September 13, 2023
Fountain of Life Church Complaints Procedures
The Church Council is committed to its role which primarily includes “cooperation with the minister in promoting the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.” But there may be a time when you need to complain. This complaints procedure is for those who are unhappy about matters for which the Church Council is responsible that have affected them. Prior to using this formal procedure the Church Council encourages an informal approach to the Senior Minister or a Bishops Trustee to see if the matter can be resolved in that way.
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But if your complaint is about: Safeguarding of Children or Vulnerable Adults; please in the first instance contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser at email:safeguarding@dioceseofnorwich.org or Tel 01603882345]. The Senior Minister or another minister; please raise the matter with the Senior Minster. If the matter remains unresolved you could contact the Archdeacon, at . You may wish to read the leaflet “I have a complaint about misconduct by a member of the clergy – what can I do?” at https://www.churchofengland.org/media/1937470/makingcomplainta4.pdf . Bullying or Harassment (by adults); you may find it helpful to consult the church policy on this. Your employment by the Church Council; if you are a FoL employee please refer to and follow the grievance procedure provided for alongside your terms and conditions of employment. |
Making a complaint to the Church Council
Complaints should be made in writing or by email to the Church Council Secretary whose name and contact details are set out below. The Secretary will ensure that your complaint is:
- treated seriously
- handled fairly without bias or discrimination
- treated confidentially.
You should complain within 3 months of the event that you are complaining about. You need to set out:
- your full name and address
- what you think went wrong and how it has affected you including enough details to show why you are aggrieved
- what (if anything) you think the Church Council should do to put it right
If someone else complains on your behalf, the Church Council will need written confirmation from you saying that you agree for that person to act for you.
The Secretary should immediately record receipt of a complaint in a log.
How your complaint will be dealt with
The Secretary will write to you or send you an email to confirm receipt of your complaint within 7 days of its receipt and arrange for it to be considered by the members of the Church Council appointed to look into the matter. If your complaint refers to particular individuals who are members of the Church Council it will meet without them being present.
The Church Council members will look fairly into your complaint including seeking the views on the matter from any individuals, whether members of the CC or otherwise, to which your complaint refers. The Church Council and any members appointed to investigate will treat the matter confidentially.
The Church Council may invite you to present your complaint to them. If so, you may attend with a friend / representative if you wish. The meeting should be held as informally as possible. The Chair will explain the purpose of the meeting, introduce the members and emphasise confidentiality. The meeting will be minuted by the Committee.
The Secretary will write to you with the conclusions from review and reasons for that outcome. The Secretary will aim to respond to you in this way as soon as possible, but no longer than 6 weeks the after receipt of your complaint.
This will be the Church Council’s final response to your complaint.
If you remain dissatisfied, you may wish to consider contacting the Charity Commission as The Fountain of Life Church is a registered charity and as such is regulated by the Charity Commission. The Charity Commission can be contacted either via their website https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity or by writing to them at Charity Commission First Contact, PO Box 1227, Liverpool L69 3UG.
Secretary Details –
Jonathan Adams