Whistleblowing Policy

We are committed to conducting our business with honesty and integrity and we expect all coaches to maintain high standards. Any suspected wrongdoing should be reported as soon as possible. This policy covers all coaches and volunteers.
 
What is Whistleblowing? 
Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to our activities. This includes health and safety risks, damage to the environment and any breach of legal or professional obligations. It also includes the following matters specific to this workplace with regard to the safety of children.

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How to raise a concern 
We hope that in many cases you will be able to raise any concerns with a fellow coach or our Child Safety Officer, Joel Lawson. However, where you prefer not to raise it with a coach for any reason, you should contact the Sarah Jane Reynolds by email at info@swimmingbuddies.co.uk

If you do not feel comfortable contacting either of these people, please contact the NSPCC Whistleblowing helpline on 0800 0280 285 or email help@NSPCC.org.uk

If you contact Swimming Buddies directly, we will arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss your concern. You may bring a companion to any meetings under this policy. Your companion must respect the confidentiality of your disclosure and any subsequent investigation.
 
Confidentiality 
We hope that all coaches will feel able to voice whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. Completely anonymous disclosures are difficult to investigate. If you want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret and only reveal it where necessary to those involved in investigating your concern.

 

External Disclosures
The aim of this policy is to provide an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any concerns in the business. The law recognises that in some circumstances it may be appropriate for you to report your concerns to an external body such as the NSPCC. The Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 protects those who report serious wrongdoing in the workplace from dismissal or detrimental treatment as a result of their whistleblowing.

The NSPCC is a prescribed whistleblowing body for child welfare and protection. This means any
person who has child protection or welfare concern can make a disclosure to us and we can seek to protect them against unfair treatment at work. You can find out more about whistleblowing on the gov.uk website.

Protection and Support for Whistleblowers 
We aim to encourage openness and will support whistleblowers who raise genuine concerns under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken. Whistleblowers must not suffer any detrimental treatment as a result of raising a genuine concern. If you believe that you have suffered any such treatment, you should inform Sarah Jane immediately in person. You must not threaten or retaliate against whistleblowers in any way. If you are involved in such conduct, you may be subject to further action.