Complaints Policy

Date of Issue: November 2024
Issued by: Chief Executive Officer
Approved by: The Board
Last review: September 2025
Date of Next review: September 2026

Mama to Mama Complaints Policy. This is a controlled document. This document is for internal use only and may not be relied upon by third parties for any purpose whatsoever ©

What do you need to do if you have a complaint?

At Mama to Mama, we are committed to working to a high professional standard and maintaining positive working relationships with our beneficiaries, referral partners, supporters, donors, volunteers and members of the public. However, sometimes things can go wrong, and we can all make mistakes.

If you have a complaint, please take the time to tell us about it. If we are not getting something right, it is important to us that we know about it, so we can improve.

Mama to Mama adheres to the ombudsman best handling complaint guide: Listen, Inform, Report and Learn these are the basic principles of this policy


What do we aim to achieve in the way we handle complaints?

We will always aim to:

  • provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use

  • publicise our complaints procedure so that you know how to make a complaint

  • all complaints are responded to in a timely manner

  • all serious complaints are investigated in a timely way

  • ensure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired and

  • gather information which helps us to improve what we do.

What can you expect from us?

You can expect that we will:

  • treat your complaint seriously and respond within the target timeframes set out below

  • always treat you with courtesy and fairness in your dealings with us

  • handle your complaint with sensitivity and discretion.

What things can I complain about?

  • If you are unhappy with the standard of any service provided by Mama to Mama

  • If Mama to Mama has failed to do something it should have done

  • If Mama to Mama has done something badly

  • If Mama to Mama staff/contractors, trustees or volunteers have been unhelpful or have treated someone unfairly

  • If Mama to Mama hasn’t followed its policies, rules or procedures correctly

  • If Mama to Mama hasn’t followed the required regulations or standards.

If you have evidence of an illegal activity taking place or that people or property are at risk of harm, this is an emergency. Please contact the relevant emergency service – police, fire service or ambulance – by phoning 999. Then, contact Mama to Mama as soon as possible.

We would appreciate it if you did not use the complaints process to make a general enquiry, request a service, report a fault or ask for an explanation of a situation. A phone call to us will probably help you with this kind of general enquiry.

How do you make a complaint?

If you would prefer to write to us at our office address:

Mama to Mama
Unit 77 The Laurels
Manston Business Park
Ramsgate
CT12 5NQ

Email: hello@mama-to-mama.co.uk


What information do we need?

For all complaints, we will require some information from you. This will include the following:

  • The date of the situation that you are complaining about

  • The nature of your complaint

  • The reason you are complaining

  • Any other information that may help us to investigate the complaint, for example, details of any other people involved in the situation or who witnessed it

  • The best way to contact you.

Will my details be kept confidential?

We will take every reasonable step to keep your identity confidential. However, to investigate and respond to a complaint appropriately, it helps to know the full information. The appropriate individual at Mama to Mama, responsible for dealing with the complaint will decide who receives this information. Those individuals will be required to keep the details confidential. If our employee treats this information inappropriately and this leads to a breach of confidentiality, they may face disciplinary action.

What happens next?

Your complaint will be recorded in writing on our Incidents Log, to make sure that it is followed up, and acknowledged as far as possible within 48 hours.

Mama to Mama will investigate all serious complaints if received within 1 month of the situation that triggered the complaint.

Some complaints can be dealt with very quickly, without the need for a formal investigation. If this is possible, Mama to Mama will do so. You will receive a letter and our response within 10 working days. If you are not happy with our response, you can reply and escalate your complaint directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

If your complaint needs to be investigated

More serious complaints may need to be investigated. As part of the investigation, it may be necessary to talk to other individuals, e.g. members of the public who may have further information.

If a complaint is about our employee, a meeting will be held with that individual. If external parties were involved, they would also have an opportunity to attend this meeting and supply evidence.

Within 15 working days, we will write to you, informing you about the results of the investigation. If there is a difficulty with the investigation, or employee disciplinary action has to be taken before the investigation can be completed, you will receive a letter explaining the situation. These may have to be dealt with before the investigation into your complaint can continue.

If your complaint has highlighted changes that need to be made to the way we work, Mama to Mama will take the necessary steps to make suitable changes.

If your complaint is about our fundraising activities, you have 8 weeks to refer your complaint to the Fundraising Regulator. The Fundraising Regulator will review your complaint and advise you within 4 weeks whether any action will be taken.

What happens if you’re unhappy with the result of your investigation?

If you are unhappy with the results of our investigation, you have 1 month to write to the Chair of the Board of Trustees, which you can do by addressing a letter to them at the address outlined above, asking them to review your complaint. You will receive a response within 15 working days, providing you with the final decision.

If you remain unhappy after these steps have been taken, you can refer your complaint to the Charity Commission, which regulates charities in England & Wales. You will need to provide them with our charity registration number, which is 1107539. If your complaint is with regards to our charitable work in Scotland, then you can get in touch with the Scottish regulator here, raising your concern and quoting our registration number – SC049810.