The Diocese of Sheffield’s Diocesan Office, Bishops’ offices, and all our clergy and lay ministers, whether paid or volunteers are committed to serving and interacting well with all those people who are encountered: be that members of the general public, parishioners, those who attend church regularly and those who don’t, parish officers, clergy, lay ministers and employed members of staff. Sometimes actions, or a lack of action, can cause concern, whether we are worried about a vulnerable person who may be at risk, an illegal or illicit activity which might cause someone or the Diocese as a whole harm, or a personal wrong that has been done.
Raising a complaint, grievance or allegation with the Diocese of Sheffield is an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or organisation that has made the complaint.
Our aims are to:
- provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use;
- make sure everyone who is working as an office holder or employee for the Diocese of Sheffield knows what to do if a complaint is received;
- make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way;
- make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired and processes improved;
- to deal with any complaint in a manner that respects both the complainant and those complained against.
Additionally, our parishes as separate legal entities must have their own policies and procedures to address concerns about the conduct of their employees and volunteers. The Parish Resources website has some template policies that can be adapted for your use: Parish Resources: PCC Policies
Safeguarding
If you believe that the matter you are concerned about is a safeguarding matter – that is that you have a concern about a child or vulnerable adult who you believe may be at risk of harm – please see the Diocesan Safeguarding page. If anyone is at immediate risk of harm, then you should contact the police.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about the service received from any employee or volunteer that is not covered by any other policy or procedure.
Below are the three possible categories of complaint that there may be – each one differs depending on the status of the individual the complaint is about – if they are ordained, employed by the Diocese of Sheffield, or if they are a lay person (licensed or not).
My complaint is about someone who is:
- Ordained.
- Employed by the Diocese of Sheffield Board of Finance.
- A person who is not ordained or employed by the Diocese of Sheffield.
If you are unsure of which of the above is correct, or if the concern relates to numerous issues or people, please contact us for confidential advice. The best person to contact is one of either: the diocesan secretary (diocesansecretary@sheffield.anglican.org), the bishop’s chaplain (chaplain@bishopofsheffield.org.uk), the Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham (archdeacon.sheffield.rotherham@sheffield.anglican.org), or the Archdeacon of Doncaster (archdeacon.doncaster@sheffield.anglican.org)
If you have a complaint or allegation against the Bishop of Doncaster, in the first instance this should be reported directly to the Bishop of Sheffield. If you have a complaint about the Bishop of Sheffield this should be reported to the Archbishop of York. Contact details can be found at https://www.archbishopofyork.org/contact-us
Whistleblowing
While the complaints procedure addresses issues of a general nature, the whistleblowing policy should be used to allow a disclosure of information that anyone genuinely and reasonably believes is in the public interest to bypass formal structures and to share their concern with an appropriate person without fear of reprisal.