Complaint Policy

1. Introduction

The Royal Academy of Engineering is committed to providing the highest quality service to all our external beneficiaries and stakeholders in line with our values. We recognise that we don’t always get things right and when this happens it is important that we receive feedback so that we can learn from our mistakes and improve our organisation.

2. What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the Royal Academy of Engineering, or those acting on its behalf. It may also be if you think that someone representing or working for the Academy has breached a relevant regulation or Code of Conduct.

3. Policy Statement

We take your complaints seriously and we make the following commitments:

• The procedure is as fair and as transparent as possible and is accessible to all regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, belief or sexual orientation.
• Your complaint will be dealt with efficiently and will be investigated promptly.
• Making a complaint will not harm or prejudice you in your engagement with the Academy’s activities.
• You will be treated with respect and courtesy and receive appropriate support throughout the handling of the complaint.
• Learning from complaints will be used to improve the Academy’s work and drive forward our culture of continuous improvement.

4. Scope 

This procedure applies to all complaints received by the Academy whether they are made verbally, in writing, or through electronic communication channels. Complaints may relate to any aspect of our operations, services, or interactions with stakeholders, including but not limited to:

• Academy’s fundraising practices
• Academy’s programme delivery
• Academy publications or the conduct of Academy funded awardees.
• Professional conduct of staff or volunteers
• Professional conduct of beneficiaries, awardee, Fellows
• Events held by the Academy
• The Academy’s use of resource
• Non-compliance with charity laws, regulations, and organisational policies

5. Not in Scope

• Complaints made by a member of staff or former employee, about misconduct, such as, misconduct between individuals, or other HR-related matters, should be directed to the People team.
• More serious matters of a broader or systemic nature such as fraud, corruption, regulatory breaches, and serious misconducts should follow the Whistleblowing procedure.
• Complaints about safeguarding will be handled in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy.
• Where a separate contractual arrangement is in place which specifically includes a dispute resolution clause.

6. How to make a complaint

If you wish to make a complaint, you can do this by email, telephone or post.

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 020 7766 0752
• Post: Head of Governance Risk and Compliance, Royal Academy of Engineering, Prince Philip House, 3-4 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG

Please provide comprehensive details pertaining to the complaint, including

• Name and contact details of the complainant
• Names of involved individuals/ service complaint made about
• Date of complaint
• Specific incident details (time, date, witnesses), and any accompanying supporting documentation or evidence.

7. How we manage your complaint 

1. We acknowledge your complaint within 5 days of receipt by email .
2. During our investigation, we might contact you to ask for more details.
3. The appropriate process will be determined based on the nature and severity of the case.
4. We will decide about your complaint within 15 working days.
5. If we cannot make that deadline, we will contact you and explain why. We will give you a new decision date. This will only happen if it is unavoidable.
6.  All complaints about Fellows will be investigated and subject to the Fellow’s Code of Conduct where appropriate, which may lead to a decision being made by the Conduct Committee.
7. Details may be shared with relevant or impacted external parties (e.g., Charity Commission, Police, other organisation involved in the complaint)

8. How we manage your complaint

If you are still unhappy about the decision on your original complaint, you have an option to escalate to [email protected] . Please include your reasons for believing the decision was incorrect or unfair, any additional supporting evidence, and what your desired outcome is.
The complaint will be escalated to the Chief Operating Officer who will consider your appeal. We will aim to conclude the appeal investigation within 15 working days but may be longer depending on the complexity of the case.
Once this appeal investigation has taken place, you will be informed of the final decision.

9. Anonymous Complaint

We are unable to follow-up on anonymous complaints which is likely to hinder the investigation process. We do however look at every complaint, but we do reserve the right to close complaints that cannot be reasonably addressed.