Customer Guidance: LTA Support and Complaint Handling

If your query relates to an LTA registered venue and is not a safeguarding issue or a disciplinary matter falling under the Disciplinary Code, it should be dealt with directly with your venue.

Issues including the following should be dealt with locally (please folllow your venue’s procedure for reporting issues or write to the relevant person e.g. chairperson, treasurer etc).

• Any issues between members and the venue
• Any issues between individual members
• Any issues arising from local events and competitions

If you are unsure who to approach or are having difficulty contacting someone at your registered venue, please get in touch with the LTA Customer Support Team who will help you find the right person.

The LTA Customer Support Team is here to help on lots of different issues. The team can’t directly help with the following though – but can re-direct your query to the most appropriate team.

• Venues (local queries as outlined above)
• Safeguarding
• Disciplinary
• Any other query which is covered by another policy, procedure or process (such as the LTA Disciplinary Code, LTA Competition Regulations, LTA Privacy Policy, LTA selection policies, etc.).

It is likely that your query will be covered in one of our FAQs. Please follow the link to Help and FAQs. These provide answers on a full range of subjects with links to further information, too.

If you can’t find what you need via Help and FAQs and/or you need to raise something specifically please follow the link to our Contact Us Page. This online form can be used to address your query directly to the LTA Customer Support Team.

The LTA Customer Support Team will:

• Acknowledge your communication and/or redirect it within one working day
• Aim to answer your query in the simplest and quickest way for you, while also making sure you have all the information you need
• Update you through a specific contact
• Handle your query sensitively

Please note it may be necessary for the LTA Customer Support Team to refer your query to another team within the organisation or to the relevant National, County or Island Association.

The LTA Customer Support Team will let you know how your query will be dealt with and the above timelines may not apply as you may be contacted directly by the relevant team.

The LTA Customer Support Team will not deal with queries relating to any ongoing investigations or decisions made by the LTA. The team also do not handle queries covered by a separate policy, procedure or process and the timelines and points above do not apply.

You should follow the steps set out in the relevant policy, procedure or process (including with regard to any appeal process, if relevant and available). This includes, but is not limited to, all safeguarding and disciplinary procedures, selection decisions, and employee related queries dealt with by the LTA’s People Team.

If your query relates to DBS issues or safeguarding training, please visit the linked FAQ section or contact our Customer Support Team via our Contact Us Page.

Safeguarding covers any concern about the well-being or safety of a young person (under 18) or adult at risk. If you have a safeguarding concern, please use our Report A Concern online form which goes directly to the Safeguarding Team. Once you’ve completed the form you will receive a unique reference number.

If you need further help or are unsure whether to report the concern, you can also email the LTA Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@lta.org.uk.

If you need to speak to someone outside normal hours, you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. If someone is in immediate danger, call the police using 999. Information can also be found within our Safeguarding Policy.

To view all LTA details regarding Safeguarding please follow the link.

The LTA Disciplinary Code sets out what misconduct in tennis is.

Examples of misconduct include:

• Breaches of specific rules and regulations
• Match fixing and betting offences
• Any conduct detrimental to the interests of the game of tennis

If you believe any misconduct has taken place, you should raise it with us by completing the Alleged Misconduct Reporting Form and sending it to the email address listed at the bottom of the form.

Minor disciplinary issues at registered venues should be dealt with using venue procedures.

We always encourage you to report any queries directly to us through the different ways listed in this guide.

However, in the rare event you have a serious concern relating to one of the six public interest areas below, you may, if you choose, make a report via an independent service, Safecall. The six areas cover:

• Criminal offences, including fraud
• Failure to comply with a legal obligation
• Legal miscarriage of justice
• Endangering someone’s health and safety
• Damage to the environment
• Covering up wrongdoing in any of the above categories

Safecall is an independent, confidential and, if required, anonymous reporting service provided by the LTA if any of the above apply. You may contact Safecall 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via telephone on 0800 915 1571. Calls are not recorded. Alternatively a report can be made online: www.safecall.co.uk/report

Once a report is made, it will be passed on to the appropriate person at the LTA. The report will be treated confidentially, and only those needing to know the detail will be involved. Should you choose to remain anonymous it will be more difficult to fully deal with your concern. We therefore encourage you, if you feel it necessary to use this route, to provide your details to Safecall.