Whistleblowing, safeguarding and complaints
Co-operatives UK is committed to the highest standards of openness and accountability. Read our Whistleblowing, Safeguarding and Complaints policies and how to raise concerns.
Whistleblowing
Co-operatives UK takes whistleblowing seriously and wants to encourage a trusting and supportive environment for our colleagues and anyone working for us. As part of this, we want to ensure that colleagues feel able to speak up when they suspect wrongdoing (whistleblowing).
Co-operatives UK has adopted a whistleblowing policy which can be found here.
The Policy sets out information on whistleblowing, what it does and does not cover as well as setting out the procedure that will be followed when a concern is raised.
Any colleague that raises a concern under this Policy can be assured that it will be investigated promptly, thoroughly and confidentially. Any colleague wishing to raise a concern is encouraged to read the Policy.
Grievances
A grievance is a complaint relating to you as an employee of Co-operatives UK such as, for example, how you are being treated at work or your terms and conditions. Please note that grievances do not constitute whistleblowing and should be raised using Co-operatives UK’s Grievance Procedure. You can also contact HR for further advice.
Concerns relating to our Members
Co-operatives UK is a trade association for co-operatives which provides a range of services and support to our members.
We do not have regulatory role and are unable to investigate members or become involved in the operations of member organisations.
Our Whistleblowing Policy relates to employees of Co-operatives UK and anyone working for us. If your concern relates to one of our members, it should be raised with the member via their own procedures. If it is raised with Co-operatives UK, we may decide to approach the member depending on the nature of the concern, however as stated above, we do not have a remit to investigate.
Alternatively, you may be able to find support or information at one of the following agencies:
FCA Mutuals Registry - https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/your-membership/report-concern-mutual-soci…
Housing Ombudsman - [email protected], 0113 111 3000
Ofgem (the energy regulator) https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us
Citizens Advice - 0808 223 1133, https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/web-ch…
Advice Scotland - 0808 196 8660, https://energyadvice.scot/
Action Fraud - https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
How to raise a concern
If you wish to raise a concern, having read the Whistleblowing Policy, you can send an email to [email protected] or leave an answerphone message on 0161 214 1799. Only our Whistleblowing Officer has access to this account and phone number.
Safeguarding
Co-operatives UK is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment and accepts our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of everyone with whom we may have a business relationship. Co-operatives UK takes a broad view of safeguarding and believes that anyone, at any time, could be considered ‘vulnerable’.
Co-operatives UK has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, unlawful discrimination and restraint. This includes, but is not limited to, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, financial or material abuse, neglect and acts of omission, and discriminatory abuse.
We believe that everyone, regardless of age, ability or disability, gender, race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital or gender status have the right to be protected from abuse and poor practice. We will always respect the rights, dignity and worth of those we come into contact with, including vulnerable adults and young adults at risk. Additionally, we recognise that ability and disability can change over time, so that some people may become additionally vulnerable to abuse, for example where they have increased dependency on others or increasing communication difficulties.
Co-operatives UK has adopted a safeguarding policy that you can read in full here. This policy is applicable to all Co-operatives UK employees and any members, contractors or third parties running programmes or activities with us or on our behalf. The policy sets out our commitments, our responsibilities and the procedure we will follow when a concern is raised.
How to raise a concern
If you believe that a young adult at risk or a vulnerable adult with whom we have a business relationship is being, or is at risk of being, abused, you must report this immediately to your manager or to the Lead Safeguarding Officer ([email protected] 0161 214 1753). If you are concerned that someone is in immediate danger, please contact the police straight away.
This policy should be read in conjunction with our whistleblowing policy. If you have concerns relating to safeguarding or the welfare of a vulnerable adult or young adult at risk, we prefer that you raise those concerns immediately using the procedure set out in this policy. If you would prefer to raise these issues anonymously you can do so using our whistleblowing policy.
Complaints
At Co-operatives UK, we always seek to provide a high-quality service to everyone we deal with and to work in a way which is open, builds trust and is respectful. In order to do this we need you to tell us when we get things wrong.
We also know that, whilst we always strive for excellence, sometimes we will fall short of expectations. Any expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for a formal response, whether or not it is justified, will be dealt with as a complaint.
We will listen to complaints, treat them seriously, resolve them as quickly as possible and learn from them so that we can continuously improve.
We hope that you are able to resolve your concern easily through a telephone call or email to the Co-operatives UK person that you have been speaking to. However, if your concern cannot be dealt with informally, Co-operatives UK has adopted a complaints policy. It sets out the scope of the policy, what is covered by it and the process we will follow once a complaint is made.
Whistleblowing, safeguarding and complaints policies
