Our commitment
The Dunard Centre is committed to meeting high standards across all its work, and to making those standards visible to everyone – whether within or outside the organisation.
As a charity, it is important that our staff, Trustees, Committee members, stakeholders, supporters, audiences and wider public have confidence in our standards. This is integral to developing high levels of trust, transparency, and demonstrating our integrity, and we understand that our actions and behaviour can affect both our own organisation and the people with whom we work.
We know that sometimes things can go wrong, and when they do, we want to hear about it.
We treat a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction with our service that requires a response. We take all complaints seriously, respond fairly and promptly, and use the information we receive to improve our services.
If you use our complaints procedure, you are agreeing that we can use any personal information you send us for purposes connected with your complaint. If you would like further information, please refer to our Cookies and Privacy Policy.
Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
We aim to make our complaints procedure accessible to everyone. We will make reasonable adjustments where needed, including:
If you experience any difficulty accessing this procedure or making a complaint, please contact us on:
Phone: 0131 370 1351
Email: info@impactscotland.org.uk
Making a complaint
Our complaints process follows three stages, outlined below.
Stage 1: Informal complaint (optional)
Many concerns can be resolved quickly without the need for a formal investigation, and can be addressed by making an informal complaint, which can be made in person, over the phone or in writing. It can also be made on the spot, and to any member of the Dunard Centre team. If the person you make an informal complaint to is unable to handle it themselves, they will let you know and pass it on to an appropriate colleague who will make themselves known to you.
Where possible and appropriate, a member of staff will:
Examples of informal complaints:
Please note that if your complaint is handled over the phone or in-person, it will not be followed up in writing.
If your complaint cannot be handled informally, or if you remain dissatisfied, you may wish to escalate your complaint to Stage 2 under this procedure to make a formal complaint.
Stage 2: Formal complaint
You can also make a formal complaint directly if you prefer, or if you are unhappy with the result of your informal complaint. A formal complaint can be made in the following ways:
By email:
info@impactscotland.org.uk
Subject line: formal complaint
By post:
Enclosed: formal complaint
IMPACT Scotland
35 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh, EH2 2AD
When making a formal complaint, please include:
Examples of formal complaints:
If we need further information to fully understand your complaint, we will contact you. If you do not provide us with further information when asked, we may not be able to proceed with the complaint under this procedure.
If you are not satisfied with how we have dealt with your complaint, you may appeal to our Senior Management Team or Board of Trustees using the same channels as outlined above, noting ‘For the Attention of the CEO/Chair’. The decision taken at this stage is final.
Data protection complaints
If you believe we have infringed data protection legislation, you have the right to lodge a complaint using our complaint procedure outlined above. A data protection complaint could include:
Anonymous complaints
We are happy to receive anonymous complaints, if preferred. However, if you make an anonymous complaint please understand that we are unable to respond to it under this procedure. Anonymous complaints will be considered and used to improve our services where they have fallen short of our high standards.
Timescales
Formal complaints should be made within three months of the issue occurring, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
For informal complaints, we aim to:
For formal complaints, we aim to:
If more time is required for either formal or informal complaints, we will explain why and tell you when you can expect a response.
Investigation and response
We will decide which member of staff will review and respond to your complaint. Complaints relating to an individual staff member or team will typically be handled by the relevant manager.
Senior management, including the Chief Executive or Board members, do not usually respond directly to complaints even if they are addressed directly to them. Responsibility for handling complaints is delegated in line with this procedure to ensure fairness and consistency.
When responding to a formal complaint, we will:
Zero tolerance
When dealing with complaints, our staff have the right not to be subjected to any behaviour or abuse that includes:
Complaints made under this procedure may be unanswered or terminated if any such behaviour is displayed and serious incidents will be reported to the relevant authority.
Vexatious complaints
We realise that this complaints procedure may not always result in the hoped-for outcome. Once a matter has been dealt with under this procedure, it will not be considered further nor will subsequent complaints on the same or substantially similar matter.
Vexatious complaints will not be considered. A vexatious complaint is one which is deemed to be an inappropriate or improper use of this policy, and / or one which causes a disproportionate or unjustified level of disruption or distress and / or is persistent, extending beyond the procedure outlined in this policy.
Escalation beyond this procedure
If you remain unsatisfied with the outcome after your complaint has been concluded under this procedure, you may wish to escalate it further elsewhere.
Review of this procedure
This procedure will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees every two years or sooner if legislative changes are made.
This procedure was last reviewed by the Board of Trustees in February 2026.
