Do they know whom to tell about malpractice they noticed for the sake of the public interest? Do they know the procedure how to report on any fraud, damage to environment, breach of legal obligations?
We invite you to study the example of "Whistleblowing Policy" from YMCA England & Wales. You can find the document in full here.
" ‘Whistleblowing’ is a term used to refer to the disclosure by colleagues of malpractice – internally or externally – as well as illegal acts, or omissions at work. The Policy is intended to cover concerns which fall outside of the scope of workplace procedures that deal with standards of behaviour at work including: disciplinary, grievance, bullying, and harassment matters.
Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to the Charity’s activities. The Charity is committed to conducting its charitable operations with honesty and integrity and colleagues are expected to maintain high standards. Any suspected wrongdoing should be reported as soon as possible."
In the document you will find the objectives of the document, how the organisation defines complaints that count and do not count as whistleblowing, how to protect a whistleblower; how the procedure works, when external disclosure is necessary; why the public risks are in the center of the procedure.
YMCA Europe is grateful to YMCA England & Wales for sharing their best practices and invites other National Movements to contribute and share their experience in different spheres.
For more tools, please check the Movement Strengthening Library
The material is created within the project “ Governance and Quality Development” supported by Erasmus+, Key Action 2 programme.