Formal complaint procedure

Find out what to do if you have a complaint, along with other sources of guidance from professional bodies.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction with Target Ovarian Cancer, any services or information we provide, and/or the behaviour of any member of staff.

How will your complaint be dealt with?

Target Ovarian Cancer aims to provide a high quality service in all areas, but we recognise that sometimes things can go wrong. Hearing from you when this happens gives us the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and take steps to ensure these are not repeated.

There are different stages to the complaint process and we have set these out below:

Stage one (informal) 

Speak to the individual(s) concerned or their line manager and try to resolve the complaint informally. The individual concerned can tell you their name and who their line manager is if you ask them, however, you can also ask to speak to the following:

  • Executive Director, Development
  • Deputy Chief Executive
  • Director of Programmes
  • Director of Finance and Corporate Services
  • Deputy Director of Services
  • Senior HR Officer

Stage two (formally registering a complaint) 

If you are not satisfied with the response you have received at stage one (informal) you should then use stage two of this procedure.

Outline the details of your complaint by letter to Complaints, Target Ovarian Cancer, 30 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT or by email, with the subject heading ‘Complaint’ to [email protected]

When making your complaint you should state clearly and briefly:

  • What went wrong
  • When and where it happened
  • Who was involved
  • What you want from your complaint
  • Your name, address and contact details (telephone and/or email)

Your complaint will be acknowledged within seven working days from the date it is received. You will be informed of who will be investigating the complaint.

You will receive a full response to your complaint within 30 working days from the start of the investigation in writing from the person appointed to investigate the complaint.

The response will include:

  • Details of the investigation
  • A decision about whether the complaint was upheld or not
  • The reason for the decision
  • The redress, if appropriate, which will be offered to you; eg an apology, additional help or directing to other sources of advice or support
  • Any other action that may be taken in light of the complaint

If it is not possible to provide a full answer to your complaint within 30 working days, you will receive a response in writing outlining the reasons why and giving a date by which a full answer is expected.

Stage three (appeal)  

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint you can outline the reasons for your dissatisfaction by letter to:  Annwen Jones, Chief Executive, Target Ovarian Cancer, 30 Angel Gate, City Road, London, EC1V 2PT.

If your complaint is related to the Chief Executive, please send it to: Chair of the Board of Trustees, Private and Confidential Complaint, Target Ovarian Cancer, 30 Angel Gate, City Road, London, EC1V 2PT.

You will again receive a written acknowledgement from us within seven working days of your complaint being received.  Your complaint and the response will be re-investigated and you will receive a final response within 30 working days.

Where else can I turn if I have a complaint about the charity?

You should contact the police on 101 if you suspect illegal activity.

If your complaint relates to a concern for the wellbeing of a child, vulnerable adult, or another member of the public

Please let us know immediately if you have a concern for someone’s welfare or concerns about the behaviour of an employee, volunteer, trustee or someone undertaking work on our behalf.

If you follow our complaints procedure we will work quickly to ensure that any concerns are investigated as soon as possible. There is no restriction on you reporting an incident to a relevant body such as the police, the NSPCC, or the Charity Commission if the issue is pressing or you do not feel comfortable making a complaint to Target Ovarian Cancer. View our safeguarding policy statement.

If your complaint is about fundraising

If your complaint is about fundraising you should follow the procedure above within three months of the incident or issue that you wish to complain about. If the complaint hasn’t been successfully resolved within 30 working days by Target Ovarian Cancer you can contact The Fundraising Regulator. This needs to be done within two months of our final response using this online form:

Make a complaint to the Fundraising Regulator

If you’re unable to make a complaint in writing, you can also contact the Fundraising Regulator on 0300 999 3407 or via email [email protected].

If your complaint is about advertising or how frequently we contact you

We would always encourage you to contact us first if you have a complaint about advertising or would like to complain about, or change, how frequently we email, call, text, or post items to you. If this is not appropriate or we cannot resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you can make a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority:

Make a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.

You can also change how often a charity is allowed to contact you using the Fundraising Preference Service.

For other issues

The Charity Commission is the independent government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its role is to ensure that the public can support charities with confidence. Find out about what complaints it will deal with regarding a charity.

For more information, please email [email protected].

Date of issue: 16 December 2020
Date of next review: 16 December 2021