. If the complainant requests this response verbally, the response will be provided in both formats.

Step two - escalation to the Board of Trustees

If:

  • you do not feel that your complaint has been appropriately addressed in step one,
  • your complaint is regarding the Chief Executive Officer, or
  • you wish your complaint to be heard at a more senior level in the first instance

You  may make a formal complaint to Voscur's Board of Trustees.

If you are escalating a complaint that has already been investigated through step one, you must do so within ten working days of receipt of the complaint's outcome.

In order to do so, you may contact the Chair drectly at chair@voscur.org

The Board of Trustees will:

  • Acknowledge receipt of the complaint within five working days
  • Investigate the complaint appropriately, which may include:
    • Inviting the complainant to an interview to discuss the complaint
    • Interviewing other individuals relevant to the complaint
    • Convening an investigation panel comprised of at least two members of the Board of Trustees who have not been involved in the situation, or an independent investigator
    • Conducting a review of Voscur's systems, processes and practices
  • Clearly inform the complainant of progress in the investigation, and timescales for resolution if upheld
  • Provide a written and, if requested, verbal response to the complaint to the complainant at the conclusion of the investigation, including details of any measures taken to prevent recurrence, if upheld. This response may also be shared with related parties.

Voscur's Contact Details

Voscur
Royal Oak House
Royal Oak Avenue
Bristol
BS1 4GB

Telephone: 0117 909 9949
Email: info@voscur.org 
Website: www.voscur.org

Management Contact Details

Rebecca Mear, Chief Executive Officer - voscurceo@voscur.org 

Board of Trustees Contact Details

Andrea Dell, Chair - chair@voscur.org 

You can download the Complaints Procedure in full here, or as a one-page flowchart here.