Policies and procedures
Mast Cell Action have policies and procedures in place for our volunteers and employees to help:
- comply with the law and regulations;
- set out how things should be done and what is expected of people;
- achieve a consistent approach across the charity;
- create transparency and accountability;
- limit risk.
Our policies encompass our values, conduct, standards, procedures, and guidelines on various key matters and reflect our commitment to uphold responsible and ethical practices. Our policies also ensure that our purpose and values are reflected in the work we do each day, and that those we do business with, have values similar to ours and operate with integrity.
For further information regarding our policies and procedures, get in touch.
Safeguarding
Mast Cell Action is committed to keeping people safe and are aware of specific vulnerabilities which may affect our service users. In our work with young people and adults who may be at risk due to age, illness, or disability, Mast Cell Action will always endeavour to provide services and activities which minimise risk and are safe. Mast Cell Action aims to:
- Protect our service users, staff, and volunteers from harm or maltreatment
- Protect our service users, staff, and volunteers from impairment of health or development
- Ensure the provision of safe and effective care
- Promote people’s life chances
Our Procedures
We have a robust safeguarding policy in place which is applied to all staff including third-party individuals and volunteers. Staff and volunteers receive mandatory safeguarding training and our policy and training requirements are reviewed regularly to ensure compliance with current statutory and regulatory provisions for safeguarding protocols, as well as best practice.
All Mast Cell Action staff and volunteers who come into contact with the children, vulnerable adults and their families will:
- Be able to identify potential indicators of abuse or neglect
- Have read the Safeguarding Policy
- Know their role and responsibilities
- Know how to communicate and record concerns
- Know to act upon concerns
Responsibilities
Every member of staff and volunteer working for Mast Cell Action has a responsibility to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. Key members of staff take a lead in this area. We all have a duty to report concerns wherever they arise for instance through our work in supporting service users, at fundraising events, with regard to the behaviour or practice of staff, volunteers, other organisations or individuals.
Mast Cell Action also has an appointed Safeguarding Officer, who will be available to all employees, volunteers, and service users to speak to when they have any concerns, issues or complaints regarding the safety, well-being or conduct of others. You can contact the Safeguarding Officer on 03301748521 from 8am to 8pm or by email.
Complaints Procedure
Mast Cell Action are committed to providing a high-quality service to our community and service users. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will allow us to put things right for you and to help improve our service for others in the future. We take complaints very seriously and treat them as an opportunity to develop. This is why we're always very grateful to hear from people willing to take the time to help us improve.
How you can make a complaint
You can complain by sending an email to us at info@mastcellaction.org. You can also telephone us on 07827 133821, but please be aware we may, where appropriate, ask you to provide further details in writing. You can write to us at Mast Cell Action, PO Box 11152, NOTTINGHAM, NG12 5YZ.
How we handle complaints
A Senior Employee will initially review the complaint and will work hard to fix problems, correct mistakes and address concerns in a way that pleases you. Please feel free when contacting us about a complaint, to let us know how you think it could be resolved. We want to reach the best possible outcome and will always treat you with courtesy and respect, listen to what you say, keep you informed about our progress, provide you will a prompt response and tell you who to go to if you want to escalate your complaint further.
Time limits
We endeavour to respond fully and conclusively to all complaints within ten working days. However, you will receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within the first 5 days of receipt. Wherever possible we will deal with it more quickly, if we think it will take longer, we will let you know.
You should register a complaint as soon as you can after the date on which the event occurred. If you complain more than three months later, we may not be able to investigate properly. Consideration will, however, be given as to whether you had good reason for not making the complaint sooner and whether, despite the delay, it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively and fairly.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome
At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for a senior member of the charity, who has not had any dealings with your matter, to review the initial decision. We will write to you within 28 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint, and explaining our reasons.
If you are still dissatisfied at this stage
You can refer this matter to the charity commission. Details of which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity
Whistleblowing Statement
Mast Cell Action is committed to being open, honest, and accountable. It encourages a free and open culture in its dealings between the trustees, employees, and volunteers. The Charity is committed to ensuring that all individuals have the ability to raise genuine concerns in good faith without fear of victimisation, subsequent discrimination or disadvantage, even if they turn out to be mistaken. Our policy is that colleagues and others should be able to raise matters of concern confidentially or anonymously and we will do our best to protect the identity of anyone raising a concern.
What Is Whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing is the name given to the act of the disclosure of information to Mast Cell Action or the relevant authority by an individual who knows, or suspects, that the organisation is responsible for, or taken part in some wrongdoing. Certain disclosures are prescribed by law as “qualifying disclosures”. A “qualifying disclosure” means a disclosure of information that a Mast Cell Action member genuinely and reasonably believes is in the public interest and shows that Mast Cell Action has committed a “relevant failure” by:
- committing a criminal offence;
- failing to comply with a legal obligation;
- a miscarriage of justice;
- endangering the health and safety of an individual;
- environmental damage; or
- concealing any information relating to the above`.
To assist our members in addressing concerns of this nature we have in place a Whistleblowing Policy, which:
- encourages members to report suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible, in the knowledge that their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated as appropriate, and that their confidentiality will be respected;
- provides members with guidance as to how to raise those concerns; and
- reassures members that they should be able to raise genuine concerns in good faith without fear of reprisals, even if they turn out to be mistaken.
How To Report a Concern - Member of the Public
A member of the public with a whistleblowing concern (as defined above) should report it to the Charity HR Department on 03301 748521 or emailing claire@mastcellaction.org. This may be done anonymously, if preferred.
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