Complaints

The Centre provides a channel for external individuals or organisations to raise concerns specifically related to the operations or ownership of the Centre. We can only investigate claims that directly concern the Centre, events organised by it or its staff. Any complaints must be directly connected to the Centre. Misconduct may include but is not limited to

• Criminal offences, including fraud, corruption and financial misconduct;
• Breaches of legal obligations (including negligence, breach of contract, breach of administrative law);
• Miscarriages of justice;
• Breaches of health and safety;
• Damage to the environment;
• Any forms of discrimination or harassment based on gender, race, social background, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation
• The concealment of any of the above

All complaints will be taken seriously, and the following procedure will be used:

• Any complaints may be sent to [email protected], or by letter. The Human Resources and Operations Officer monitors incoming complaints.
• You may also make a complaint to our third-party Ombudsperson at [email protected]
• The complaints should include:
  • The name and address of the complainant
  • A precise description of the concerns raised, fully supported by evidence
  • Evidence of the outcome of other complaints handling procedures

The review of Complaints under the Complaints Handling Process is not a process involving the law of any jurisdiction. The Complainant, and the entity against which the complaint is made, are not entitled to legal representation in the Complaint Handling Process.

As many of the Centre’s partners or owners have their own complaints handling procedures, the Centre will only consider complaints that are directly related to its own staff, activities, or organisational matters. Complaints about members of the Centre’s staff or matters directly connected to the Centre will be handled through the procedure outlined below.

Complaints concerning partners or owners that do not directly relate to the Centre or its operations will not be addressed by this process.

• The complaints should include:
  • The name and address of the complainant
  • A precise description of the concerns raised, fully supported by evidence
  • Evidence of the outcome of other complaints handling procedures
• The Centre will not deal with any complaints
  • That are anonymous unless very strong reasons for anonymity are presented in the complaint.
  • That do not directly relate to the Centre or its operations and events.
  • That have not yet fully exhausted other complaints channels such as the complaints process offered by the organization that is alleged of misconduct
  • That relate to alleged breaches of national laws, such as laws relating to the employment of staff, tax law, or the provisions of legislation relating to charities in any jurisdiction which the Centre considers in its discretion ought to have been dealt with through alternative mechanisms (for example criminal investigations by local police forces). The complainant will be advised to consider taking the matter to a more appropriate national or international body.
  • That are manifestly ill-founded.
  • That have already been reviewed and closed in previous complaints handling procedures by the Centre.
• The HR and Operations Officer will review the complaint and inform the Executive Director who shall take a decision whether an investigation will be conducted into the matter. At his discretion, s/he may discuss the matter with the Chair of the Board before the final decision.
• If the concern refers to the Executive Director, the HR and Operations Officer will consult with at least one other member of the Executive Management Team and decide how to treat the complaint, and whether to inform and involve the Chair of the Board of Directors.
• If the concern refers to an owner organisation, the following steps shall be taken:
  • The Executive Director shall assign a person to investigate the complaint.
  • The organisation concerned will be informed of the complaint and the investigation.
• Both the complainant and the organisation may be asked to provide additional information.
• The Centre will inform both the organisation and the complainant whether
  • The concern has been dismissed to be processed after further investigation, based on the criteria laid out above.
  • The concern raised does not include any misconduct.
  • The Centre suggests any action to be taken to resolve the concern.
• All steps will be recorded in writing.

If someone feels unable to disclose their identity or prefers to report anonymously, they may use the anonymous reporting form on our website. While this option is available, we encourage named reports whenever possible so we can ensure proper follow-up, offer protection, and provide support. Anonymous reports will still be taken seriously and reviewed to the extent possible.

Any concerns may be raised verbally or in writing to the respective person named above and should include full details and, if possible, supporting evidence. It must be stated that the concerns are raised using the Whistleblowing Policy, and specify whether the identity of the whistleblower shall be kept confidential. The Centre recognises that at times people with genuine concerns can’t speak out because of special circumstances and may wish to file a complaint without revealing their identity. If a person reporting a complaint/incident chooses to remain anonymous, the Centre will only be able to receive the complaint, but will not be able to respond to the complainant. However, the Centre investigates anonymous complaints/incident reports as far as possible. If someone submits a complaint anonymously but later wants to receive an update, they can always contact us at [email protected], so we know how to reply to them about the status of their report.