Anonymity

We do not generally take forward anonymous complaints.

If we help you to resolve your complaint or our Complaints Committee rules on your complaint, we will publish a resolution statement or the Committee's decision on our website in full which will include your name.

You can make a request to our Complaints Committee that the decision is published anonymously and/or has identifying details removed. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis, but the Committee starts from the position that decisions should generally be published in full, except where a complainant had a legal right to anonymity, or where a decision includes sensitive information about a child who hasn’t previously been identified, and naming the complainant would identify the child. In adjudicating on complaints about the publication of information that the complainant believes to be private, the Committee will generally avoid republishing the relevant information, except to the extent that it is necessary in order to make clear the grounds for the complaint, the publication’s response, and the reasons for the Committee’s decision. The Committee will take into account the effect of publication on the complainant or third parties.

 They will consider the following when making their decision:

• Whether the subject matter of the complaint includes information about the complainant which is private or personally sensitive, could cause the complainant distress or gratuitous embarrassment, or could otherwise cause harm to the complainant (e.g. harming their relationship with an employer).
• Whether the complaint could identify the complainant as a confidential source of information.
• Whether inclusion of the complainant’s name in the decision could cause significant harm to a third party.
• Whether inclusion of the complainant’s name in the decision could represent a specific threat to their security.