IPF Complaints Policy
The RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) genuinely wants to do the very best it can for the people who need us, and those who support and work with us.
However, we know that there may be times when we fall short of the high standards that we set ourselves. When this does happen we want to hear about it, deal with the situation as quickly as possible and put measures in place to stop it happening again.
We take complaints very seriously and we treat them as an opportunity to develop. This is why we are always very grateful to hear from people who are willing to take the time to help us improve. We always thank people who contact us about their problems, concerns or worries, and commit to respecting the confidentiality of individuals.
How can you tell us your thoughts?
You can decide exactly how you would like to get in touch with us:
· Face-to-face: Please do speak up during visits by IPF staff or volunteers, or at IPF events if something is not right.
· Phone: You can call us on 020 8831 7693. The team are usually available during standard office hours, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Outside of these hours you can always leave us a message and a contact number and someone will return your call.
· Email: You can email us at
· Letter: You can write to us at: RFU Injured Players Foundation, Rugby House, Allianz Stadium, 200 Whitton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7BA. Please include your name, address and preferred contact details in your email or letter so that we can get back in touch with you easily. Please note that the team is not based at the stadium full time and it may take a few extra days to pick up any mailed complaints.
How long will it take?
We endeavour to respond to all complaints within ten working days. However, you will receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within five days of receipt. Wherever possible we will deal with it more quickly, and if we think it will take longer we will let you know.
You can contact us in whichever way is most convenient to you and we will respond to you via the same method unless instructed otherwise. From experience we have found that the best way to resolve a problem quickly is often by telephone. This way we can make sure that we fully understand the issue and can gather all of the information that we need to resolve the problem in a fast and effective way.
In more complex situations where an immediate response is not possible, we will investigate the matter and get back to you as quickly as we can. A face-to-face meeting may even be suggested to discuss the matter in more detail. We will in any case record your complaint and between us we can agree on the best way and time to get back in contact with you.
What we will do.
We will work hard to fix problems, correct mistakes and address your concerns. Please feel free when contacting us about a complaint, to let us know how you think it could be resolved. We want to reach the best possible outcome and two heads are better than one.
We will always treat you with courtesy and respect, listen to what you say, keep you informed about our progress, provide you will a prompt response and tell you who to go to if you want to escalate your complaint further.
From time to time we receive complaints that do not relate directly to something that the IPF has done or that we are not in a position to comment on. We are a charity with limited resources and we must use these resources in the best way possible. This can mean not engaging in lengthy debates on issues that are unrelated to the IPF’s work, or that involve discussing a case which we do not have consent to talk about. It may also mean there is a limit to the action we can take, particularly if a long period of time has elapsed since the issue occurred.
There may be rare occasions when we chose not to respond to a complaint at all. These include:
· When a complaint is about something that the IPF has no direct connection to. We may choose to reply to clear our name but we are not obliged to.
· When someone unreasonably pursues a complaint that we have already responded to. They will be given escalation points but we may choose not to reply again, we will always inform you of our decision to do this.
· When a complainant is being obviously abusive, prejudiced or offensive in their manner.
· When a complainant is harassing a staff member.
· When a complaint is incoherent or illegible.
· When a complaint has clearly been sent to us and numerous other organisations as part of a bulk mailing or email. In this instance we can chose whether it is necessary for us to reply or not.
The IPF can obviously not respond directly to complaints made anonymously. However, we will investigate the complaint and use the information to improve in any way that we can.
Who else can help?
We really hope that our team are able to resolve your complaint in an honest, open and satisfactory way. However, if after contacting the IPF team you are still unhappy, there a number of other channels and organisations that you can contact:
The IPF Board of Trustees
You can write, either by letter or email, directly to the IPF Chair of Trustees. Please outline the details of the complaint, why you have not been satisfied with our response up to now and what you would like us to do to put things right. [Chair of IPF Trustees, RFU IPF, Rugby House, Allianz Stadium, 200 Whitton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7BA;
The Rugby Football Union
Speak Up is the RFU’s game-wide policy open to everyone in the professional and community game in England. It enables anyone to raise concerns through channels that they are comfortable with and gives all parties the opportunity to resolve a concern and for any necessary action to be taken.
You can submit your concerns via the RFU’s online Speak Up reporting form.
For general complaints related to topics such as ticket access, matchday experience outside of IPF hospitality, or issues arising in the community game please visit Community Rugby Help where you can find answers to most questions or submit a help request if you need further assistance.
External regulators
The IPF is regulated by the Fundraising Regulator (FR), the independent regulator of charity fundraising. The FR sets and promotes the standards for all fundraising activity, known as the “Code of Fundraising Practice”.
The IPF is committed to the highest standards in fundraising practice. If your complaint is to do with fundraising and you feel that it has been unresolved by us then the Fundraising Regulator can investigate your complaint.
You must contact them within two months of receiving your response from us. Contact can be made via the online complaints form: www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/complaints/make-complaint or via telephone: 0300 999 3407
Alternatively if your complaint is related to another area of our work and you do not feel completely satisfied by our response then you can contact the Charity Commission at the address below.
The Charity Commission, PO Box 1227, Liverpool, L69 3UG
0845 3000 218
Our Pledge
We treat all comments and complaints as an opportunity to improve. We are happy to acknowledge the mistakes that we have made, sincerely apologise for them and then try to prevent them from happening again in the future. Thank you for helping us to provide a better service.
