If you have a complaint, concern, or comment about CSL then we would like to hear from you. This may be about our people, the work we do or the way we raise or spend money.

Our Complaints policy

Our aim is to make you feel safe, listened to and given an appropriate response when you share a complaint, concern or feedback with us.

You can make a complaint, raise a concern, or give feedback anonymously.

Contacting us

We hope to make contacting us as easy as possible. We can be contacted in writing, email, telephone, verbally or via another organisation or individual.

If a concern has been raised by, or about, a young child or young person under 18 or an adult at risk, we take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of all individuals involved.

We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of your personal and sensitive information, in line with our data protection responsibilities. Only those who are involved with responding to your complaint, concern or feedback will be made aware of it.

Behaviour we expect of our people

Our trustees and volunteers are expected to act with grace and professionalism at all times. We expect high standards of behaviour at all times, and we are committed to ensuring our high standards are met. If you see or experience any behaviour that does not meet our high standards, please let us know so we have an opportunity to make it right.

When we will respond

We aim to respond to complaints, concerns, and feedback a quickly as possible, usually within 10 working days of you getting in touch.

Sometimes we may need to investigate your complaint or concern in more detail to ensure we take the right action. Depending on how complex the complaint or concern is, we may need some more time to look into it. If that is the case we will contact you to keep you updated. When the investigation is complete we will contact you again to provide our response, including what we plan to do about it.

Your rights if you are unhappy with our response

If you are unhappy with the response you have received to your initial complaint or concern, please let us know as we would like the chance to try and make it right.

You also have the right to contact a of these organisations for further help:

The Charity Commission, who regulates charities in England and Wales www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity The Information Commissioner’s Office, who regulate information rights practices. ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

Usually, these organisations will start a case after giving us an opportunity to reply or provide more information.

How we use feedback to learn and improve

We are committed to improving the quality and effectiveness of our work. We use all feedback to help us learn and improve our work. If you have fed back a positive experience to us, we will make sure that the right team or individual receives this feedback.

CSL Trustees – February 2023

Your personal data - what is it?

Personal data relates to information about a living individual by which they can be identified. Identification can be by the information alone, or in conjunction with any other information in the data held, or likely to be held by a person or organisation in possession of your personal data. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protections Regulation (GDPR).

How we collect or obtain information about you:

We obtain information when you contact us to sign up to the newsletters, emails and magazines, donate money, or sponsor a child or widow. We do not share this information with others.

How do we process your personal data?

Care Sri Lanka complies with its obligations under GDPR, by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure, and by ensuring that the appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

How do we use your personal data?

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To administer supporter records

• To inform you of news about our work in Sri Lanka

• To provide feedback and updates on Child and Widow Sponsorship and other donations

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

We process the personal data of subscribers to the Lanka Link magazine and news updates from the LEFC churches in Sri Lanka, and also sponsors of children or projects, in order to enter into and perform our contract with subscribers. Processing of personal data is also lawful where it is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests that we pursue, except where such interests are overridden by your interests, fundamental rights, or freedoms. Processing is also necessary for carrying out legal obligations in relation to Gift Aid.

Do we share your personal data?

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and we will only share your data with third parties with your consent.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We keep Gift Aid declarations and associated paperwork for up to 6 years after the calendar year to which they relate. We hold your data for varying lengths of time depending on the type on information in question, but in doing so we always comply with Data Protection legislation.

Your rights and your personal data

Unless subject to an exemption under GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• The right to request a copy of your personal data which Care Sri Lanka holds about you

• The right to request that Care Sri Lanka corrects any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date

• The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for Care Sri Lanka to keep it

• The right to withdraw your consent to the data processing at any time

• The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

Further Processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Protection Policy, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Wherever and whenever necessary, we will seek your consent prior to the new processing.

Contact Details

To exercise all relevant rights, and for queries or complaints, please contact Paul Fountain, the Chairman of Care Sri Lanka, at paul@care-srilanka.org.uk.

1.0 Object of Care Sri Lanka

1.1 The charitable object of Care Sri Lanka is to advance education and to relieve sickness and financial hardship and to promote and preserve good health by the provision of funds, goods or services of any kind in such parts of Sri Lanka or the world as the Trustees from time to time think fit and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable work of the Charity.

2.0 Introduction

2.1 Trustees believe that children and adults at risk of abuse are vulnerable and therefore require particular care and attention to prevent them from being harmed. Trustees recognise that harm can be physical, emotional, sexual or result for neglect. Harm may be intentional or unintentional may come from a parent, other adult, a child, or even the child’s own actions.

2.2 Trustees believe we have a responsibility to care for all who are vulnerable and under the care of our Charity and to protect them from harm. CSL is committed to the safeguarding of all children and vulnerable adults.

2.3 Trustees will ensure that all involved with CSL understand this and are empowered to inform us immediately if they are experiencing, or become aware of, any concerns or actual harm.

2.4 Trustees will continue to encourage a culture of safeguarding throughout the UK work of the charity and in all interaction with overseas organisations who work with the charity or with the charity’s beneficiaries. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, both in the UK or overseas.

3.0 Objectives of Safeguarding Policy

3.1 The objectives of this policy are to minimise the risk of harm to children and vulnerable adults under the care of CSL, its volunteers or those who care for its beneficiaries, i.e., all who the CSL interacts with at any level and in any country.

3.2 Trustees will work tirelessly to minimise the risk of misconduct towards children by CSL representatives, volunteers, supporters, or overseas carers for any and all of its beneficiaries.

3.3 CSL expects every individual (child and adult) to be treated with dignity, care, and respect. CSL recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all who are vulnerable in its care by earnestly striving to protect them from harm and seriously addressing concerns and reports of possible safeguarding issues which include physical harm, sexual harm, emotional harm, and neglect.

3.4 To achieve these objectives, CSL will implement the following safeguarding strategies:

4.0 Safeguarding strategies

4.1 Trustees will insist on adherence to this Safeguarding Policy by all those who care for widows and children in any church, school or grouping whether in Sri Lanka or elsewhere.

4.2 The Chair of the Lanka Evangelical Fellowship of Churches (LEFC) will report to every meeting of the Charity’s Trustees to ensure reputational risk and the potential loss of asset risk are being minimised. The CSL and LEFC Safeguarding Policies will be promoted among all workers and volunteers in all churches and church premises.

4.3 In addition, the code of conduct will be adhered to by all visiting Sri Lanka on behalf of the CSL.

4.4 A culture of safeguarding must be established, promoted, and adhered to by all individuals and organisations who CSL has any contact with at any level.

5.0 Response strategies

5.1 Any person or organisation must be empowered to report any and every concern or complaint to the Trustees at the earliest opportunity.

5.2 Any such concerns or complaints should be made in accordance with the CSL Complaints Policy (See Annex B) or directly to one of the Trustees listed below.

5.3 Safeguarding concerns arising in Sri Lanka must be made to the Pastor S Jeyakanth, LEFC Chairman, who is responsible for LEFC Safeguarding in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the world. He will forward all such concerns to CSL.

5.4 All such concerns are positively welcomed by Trustees as they may well result in continual improvement in the Charity’s Safeguarding Policies and procedures.

5.5 CSL will provide training of volunteers, and staff in beneficiary organisations, which will ensure the continual improvement of the Charity’s safeguarding procedures. Such training will be provided in all relevant locations.

6.0 Contacts

Nominated Safeguarding lead:

Name: Gary Donaldson

Phone/E Mail: gary@care-srilanka.org

Deputy Safeguarding lead:

Name: Jackie Donaldson

Phone/Email: jackie@care-srilanka.org

Trustee Lead for Safeguarding

Name: Richard Clarke

Phone/E Mail: 07762 183581. richard@care-srilanka.org

7.0 Review

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

This policy was last reviewed on:

01 September 2023

Introduction

Serious incidents occur in charities of all types and sizes and the Charity Commission require charities to have a policy for:

1. managing them when they occur and

2. for reporting them to the Commission ( and to the police if appropriate) in a timely manner.

Definition

A ‘serious incident’ is an adverse event which could result in significant:

1. Harm to the charity’s ministries, reputation, supporters, volunteers, or others who come into contact with the charity through its various ministries;

2. Loss of the charity’s money or other assets.

Reportable Incidents

The main categories of reportable incident are:

1. Incidents that have resulted in significant harm being caused to people who come into contact with the charity through its ministries;

2. Financial crimes – fraud, theft, cyber-crime and money laundering;

3. Large donations from an unknown or unverifiable source, or suspicious financial activity using the charity’s funds;

4. Links to terrorism or extremism, including ‘proscribed’ (or banned) organisations, and individuals subject to an asset freeze;

5. Insolvency within the charity;

6. Withdrawal of banking services without an alternative;

7. Significant data breaches.

Serious Incident Reporting Policy

1. When any of the trustees are made aware of an incident that could be classified as potentially serious, the matter will be considered by all trustees who will decide whether any emergency (or other) action should be taken.

2. If the trustees decide that a serious incident has occurred a report will be submitted to the Charity Commission and to the police, if appropriate.

3. If the trustees decide that a serious incident has not occurred, no further action will be taken. The trustees are aware that if they decide not to make a report about something serious that has happened and the Charity Commission later becomes involved, they will need to be able to explain why the decision was made not to report it at the time.

Trustees April 2023

Please click here for the latest statement from the Council of Reference.