Lakeland Arts aims to provide the best possible quality of experience to anyone who engages with us. We realise that there may be times when people may have an experience that does not live up to this aim, or that people may have suggestions to help us to improve. This policy sets out how to make a complaint or give feedback about your experience at any Lakeland Arts venue or about any interaction with Lakeland Arts. It covers interactions with our customers, visitors, suppliers and other stakeholders who have contact with Lakeland Arts or who are impacted by our work. The policy does not cover staff employment and volunteer engagements, which should be raised via the Grievance procedure for staff or via HR for volunteers.
Making a Complaint or Providing Feedback:
We encourage people to raise any concerns as soon as possible so that we have the opportunity to resolve the issue immediately if at all possible.
Initial contact can be made in the following ways:
- In person; If you are on-site you can raise the issue with any of the staff on-site, or request to speak with the Duty Manager
- Via our website: https://lakelandarts.org.uk/contact-us/
- By Email to info@lakelandarts.org.uk
- By telephone: 015394 46139
For complaints to be effectively resolved it is important that they are raised as close to the event as possible. We would normally expect any complaints to be raised as early as possible, and definitely within 3 months of the incident
Acknowledgement and Timelines:
Within 7 days of receiving the complaint Lakeland Arts will acknowledge the complaint and make an initial response. We may request more information to enable us to investigate the issue more fully if the matter is more complex. We would expect the majority of matters to be resolved within this 7 day period.
For a more complex issue we would aim to reach a resolution within 14 days of receiving the complaint. Lakeland arts will provide either a final outcome to the complaint or an explanation of why it has not been possible to conclude the matter and to give a reasonable timescale by which the matter will be concluded.
Investigation:
Complaints will be investigated to establish the facts of the case and to seek information from those involved or witnesses. This will be done to ensure a fair outcome and to ensure that we are basing decisions on the facts available.
Reasoned Response:
Lakeland Arts will respond to the complaint, addressing each of the points raised. If the issue is not resolved at this stage the complaint should be escalated to the Acting CEO by writing to: info@lakelandarts.org.uk
Appeal:
The CEO will respond to the escalated complaint within 14 days of receipt of the appeal.
Where it is still not possible to reach a mutually acceptable resolution for a serious complaint, Lakeland Arts may suggest Alternative Dispute Resolution support such as mediation or arbitration.
This will conclude Lakeland Arts’ response to the complaint.
Internal Reporting:
Any complaint which is not resolved at the “Reasoned Response” stage and which is escalated to the Acting CEO will be reported to the Board via a Governance Committee paper confirming whether there have been any escalated complaints and giving an overview of any such complaints. Where a complaint relates to a Health & Safety concern or other serious risk, the Board will be informed as soon as possible after receipt of the complaint.
External Reporting:
If a complaint arises in relation to our fundraising activity we may need to report our findings to the Fundraising Regulator. In the event that a fundraising complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the person raising the complaint, they may also report the issue themselves. Lakeland Arts is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and agrees to abide by its decisions. The Fundraising Regulator’s Address is: 50 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8RT.
As we are a registered charity, unresolved complaints may also be taken up with the Charity Commission. This can be done via the Charity Commission’s online portal, here: https://forms.charitycommission.gov.uk/Raising-Concerns/
Learning and Improvement:
Complaints will be analysed for areas where Lakeland Arts can improve and where systems, training and procedures need to be changed following a complaint. The investigation and resolution of a complaint will be treated as an opportunity to improve for the organisation.
Confidentiality:
All complaints will be managed in a way which appropriately protects the confidentiality of all parties involved in the complaint. The investigation will be carried out with discretion, sharing only the information necessary to enable the facts to be established effectively. Records of the complaint will be handled according to Lakeland Arts’ GDPR policy.
Transparency:
This policy will be made available to anyone who raises a complaint and will be available to anyone to requests a copy. The findings from the investigation of a complaint will be shared as fully as possible with the complainant.
