The Boys’ Brigade is committed to dealing with any complaints fairly, effectively and in a timely fashion. This policy is aimed at BB leaders, parents and carers, children and young people, Church members and members of the public. Employed staff should use the Grievance Policy published in the staff handbook.
Any complaints/disputes should initially be dealt with at local level without recourse to the Complaints Policy. If you are unhappy about how something has been handled within a Company, please speak or write to the Company Captain or Chaplain before approaching BB Headquarters. If it relates to a Battalion, District or Area Group please contact one of the local Office Bearers before approaching BB Headquarters.
The list below sets out several issues that could be considered as complaints. Please note that the Brigade does make a distinction between complaints and safeguarding issues. Any safeguarding issues/concerns should immediately be referred to the Safeguarding Manager (safeguarding@boys-brigade.org.uk).
Examples of issues defined as complaints:
* Misconduct is any behaviour by a leader, or employee that fall short of the expected standards expected under the Leaders Code of Conduct, the Brigade’s Regulations, policies or guidance, or which undermines the values, reputation or aims of The Boys’ Brigade.
Misconduct may arise from:
Should the Brigade deem the issue not to be a complaint, the case will be returned to the complainant advising them that it should be dealt with locally. The Brigade will inform the complainant within 14 days should this be the case.
If the complaint cannot be resolved at Company, Battalion, District or Area Group level and you wish to raise a complaint, please contact us in the first instance via email or post to:
Email: complaints@boys-brigade.org.uk
Post: The Boys’ Brigade, Adeyfield Free Church, Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 4GZ
Complaints should be sent in writing or via email. Complaints should be raised as soon as possible after the event and when all attempts to resolve it locally have been exhausted.
Complaints will be acknowledged within 5 working days and a record kept of the date and nature of the complaint, the name and contact details of the complainant and the relationship of that person to the leader/Company involved.
Complainants will be asked to provide full details of their complaint and what steps they have taken to resolve the issue locally before escalating to the Brigade nationally, if the complainant has made no attempt to resolve the issue locally, they will be encouraged to do so.
If a complainant is unwilling to identify themselves, it may not be possible to process their complaint and it may be treated as a comment. We will maintain the confidentiality of all personal information and will not disclose without permission unless legally obliged to.
We will notify any BB member/leader and their Company Captain if a complaint has been made against them. Where it relates to a Battalion or Area Group, the appropriate Office Bearer will be notified. A copy of the Complaints Policy will be provided to the complainant and those the complaint relates to. A complainant is entitled to select another volunteer within the Brigade to support them through the complaints process.
If a complaint is made against a Director, it will be handled by the Chief Executive. If a complaint is made against the Chief Executive, it will be handled by the Chair of Trustees.
Consideration will be given by the Senior Management Team (or Chair of Trustees) as to whether to carry out a formal investigation or whether it is best to resolve the matter informally without resorting to formal investigation.
If an investigation is deemed necessary, we will report back to the complainant within 28 days with the outcome of the investigation. If this timescale is extended for whatever reason, the complainant will be contacted with an explanation and a revised estimate of when the matter will be concluded.
The investigation will be conducted by an appropriate member of staff as designated by a member of the Senior Management Team or Chair of Trustees.
A record will be kept of the complaint. Any actions taken and any good practice recommendations arising from the case will be passed to the Chief Executive. This will enable audit trails to be established if there are patterns emerging in relation to individuals, Companies, Battalions or Area Groups. BB Headquarters will maintain a log of all complaints to enable the Brigade to establish trends and any need for policy development or training. All personal information will be retained in line with our Data Protection Policy.
In the event of a complaint being upheld, the following actions will be available to the Brigade (this list is non-exhaustive).
The outcome of a complaint will be referred to in dealing with subsequent complaints.
In some cases, it may be possible for the complainant to request leave to appeal. Any request for an appeal should be made in writing to the Chief Executive, unless the complaint or the process involves the Chief Executive, in which case it should be made to the Chair of Trustees. Any request for an appeal should be submitted within 28 days of receiving the outcome of an investigation.
The complainant will need to demonstrate one of the following grounds if an application to appeal is to be granted:
If an appeal is granted, this will be considered by an appeal panel appointed by the Chief Executive or the Chair of Trustees. The appeal panel will be comprised of appropriate staff members and Trustees.
Last Updated: 31st January 2026
