Nai’s House always aims to conduct ourselves ethically, and with honesty and integrity. We expect the same high standards from all our people - employees, volunteers, contractors, students, workers and partners. We do, however, recognise that there may be occasions when we, or our people, do not get this right. In these instances you may feel that you need to raise your genuine and serious concerns through this whistleblowing policy.
The aims of this policy are to:
This policy applies to everyone who works and/or volunteers with Nai’s House. This means Nai’s House staff, volunteers, workers, students, contractors or partners.
‘Whistleblowing’ is a term used to refer to the internal or external disclosure of malpractice, illegal acts or omissions at work, relating for example to fund raising, project delivery or financial management.
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 amended the Employment Rights Act 1996 and provides protection for individuals who raise legitimate concerns about specified matters outlined below.
These are called qualifying disclosures. A qualifying disclosure is one made in good faith by an individual who has a reasonable belief that they have witnessed:
It is not necessary for you to have proof that such an act is being, has been, or is likely to be committed. You do, however, need to hold a reasonable belief of such an action having been, being or likely to be carried out.
If you make such a protected disclosure, you have the right not to be dismissed, subjected to any other detriment, or victimised. This is the case even if it materialises that you were genuinely mistaken. We will not tolerate any individual being subjected to a detriment as a result of their making a disclosure in good faith.
Under the law, students, contractors or volunteers are not afforded the same legal protection that is given to employees. At Nai’s House we want to promote and encourage an open and honest environment in which concerns can be freely raised. We will therefore, in so far as possible, aim to treat all individuals making a disclosure in the spirit of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
If it is found that you have maliciously raised a matter which you know to be untrue or you are involved in a way in the malpractice, wrongdoing or illegal acts or omissions, your behaviour may be addressed through the appropriate Nai’s House policy.
This policy is only to be used in the circumstances outlined in the Protecting individuals using this policy section above. There are a number of Nai’s House policies that will be relevant in other circumstances, including but not limited to:
You should raise your whistleblowing concern as soon as possible. This will make it easier to act and to enable any problems to be resolved or reported quickly.
You can make your disclosure orally but written disclosures are preferable as these will make the process more efficient and effective. In your disclosure you should:
You must say that you are raising your concern using the whistleblowing policy and whether you wish your identity to be kept confidential. While we will make every effort to deal with your case confidentially, depending on the circumstances of the case this may not always be possible. Where this is the case, you will be informed of this and the reasons why it was not possible to retain confidentiality.
We will consider anonymous disclosures, but we do not encourage them as anonymity often makes it difficult to properly investigate concerns, protect those concerned or give feedback on outcomes.
You should always look to raise the matter with your immediate line manager in the first instance.
Where this is not appropriate because they may be involved personally in the alleged malpractice, wrongdoing or illegal acts or omissions in some way, then you must raise this with Nai’s House founder, Gem Barrett.
In some circumstances where it would be inappropriate for you to approach either your manager or the founder, you should raise this matter directly with the trustees.
Where concerns are about the trustees of Nai’s House concerns must be raised with the Charity Commission directly by email to whistleblowing@charitycommission.gov.uk
You must include:
Further information can be found here:
Where appropriate, the founder or trustees may arrange for the concern to be investigated externally and independently of Nai’s House, and for appropriate follow up action to be taken.
Your disclosure will always be acknowledged within three working days.
It will be investigated by the Nai’s House manager or other senior team member that you raise your concern to.
They will arrange to meet you as soon as possible, away from the workplace if necessary, to enable you to explain your concern as outlined in the section relating to raising concerns.
As outlined previously, we may not always be able to keep your details confidential but we will always let you know if it is not possible to do so.
You will be told either at the meeting or as soon as possible afterwards, what action will be taken to address the concern you have raised. Where action is not taken, you will be informed and given an explanation. The action taken in response to a disclosure will depend on the nature of the concern.
Typically the matters raised may result in one or more of the following actions:
Any Nai’s House manager or senior team member receiving a potential whistleblowing concern must notify the founder and trustees immediately that a concern has been raised and inform them of progress in resolving the concern.
We strongly encourage you to exhaust the internal processes set out above in the first instance.
In exceptional or urgent circumstances, or where having made a disclosure, you are unhappy with the outcome you have a legal right to make a disclosure to prescribed bodies.
These include but are not limited to:
Similar to the rights and obligations of an employee, Nai’s House reserves the right to make a referral to any of the above agencies without your consent.
Disclosures to the media will not be considered reasonable and may constitute misconduct. As such, the matter might be treated as a disciplinary matter in accordance with our disciplinary and grievance policy and procedure.
If at any stage in the procedure you are unsure about what to do and would like independent advice, you can discuss your concern with someone at Protect. They are an independent charity staffed by lawyers that can offer confidential free legal and practical advice on how people can raise concerns about malpractice at work. They can also provide advice about what legal protection may be available to you.