Our complaints policy

Nobody loves getting things wrong. But it’s important that we know where we haven’t lived up to our high standards set and the improvements needed. 

We really want to hear if any of our supporters or people we work with have any complaints. If you have feedback you would like to share with us or if you want to make a complaint, please get in touch. It’s important for us to hear. We review all feedback on a regular basis and complaints are shared with and reviewed by our Management team and Trustees too.

How can I make a complaint? 

You can contact our Supporter Care team by telephone from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday on 020 7612 0370.  You can also drop us an email at [email protected].  And, of course, you can write to us at:

The Supporter Care Team
Teenage Cancer Trust
The Place
175 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7AA

If you make a complaint on social media, we may ask you to email us as well, so we have a better record of the issue.

We want to make sure that we investigate your complaint thoroughly and give you a timely response, so it would be helpful if you could provide us with as much information as possible when contacting us, including:

  • The reason for your complaint 
  • Where and when it happened 
  • The name(s) of anyone involved (if known) 
  • The outcome you are hoping for 
  • Your contact details (name, address, daytime telephone number and/or email) 

We will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and provide you with a full response within two working days. However, sometimes we might need some extra time to investigate, in which case we will let you know when you should expect to hear from us.

As a result of your complaint, if we believe we may have broken the Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice, we may self report this to the Regulator. Where we do so, we will keep you updated on the outcome of this.

If your complaint relates to concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult 

If you have concerns about the behaviour of Teenage Cancer Trust staff or volunteers towards a child or adult at risk then our safeguarding team will be responsible for investigating the issues that you raise and might get in touch with you. You can contact It may be necessary for information of this nature to be passed to the local authority safeguarding team for further investigation. If your concern relates to a child or adult at risk, please contact [email protected]. If somebody is at immediate risk, please dial 999.

What if I am not happy with the response I have received?

We take complaints seriously and aim to resolve these properly and in full. If for any reason, you aren’t happy with the resolution of your complaint, you can take your complaint further. 

You can drop us an email at [email protected], marking it for attention of the Carol Apps, Supporter Care Manager or you can write to us at:

Carol Apps, Supporter Care Manager
Teenage Cancer Trust
The Place
175 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7AA  

Please tell us why you were not satisfied with our response and what you would like us to do to put things right. And please include your contact details and preferences for when and how Carol can get in touch with you.

If you still do not feel that the complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction, there are three external bodies you can contact:

Teenage Cancer Trust is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, who regulate how the charity sector raises fund.

Fundraising Regulator
2nd Floor, CAN Mezzanine Building
49-51 East Road
London
N1 6AH
Tel: 0300 999 3407
Email: [email protected]

The Information Commissioner’s Office will investigate complaints about your data or information we hold about you.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45
Fax: 01625 52 45 10
www.ico.gov.uk

 

The Charity Commission will deal with complaints about how we operate as a charity.

The Charity Commission
PO Box 1227
Liverpool
L69 3UG
Tel: 0845 3000 218
www.charity-commission.gov.uk

If you have concerns about the behaviour of Teenage Cancer Trust staff or volunteers towards a child or adult at risk and do not want to discuss them within the Teenage Cancer Trust team, or if you are not satisfied with the responses you have received following how we respond to your concerns, then you can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected].

What type of complaint may we not be able to deal with?

If you are complaining about Teenage Cancer Trust funded staff

As Teenage Cancer Trust nurses and other members of our funded staff are normally employed by the NHS Trust in which they work rather than directly by us, any complaint connected to them needs to go to the relevant NHS Trust, so it can be investigated under the NHS Trust’s complaint procedure. If you are unsure which NHS Trust to contact, please let us know and we will be able to advise you.

If you make a complaint anonymously

We recognise that some people may not with to give their details. If you receive an anonymous complaint, we will investigate this and take it seriously, however we will not be able to get back to you unless you provide contact details.

Whistleblowing concern about malpractice or wrong-doing

If you work for or with Teenage Cancer Trust and wish to make a whistleblowing complaint, this may be best dealt with through the internal channels outlined in the whistleblowing policy or through Protect CAN Mezzanine, 7 - 14 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4YR 
 
Protect Advice Line: 020 7404 660