Complaints policy

If you have a complaint, please take time to tell us about it, so that we can act upon it and improve. Examples of complaints might include if you are unhappy with the information provided by Drinkaware, or if you feel that Drinkaware has done something badly, or failed to do something it should have done; if you feel that Drinkaware’s staff, trustees or partners have been unhelpful or have treated someone unfairly or inappropriately; or if you believe Drinkaware has not followed required regulations or standards.

Please don’t use the complaints procedure to make a general enquiry; but write to contact@drinkaware.co.uk which is monitored daily.

How do I make a complaint?

The first step is to contact Drinkaware on 0207 766 9900 and ask to speak to a manager concerned; if you would prefer to write, please email contact@drinkaware.co.uk inserting ‘Complaint’ in the subject line, or address a letter to:

PA to the Chief Executive and Chair

Drinkaware,

Michael House,

35 Chiswell Street,

London EC1Y 4SE

For all complaints, we will need some information from you including:

• the reason you are complaining; and the date of the situation you are complaining about;
• what you would like Drinkaware to do about your complaint, if anything; and
• any other information that might help us investigate the complaint, for example, details of people involved or who witnessed the situation.

We will take all reasonable steps to keep your identity confidential, although in order to fully investigate your complaint, some members of Drinkaware staff or the Board of Trustees may need to know the full information.

What happens next?

Stage 1

Your complaint will be recorded in writing to make sure it is followed up. Some complaints can be dealt with very quickly and if this is the case, you will receive a letter confirming Drinkaware’s response within 21 days.

Stage 2

If you are not happy with this response, you can refer your complaint (within one month) to the Chief Executive or to the Chair of Trustees, asking them to review your complaint. The Chief Executive or Chair of Trustees will respond to you within 28 days giving his or her final decision about the complaint.

Stage 3

If you remain unhappy after these steps have been taken, you can refer your complaint to the Charities Commission, the organisation that regulates charities in England. Details of the Charities Commission are given below.

Please note that Drinkaware keeps a confidential record of all complaints; and a report of complaints received and how they have been dealt is reviewed annually by the Risk and Audit Committee on behalf of the Board of Drinkaware.

Who regulates Drinkaware and how to contact them?

Drinkaware is a charity registered in England (No. 1094586) and Scotland (No. SC043163) and our work is regulated by the Charity Commission.

If you have any concerns about Drinkaware’s work that you would like to bring to the attention of the Charity Commission, they can be contacted by telephone on:

General enquiries: 0300 066 9197

Report a serious incident: 0300 065 2199

If you would like to email them you can do this through their website: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk. Their postal address is:

Charity Commission Direct, PO Box 1227, Liverpool L69 3UG.