Complaints

Dóchas Complaints Policy and Procedure

Dóchas is committed to the highest standards of practice in all of its dealings with its members, with the public and with all stakeholders. You will find a full list of our commitments to those standards on our Commitments and Codes page.

We listen and respond to the views of our members and the general public so that we can continue to improve. We aim to ensure that:

• it is as easy as possible to make a complaint or raise a concern;
• we treat as a complaint any clear expression of dissatisfaction with our organisation which calls for a response;
• we treat it seriously whether it is made by telephone, letter, email or in person;
• we deal with it quickly and politely;
• we respond accordingly - for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, and information on any action taken etc;
• we learn from complaints, use them to improve, and monitor them at our Board.

If you do have a complaint about any aspect of the work of Dóchas, you can contact Anna Farrell, Finance and Operations Manager, in writing or by telephone. In the first instance, your complaint will be dealt with by our Finance and Operations Manager (or another office holder with sufficient seniority to address the complaint). Please give us as much information as possible and let us know how you would like us to respond to you, providing relevant contact details.

You may however at any stage make your complaint to the Charities Regulator.  If you wish to contact them regarding a concern, you must complete their online concerns form.

How to make a Complaint or give Feedback

Write to: Gillian Ivory, Dóchas, Suite 8, Olympic House, Pleasants’ Street, Dublin 8.

Phone:  01 4853416

Email: gillian(at)dochas.ie

Use the Contact Form or Email Us buttons at the bottom of this page.

What should you include in your complaint

Please include your name and relevant contact details, including telephone number and email or address, and your preferred method of communication. Briefly describe what your complaint is about stating relevant dates and times, if applicable

Please let us know if you are acting on behalf of someone else

What happens next?

If you complain in person or over the phone, we will try to resolve the issue there and then. Similarly, if you complain by email or in writing we will always acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days, and do everything we can to resolve it within 21 days. If this is not possible, we will explain why and provide a new deadline.

What if the complaint is not resolved?

If you are not happy with our response, you may get in touch again by writing to the Dóchas CEO at ceo(at)dochas.ie. The CEO will acknowledge your ongoing complaint within 5 days, review the response to your complaint and do everything possible to resolve it within 30 days.

In the case that you are not satisfied with that response you may get in touch in writing with the Chairperson of the Board, who will review the response to your complaint and do everything possible to resolve it within 30 days. 

If you have feedback or a complaint about a Dóchas member organisation:

In the first instance you should address your complaint to the organisation as outlined in their complaints policy. 

You may however at any stage make your complaint to the Charities Regulator who oversee charities compliance with the Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public.

If you wish to contact them regarding a concern, you must complete their online concerns form.

Learning Lessons

We take your complaints seriously and try to learn from any mistakes we have made. A report on the number and type of complaints made to Dóchas is shared with the Board on a regular basis.