Whistleblowing Policy September 2024 - Legal Protection for Workers with Concerns at Work
In this section
- What is this about?
- What legal protection do I have?
- Will I be protected if I make a public disclosure?
- What support can I expect?
- What is the Council’s attitude to malpractice in the workplace?
- Who can blow the whistle?
- What can I blow the whistle about?
- How does the policy fit in with other Council policies?
- What if I am already involved in another HR procedure?
- How does this policy fit with the Members’ Code of Conduct?
- What if I want to make anonymous allegations?
- Is my identity kept confidential?
- How do I raise a concern?
- What happens after I have raised my concerns?
- How will we deal with your concerns?
- What happens if my concerns are not confirmed after an investigation?
- What happens if I am not happy with the Council’s response?
- Who is responsible for this policy?
- What happens to your ‘information’ and ‘personal data’?
- Appendices
How will we deal with your concerns?
43. Action taken by the Council will depend on the nature of the concern. The matters raised may be:
- investigated internally by an appropriate person in line with the Council’s Investigation Policy.
- referred to the Police.
- referred to the Wales Audit Office.
- the subject of an independent inquiry.
44. In order to protect individuals and the Council, initial enquiries will be made to decide whether an investigation is appropriate and, if so, what form it should take. Concerns or allegations which fall within the scope of specific procedures (for example, child protection) will normally be referred for consideration under those procedures. Some concerns may be resolved by agreed action without the need for investigation.
45. The Contact Officer will acknowledge your concern as soon as possible and contact you within 14 calendar days of you raising your concern to:
- indicate how it is proposed to deal with the matter.
- give you an estimate of how long it may take to provide a final response.
- tell you whether any initial enquiries have been made; and
- inform you whether a full investigation will take place, and if not, why not.
46. The Contact Officer will give you as much feedback as possible, but sometimes precise action will not be set out where this would infringe upon a duty of confidence owed to the Council by someone else. Time estimates and limits may be amended by agreement between you and the Contact Officer.
47. The frequency of contact between you and the Contact Officer will depend upon the nature of the matters raised, the potential difficulties involved, and the clarity of the information provided. If necessary, the Contact Officer or the officer investigating the matter will seek further information from you.
48. When any meeting is arranged between you and the Contact Officer, you have the right, if you so wish, to be accompanied by a companion (who may be a recognised trade union representative or a work colleague who is not involved in the area of work to which the concern relates). Steps will be taken to minimise any difficulties that you may experience as a result of raising a concern. For instance, if you are required to give evidence in criminal or disciplinary proceedings, we will arrange for you to receive advice about the procedure.
49. We understand that you will need to be assured that the matter has been dealt with properly and therefore, subject to legal constraints, your Contact Officer will inform you of the outcome and confirm in writing within 14 calendar days of the conclusion of the matter, i.e. whether your concerns have been upheld, what actions the Council proposes to take (subject to confidentiality constraints) and timescales for implementing. At that point you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about your experience of the whistle blowing procedure (See Appendix B). Your feedback is important to us, as it will help us to monitor the effectiveness of this policy.