Complaints

We publish this information to ensure transparency and accountability in our complaints process. The self-assessment form, completed by the complaints officer and reviewed by our governing body annually, is included in our yearly complaints performance and service improvement report. The Complaints Annual Report, the Complaints Policy, the self-assessment and the governing body’s response are made available here to keep you informed.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether eventually deemed to be justified or not. A complaint could include one or more of the following problems:

  • We delay in providing a service to a user
  • We fail or refuse to provide a service to a user
  • We provide a poor quality service to a user or make a mistake
  • We provide an inappropriate service to a user
  • We remove or withdraw a service from a user
  • We make changes to a service without properly informing the user
  • A member of staff’s behaviour causes upset to a user
  • A policy unreasonably disadvantages a user
  • We unfairly discriminate against a user
  • Has made misleading or excessive requests for donations
  • Has been disrespectful or treated them unfairly when seeking donations
  • Is not transparent or open about the relationship it has with a third party, for example, an agency working on its behalf
  • Failed to respect a donor’s wishes, for example, if a donor has asked to be contacted only in a certain way
  • Has not dealt appropriately with a complaint made by a member of the public about fundraising

Our Complaints Policy

Our Complaints Policy includes information on what constituents a complaint, how to make one and our approach to handling complaints.

Complaints Summary (April 2025 – March 2026)

During this period Refuge received a total of 108 complaints:
  • Complaints have reduced for the first time since 2022/23, with 108 received in 25/26 compared to 130 in 24/25.
  • The most common categories of complaints received relate to the support service and staff conduct.
  • This year we have seen a 47% reduction in the number of complaints related to accommodation and facilities, at  a time when we have increased the number of bedspaces available, this may indicate that our recent investment and focus on accommodation quality may be delivering tangible improvements.

Complaints Annual Report (2025 – 2026)

Tenant perception survey 2025

Appendix A: Self-assessment form