Cheshire East Whistleblowing Policy

What is this policy?

Cheshire East Council values its employees and the services they provide to the people of Cheshire East.  We are working hard to improve the services we deliver and we need our employees, service users, partners and contractors to tell us when anything is not working well or when people are not behaving properly.  This page explains how to report in confidence any concerns you may have but it does not replace the full policy.

All reports received will be considered seriously.

What can I report?

You should report any concerns that you have about the conduct of our employees, councillors, partners, or contractors that may affect the services we provide or the good name of the Council.

Some examples are:

• theft of money or other property,
• fraud and corruption,
• alcohol and drug related offences,
• bullying or abuse of employees or service users,
• inappropriate conduct in any shape or form,
• breaches of health and safety rules or damage to the environment,
• any neglect of duty,
• poor care standards,
• disclosure of confidential information
• any other breaches which could damage the Council’s reputation.

The Policy is intended to encourage and enable anybody in and from outside the Council to report serious concerns in confidence.

The policy is not intended to be used by staff to report issues with colleagues or managers that can be dealt with by normal management procedures or the grievance or dignity at work policies. It also does not replace the usual customer comments/complaints process.

How do I report my concern?

You should normally report your concerns to the manager of the service involved; if you are a service user, a contractor, or a member of the public you should report your concerns to  front line Council staff or a manager in the area of concern. However, if you think that this person will not be able to deal with your concerns properly, because they are implicated or you believe they have already been told of the concern and failed to act, you may contact one of the corporate managers listed at the bottom of this leaflet or fill in a concern form.  You should explain the concern in your own words and give as much information as you can.

Does this apply to me if I work in a school?

If you work in a school you should follow the school’s whistleblowing policy.  This will usually tell you to report any concerns to the Headteacher or the Chair of Governors.  However, if you feel that they will not be able to deal with the concerns properly or if you have already reported your concerns and they have not been dealt with you may contact one of the corporate contacts named below.  If you work in an Aided or Foundation School there may be a different process for raising concerns outside the school (the officer you contact will advise you if this is the case and will help you to find the appropriate process).

Do I have to give my name?

It is always better to give your name if you feel able to do so as the report will appear more reliable. If you do not wish to give your name, we would recommend  that you provide us with at least a contact email address or a phone number; this way, your identity will not be established but we will still be able to contact you  to update you on progress or ask you for more details which could help the enquiry. If you use the attached form, an automated message will be sent to you to acknowledge the receipt of your referral. Any contact details you provide to us will be kept strictly confidential.

What will happen?

One of the listed internal contacts will look at your concerns and will contact you within 10 days to discuss the report with you and as far as is reasonable, tell you what enquiries have been made, how your concern has been dealt with, and how long any further work or action may take. S/he may ask you for further details about   your concern. In some cases, it maybe useful that you continue to keep a log of situations and events which you may consider relevant for the matter under enquiry.

Will I be protected?

This policy is designed to ensure that you are not treated unfairly as a result of making a whistle blowing report.  We will treat in confidence the information you provide and take all allegations and reports under this policy seriously. We will try to keep your identity confidential but if a case went to Court you may be asked to appear as a witness.  If you have reported a concern in good faith that you believe to be true we will protect you from any victimisation, bullying or harassment which may occur as a result of your actions.  However, the Council may take action against people who deliberately make false, frivolous or vexatious allegations.

If you have made a valid complaint but feel that you have been victimised as a result of raising concerns you can also raise the matter with one of the contacts below. 

Main Contact Details (please refer to the main policy for the full list of contacts)

Note: If you write to us, please mark the envelope ‘private and confidential’; in any event, your contact details and any other personal information about you or your family will be kept strictly confidential throughout the investigation.

What if I am not satisfied?

We hope to deal with all complaints promptly and to reach a fair outcome.  However, we realise that you may not be satisfied and may wish to take your concerns further.  In that case you may wish to contact one of the following external organisations.  However, you should only do so after you have tried to resolve your concerns by using the internal contacts.

Other Organisations (please refer to the main policy for the whole list of external contacts)