@tavistockyouthcafe
CONFIDENTIAL REPORTING
Tavistock Youth Café Confidential Reporting Procedure ('Whistleblowing')
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What is Whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing encourages and enables employees to raise serious concerns within the organisation rather than overlooking a problem or ‘blowing the whistle’ outside.
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Staff and volunteers are often the first to realise that there is something seriously wrong within the organisation. However, they may not express their concerns as they feel that speaking up would be disloyal to their colleagues or to the organisation.
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The New Tavistock Youth Café encourages all paid and unpaid staff/volunteers with concerns about any aspect of the Youth Café’s work with regard to safety or illegality to come forward and voice those concerns. These concerns may involve:
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a health and safety risk
conduct that is damaging to the environment
misuse of public money
corruption or unethical conduct
abuse of service users
The New Tavistock Youth Café’s Policy in relation to Whistleblowing:
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The Trustees of the New Tavistock Youth Café are committed to the highest possible standards of openness, probity and accountability.
The policy encourages you to put your name to your concern whenever possible. You must disclose the information in good faith, must believe it to be substantially true, must not act maliciously or make false allegations and must not seek any personal gain.
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Procedure:
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The New Tavistock Youth Café recognises that the decision to report a concern can be difficult. All concerns will be treated in confidence and every effort will be made not to reveal your identity if you so wish.
Whilst the New Tavistock Youth Café would prefer to resolve such matters internally we recognise that there may be occasions where referral to an external body is necessary. In all circumstances persons raising concerns in good faith can do so without fear that their jobs or standing with the New Tavistock Youth Café will be affected even if the concern proves to be unfounded.
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How to raise a concern:
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As a first step you should normally raise concerns with the Manager of the Youth Café/Lead Youth Worker and inform them that you are using this procedure. However, the Trustees recognise that on occasion this may not be appropriate.
A number of alternative contacts may be appropriate depending on the nature of the concern. For example, you could approach a Trustee or the Chair of the Trustees who has responsibility for the procedure.
Concerns may be raised verbally or in writing. The person raising the concern should receive a response within 14 days of raising the matter.
Where the person raising the concern feels unable to raise the concern with anyone within the Youth Cafe they should contact: Public Concern at Work Website: www.pcaw.co.uk Helpline: 020 7404 6609 Email: whistle@pcaw.co.uk
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It is recognized that involvement of other external bodies may become necessary in serious cases involving for example criminal activity or child abuse such as one of the following:
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Social Services
the police
the Charities’ Commission
a Trade Union
a relevant professional body or regulatory organisation
a relevant voluntary organisation
The NSPCC has a Whistleblowing Advice Line that offers free advice and support to professionals with concerns about how child protection issues are being handled in their own or another organisation.
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Where an allegation is made that is found to be both false and raised maliciously the club shall refer to its disciplinary procedure for any appropriate action to be taken.