Policy 13
Complaints Handling
“If we’ve got something wrong, we’d rather know.”
Creative work depends on communication and judgement. If a client, participant, supplier or member of the public thinks we’ve got something wrong, we want to investigate, put it right and improve.
At a glance
The short version.
Easy to raise
By email, letter or any reasonable channel. We won’t reject a complaint because it isn’t perfectly formatted.
Fair and confidential
Handled as confidentially as practicable, with a fair chance for everyone involved to respond.
Learning from it
We look for patterns, so the same problem is less likely to happen again.
In practice
What we commit to.
- Never refuse a genuine complaint because someone is upset or persistent
- Never let the person complained about be the sole decision-maker on serious conduct
- Explain any delay and give an updated timescale
- Offer a proportionate remedy, from an apology to a commercial resolution
- Keep people updated if a review takes longer than expected
Step by step
How we handle a complaint
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1
Stage 1: put it right quickly
The producer or a manager tries to resolve it informally through clarification, correction or an apology.
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2
Acknowledge
Formal complaints are acknowledged promptly, within five working days.
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3
Check for urgent issues
Any safeguarding, legal, data or safety issue is escalated separately.
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4
Review fairly
An appropriate reviewer gathers records and speaks to the people involved.
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5
Respond in writing
You receive a written outcome with our findings, actions and any further review route.
The detail
Everything else.
The key parts of the policy, in plain English. The downloadable PDF is the full, controlled version.
What it covers
Service, conduct, communication, accessibility, privacy, project administration and public-facing activity. Staff grievances, whistleblowing, safeguarding and data rights requests follow their own procedures.
Feedback isn’t a complaint
Creative feedback, revision requests or preferring one version over another are part of delivery. A disagreement becomes a complaint when it concerns service quality, conduct, contract handling or a failure to address an issue reasonably.
What helps us
What happened, the project or date, the impact, anything you’ve already tried, and the outcome you’d like.
Unreasonable behaviour
Abusive, threatening or discriminatory behaviour may be managed with clear boundaries, but this is never used to label a legitimate complainant as unreasonable.
Your rights
Nothing here removes your legal or contractual rights, your ability to contact a regulator, or your right to make a protected disclosure.
Laws and guidance this policy follows
- Relevant contract terms and consumer or business law
- ICO complaint and data rights procedures for complaints about personal data
- Acas guidance and employment procedures for staff grievances
The full document
Complaints Handling Policy
Version 1.0 · Effective October 2026 · Owner: Managing Directors / Operations
Questions about this policy?
To make a complaint, email us with as much detail as you can and we’ll acknowledge it within five working days.