CRM 001 Functional Feedback and Complaints Response Mechanism

A functional Feedback and Complaints Response Mechanism (FCRM) ensures that all stakeholders, especially primary stakeholders and other community members, have access to a safe, accessible, and effective system for submitting complaints or feedback related to project activities, staff behavior and other concerns/incidents. It is crucial that the mechanism guarantees that individuals can voice their concerns without fear of retaliation, including the risk of being excluded from the project, denied services, or facing any other form of negative consequence. 

A functional FCRM includes the following elements: 

• Accessible to all primary stakeholders and community members 

• Stakeholders are aware of the FCRM and the project actively raises awareness (e.g. during events, training, distributions etc.) 

• Different channels are available for stakeholders to use based on the needs in the intervention area (e.g. letter box, office walk-in hours, mailbox, hotline etc.) 

• Transparent and efficient processes for handling complaints --> Staff have allocated time to handle complaints, and a complaint committee is established 

• Clear division between sensitive and non-sensitive complaints including a process on how to deal with sensitive complaints 

• Timely responses and resolutions 

• A referral system in place e.g. to psychosocial services/support, victim friendly police etc. For cases that cannot be addressed by the project.  

• Confidentiality and protection of complainants 

This indicator helps ensure that projects meet accountability standards by providing stakeholders with a mechanism to raise concerns or issues and identify areas where FCRMs may need strengthening or adjustment. It will also help to demonstrate transparency and commitment to accountability to donors and stakeholders. 

General indicator 002

Different FCRM elements require verification through various sources: 

Awareness and Accessibility: Assessed using surveys or interviews with primary stakeholders and staff to ensure stakeholders are aware of and can access the FCRM. 

Note, for humanitarian projects, questions about awareness are included in the ECHO Protection Mainstreaming KOI monitoring tool, which are to be reported under HUM 003. It is sufficient to ask the two survey questions (ACC1 and ACC2) as formulated by ECHO to assess the primary stakeholder awareness and accessibility.  

Timely Response, Confidentiality, Safety, and Resolution Process: Verified through interviews/questionnaires with complainants (where feasible) and staff involved in handling complaints.  

Continually: The FCRM system should maintain robust FCRM records to log new complaints, response times, types of responses, and outcomes. 

CRM Records: Track each complaint, type of complaint (sensitive vs. non sensitive), and resolution status in the system/spreadsheet, with regular updates to monitor functionality. 

Interviews and Surveys: Conduct periodic interviews with complainants, stakeholders, and staff involved in handling complaints to verify FCRM awareness, accessibility, timeliness, and confidentiality, as well as satisfaction regarding the resolution process and outcomes.