CHS Alliance staff, Board and members strive to operate in line with the Nine Commitments of the CHS.
We encourage our members to have their own complaint mechanism in place. However, we offer a complaint mechanism if you have concerns, complaints, feedback on how this has been handled, or in cases where you don’t believe a member organisation has a complaint mechanism in place.
We also welcome feedback or complaints about the work of the CHS Alliance secretariat or its staff.
These two processes and how to reach us are outlined below.
Complaints against CHS Alliance member organisations
The CHS Alliance’s complaints mechanism exists to improve complaints handling by its members to meet CHS Commitment 5’s Quality Criterion: “Complaints are welcomed and addressed.”
The mechanism allows people to raise complaints when a CHS Alliance member’s handling of a complaint, and its subsequent appeal, was unsatisfactory, unsafe and/or not in line with CHS Commitment 5.
The mechanism is designed for the Alliance to work with the complainant and the member organisation to assess the complaints handling process and make recommendations for how the organisation could make improvements.
Under the policy, we accept the following complaints:
- Unsatisfactory complaints process: Complaints regarding a completed internal complaints process that was viewed as inadequate for the communities or people affected by crisis, which were the focus of the complaint. Complaints must have already been filed and addressed through the CHS Alliance member organisation, in line with their complaints policy.
- Inadequate follow-up/process: Complaints regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment, or other abuses of power against a person or persons affected by crisis where the complainant found the case management by a CHS Alliance member did not adequately follow the organisation’s adopted policy.
- Well-founded fear of retaliation: Complaints regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH) or other abuses of power against a person(s) affected by crisis where a complainant has a well-founded fear of retaliation by the CHS Alliance member organisation.
- No complaints mechanism in place: Complaints about a CHS Alliance member or their staff only when that member does not yet have in place a complaints mechanism that is accessible for communities and people affected by crisis.
Please note, information received in relation to a complaint relating to an identified or identifiable person will be retained for a period of sixty calendar day, after the closure of the complaint, including any appeal process, and then deleted, and / or paper versions destroyed.
For further information, please read the Complaints Policy and its accompanying procedures
How to complain
If your complaint fits within the scope of the Policy and you would like contact us, please download the form below and email to: complaints@chsalliance.org.
Your complaint will be received by the CHS Alliance Secretariat Working Group, who are:
- Bonaventure Gbétoho Sokpoh
- Martina Broström
- Tanya Wood
We will respect your confidentiality, and the complaint will be handled with sensitivity according to the CHS alliance complaints policy and its accompanying procedures. Identifiable information will not be shared beyond the CHS Alliance Secretariat Working Group without your explicit consent.
Complaints regarding a CHS Alliance Secretariat staff member, consultant or other representative
If the complaint is regarding a staff member, consultant or representative other than the Executive Director, please email the CHS Alliance Executive Director, Tanya Wood at twood@chsalliance.org.
If your complaint concerns the CHS Alliance Executive Director, please email the Chair of the CHS Alliance Board, chair@chsalliance.org
These complaints will be dealt with according to the CHS Alliance Staff Rules and Regulations – the relevant sections of which can be found here.