Whistleblowing

A whistleblower is someone who discovers something that is wrong and alerts his employer or the relevant authorities to what is going on.

The law protects whistleblowers from their employer subjecting them to detriment or dismissal by reason of their having “blown the whistle” and from detrimental treatment by their colleagues. To be protected by the law, the act of whistleblowing must fall within the legal rules and the whistleblower must reasonably believe that their disclosure of wrongdoing is made in the public interest.

Our business is run in accordance with the law. No employee will suffer a detriment for speaking up if they believe that something is wrong.

If you have information you believe shows any of the following:

Please raise your concerns immediately with the principal or if the concern is about the Principal, or it is believed they may be involved in some wrongdoing, the staff member should report their concern to the chair member of trustees. Alternatively, you may want to call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.

The aim of this policy is to provide an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any wrongdoing in the workplace. In most cases you should not find it necessary to alert anyone externally.

However, you will still be protected in law if you disclose the information to the following:

Disclosure to any other person is not generally protected except in very limited circumstances.

After you have raised a concern, we will decide how to respond in a responsible and appropriate manner. Initially this will usually involve making internal enquiries but it may become necessary to carry out a full investigation which may be formal or informal depending on the nature of the concern raised. We will endeavour to complete investigations within a reasonable time.

We will keep you informed of progress and let you know when the investigation is completed. We will not be able to inform you of any matters which would infringe any duty of confidentiality owed to others.

If you use this policy to raise a concern in good faith and in line with this policy, you will not suffer any kind of punishment or retaliation, nor be penalised any other way.

Any person who criticises or victimises a bona fide whistleblower will be liable to disciplinary action.

Any breach or failure to meet these standards of behaviour and conduct may be considered a disciplinary matter, which could result in disciplinary up to and including dismissal.

The organisation reserves the right to review this policy and procedure at any time if deemed necessary and to amend it accordingly. Any changes will be notified to all staff and updates uploaded to SharePoint and the College’s website.

Approved by: Senior Management Team
Date: August 2023
Person Responsible: Human Resources Manager