The Regulator for Charities in England and Wales
(October 2007)
The Charity Commission is committed to customer service. We are constantly looking at ways we can provide a better level of service to our diverse customer base. The Customer Network aims to give our customers an opportunity to provide feedback, suggestions and views on a wide range of policy issues which in turn helps us to meet customer needs and continuously improve our level of service. We are developing a network that will encourage two-way communication and open and frank discussion. Our customers are best placed to inform us if our service delivery meets their needs.
We are committed to listening to Network members, whether they are responding to specific consultations or coming to us with their own ideas. That is not to say that we will be able to make every change suggested but we will give all ideas and comments due consideration.
Network membership is open to organisations and individuals which want to engage with the Commission. Our aim is for members to reflect the diversity of the sector in terms of income levels, charitable activity and location in England and Wales. The usual medium for consultations is email, but hard copies of documents can also be provided.
There are pieces of work across the whole range of the Commission's work that we are interested in seeking feedback on. We would not expect members to consult on every piece of work as we do not want to put any extra burden on customers, but we would expect members to take part in a minimum of one consultation a year.
We also hope that members will raise issues with us that are perhaps causing problems for a specific type of charity or the sector generally. The Network will not be restricted to organisations reacting passively to policy consultation, but we would give proper consideration to any issues that organisations bring to our attention. Engagement will be a two-way process.
The Charity Commission is committed to being open and transparent in the way that it works. The network will be managed in the same way. You can expect from us a consistent and clear level of service in terms of each consultation process. We will follow Cabinet Office guidelines on each formal consultation.
You can open the Cabinet Office guidelines at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/consultation/code/index.asp. These guidelines specify that the Commission must adhere to six consultation criteria.
The six consultation criteria are:
If you consider that a specific consultation process did not meet these guidelines and wish to make a complaint, you can do so by contacting the network co-ordinator by email.
The network is designed to offer charities a real opportunity to influence customer service policy development. The Commission is keen to seek feedback on its policies and procedures in order to ensure that they meet customer needs.
We have members from across the charitable sector, including a range of small, medium and large charities. We produce a range of consultation documents concerning different areas of Commission work which are sent to members for comments and suggestions. There may also be an opportunity for more informal consultation in the form of workshops and meetings. The form of consultation will be agreed depending on what is most suitable.
We are looking to recruit 100 organisations/people from across the sector. We are flexible on numbers so will recruit more if interest is high. We are keen that members have used the Commission's services or been in contact with us at some point so that they have experience of how we work, although this is not a prerequisite.
We also want to ensure that members are recruited from across the whole sector. If we find that a particular group or type of charity is under-represented we will target that group and invite charities or people to join. Likewise, if a particular group appears to be over-represented, we may not want to recruit further members in that group.
We would expect you to participate in at least one consultation per year. This could be a formal written consultation or a more informal face to face workshop. We do not envisage that the resource implications will be too intensive, but we hope that customers would raise these issues with us if that becomes the case.
We will follow Cabinet Office guidelines on formal policy consulations to ensure that adequate time is allowed for a full and considered response to each consultation. For more informal consultations, the timescale may vary depending on the nature of the topic. Our view is that a member's priority is to their charity first, so we aim to ensure that the process of consultation is not too onerous and it will be up to the member to decide if they want to participate in all the consultations or just one per year.
As a member we would expect you to participate in at least one consultation per year, but if possible you can take part in as many as you are able to.
No, but we would appreciate a nil return response if you are not able to respond.
If at any time and for whatever reason you wish to terminate your membership you will be able to do so simply by informing the network co-ordinator. We may, however, ask you a few questions to inquire as to your reasons for leaving the network so that we can assess how well the network works and what members think of it.
You can expect us to be courteous, open and transparent. We are committed to adhering to Cabinet Office guidelines during any formal consultation process which will ensure that the process is fair and allows sufficient time for those involved to offer a considered response. You can open those guidelines at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/consultation/code/index.asp.
Informal consultations may have a shorter timescale but we still want to ensure the process is fair and open. If you have a complaint about the consultation process, we will deal seriously with your concerns and will offer a full response.
If you have a complaint about a specific consultation, eg it is not in line with Cabinet Office guidelines, the information is not clear or you have not been given sufficient time, you can contact the network co-ordinator who will assess your complaint and provide a full response.
If you are dissatisfied with the response you receive from the network co-ordinator you will have access to the Commission's formal complaint procedure. The complaint procedure is explained in more detail on the Commission's website, or alternatively you can telephone Charity Commission Direct on 0845 300 0128 to find out more details.
Yes, we plan to develop a network page on the Commission's website. If you object to your name or organisation being listed you should let us know at the outset so that we do not include it.
We will contact you directly by email about planned consultations. Alternatively we can correspond with you by post if you prefer. Please let us know.
After each consultation we will give feedback to members to let them know the impact of their involvement.
No, the Commission will not be able to pay network volunteers for their time and commitment to the consultation process. Our hope is that by taking part organisations will be able to influence the Commission's policy development and customer service delivery. That way the whole sector will benefit. The benefits of membership will be the ability to influence how the Commission works and seeing direct results from the input that a member makes.
You will need to consider the implications of the time involved. If consultations are responded to during the working day then naturally staff will be taken away from their job for a certain amount of time. The Commission will email information or will send a reply paid envelope with any consultation pack if this is preferred. Hopefully this will keep costs to a minimum.
If you have any further questions please contact Lucy Breakspere by email. Alternatively you can telephone Lucy on 01823 345183.