About · Complaints
If we got something wrong, tell us.
This page says how to complain, what we will do, how long each stage takes, and where to go if our answer does not satisfy you.
Is this about someone's safety?
Do not use this page. Report a concern instead: it goes to our Designated Safeguarding Lead. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
Complaint or concern?
- A complaint is about something we did badly or did not do: a decision you think was unfair, being kept waiting, a hire that went wrong, a session that was not what we said, or the way someone spoke to you. Use this page.
- A concern is about the safety or wellbeing of a child or an adult at risk, harassment, bullying, discrimination, abuse or serious wrongdoing. Use report a concern.
- Your personal data: see the privacy notice.
- A barrier on this website: see accessibility, which has faster timescales.
If you pick the wrong route, we move it to the right one and tell you. You will not have to start again.
How to complain
- Email [email protected] with "Complaint" in the subject line. We log it with a reference you can quote.
- Post to FUTURES IN FILM C.I.C., 5th Floor, 167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF, marked "Complaints".
- In person. Tell anyone working on a session. We will write it down and read it back to you to check we have it right.
- Through someone else. A parent, carer, friend, teacher, support worker or union rep can complain for you. We may need your agreement before we share the outcome with them.
Tell us what happened, roughly when, who was involved if you know, and what you would like us to do. If you do not have all of that, complain anyway. You can complain anonymously, but we will not be able to ask you questions or tell you the outcome.
The three stages
| Stage | Who deals with it | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Informal | The person or team involved, or the person who manages them | Most things are a misunderstanding or a fixable mistake. You can skip this stage. | Reply within 5 working days |
| 2. Formal | A director who is not the subject of the complaint | We acknowledge it, tell you who is investigating, look at the records, speak to the people involved and to you, then write with what we found and what we will do. | Acknowledge within 3 working days; full reply within 20 working days |
| 3. Review | A director not involved at stage 2, such as the Chair or a non-executive director | A review of whether stage 2 was handled properly and whether the outcome was reasonable. This is the end of our internal process. | Ask within 20 working days of our stage 2 reply; outcome within 20 working days |
If something is complicated and we need longer, we will tell you before the deadline, say why, and give you a new date.
What we promise
- Nobody investigates themselves. The person a complaint is about does not handle or decide it.
- Complaining costs you nothing. It will not affect your application, your place, your hire or how you are treated.
- We keep a record of every complaint, what we did and what changed, and the board reviews the log.
- We tell you what changed. If your complaint changes how we work, we will tell you.
Where to go outside us
You do not have to finish our process first, though it often helps.
- The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, about how a CIC is run, including its asset lock and whether it serves its community.
- The Information Commissioner's Office, about personal data or cookies.
- The Equality Advisory and Support Service, about discrimination or a failure to make reasonable adjustments.
- A funder, if the activity was paid for by one. Its own complaints route is open to you.
- Your union, such as Bectu or Equity, about work, pay or conditions on something we ran.
- The police, if you believe a crime has been committed: 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Our complaints policy
This procedure is part of the policy pack the board is adopting. Once the resolution is signed, the adoption date will be added here.
Last reviewed 8 November 2026