What happens to a service complaint about an RSPCA branch?
We recognise that sometimes people find it difficult to distinguish between their local RSPCA branch and the RSPCA (registered charity number 219099; sometimes known as the ‘national Society’ or ‘RSPCA England & Wales’). Our branches are separately registered charities which operate within the framework of the RSPCA’s policies and guidelines.
The RSPCA branches and the RSPCA are all separately registered charities from each other, and they are each separate data controllers for the purposes of data protection legislation. We are only able to respond to feedback, compliments and complaints on our website’s form that relate to the work carried out by the RSPCA.
So, if your complaint is regarding the RSPCA (registered charity number 219099; sometimes known as the ‘national Society’ or ‘RSPCA England & Wales’), please continue to follow the RSPCA’s complaints procedure.
If your feedback, compliment or complaint is regarding an RSPCA branch (not RSPCA, registered charity number 219099), this should be sent directly to the branch concerned - please contact the branch directly to find out their feedback, compliments and complaints procedure.
If you are uncertain which charity your complaint relates to, please fill out our website complaints form and we will advise you which it is.
Escalation of branch complaints
The escalation of branch complaints regarding governance, compliance, serious animal welfare concerns or safeguarding; or following an appeal:
Branches are separately registered charities to the RSPCA, and responsible for any complaints about the services they provide. If, however, after appealing your complaint, you are still dissatisfied with a branch’s response to it, or your complaint relates to governance, compliance, serious animal welfare concerns or safeguarding, you have the option to contact us. We will then decide whether the complaint meets the threshold for our involvement.
If your complaint relates to one of our branches, we will explain this in our acknowledgment, and depending on the nature of the complaint, will advise that the complaint should be made directly to the branch.