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CIEH Whistleblowing Policy

About the CIEH The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is a registered charity and the professional voice for environmental health. The CIEH works in partnership with organisations around the world to provide qualifications, training products and support materials to further the education of the public in all aspects of environmental health. As an accredited awarding organisation working in compliance with the government regulator Ofqual, the CIEH offers a range of qualifications in areas such as food safety, health and safety and environmental awareness, through a network of registered centres and trainers.

Scope This policy is intended to provide guidance to any individual, not employed by CIEH, who wishes to disclose information relating to the delivery and/or assessment of CIEH qualifications. CIEH is committed to maintaining the integrity of its qualifications, assessments and standards of practice. Disclosures to CIEH may be made by, for example:  Trainers  Centre staff  Candidates  Centre clients

Definitions Whistleblowing: A disclosure by an individual concerning an act of malpractice, or the covering up of malpractice. Whistleblowing is distinct from complaints, appeals and employment disputes

Malpractice: Any deliberate activity, neglect, default or other practice that compromises, or could compromise  the assessment process  the integrity of a regulated qualification  the validity of a result or certificate  the reputation and credibility of CIEH and/or its qualifications

Complaint: Any concern relating to a personal grievance over services received or expected

Appeal: Any concern or objection that relates to an assessment result or other decision

Employment dispute: Any concern that relates to a worker’s employment position or contract

Whistleblowing Policy version 2 © Copyright CIEH, 2016 Page 1 of 4 The Public Interest Disclosure Act The Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) is intended to protect workers who make a disclosure in good faith that is in the public interest. If a worker has made a disclosure which is protected under PIDA:

 the worker has a right not to be subject to detriment by his or her employer because of that protected disclosure  the worker will not breach his or her employment contract in making that protected disclosure.

Workers include employees, contractors and members of temporary agency staff. Not all disclosures are protected. CIEH does not have a formal role in the protection offered under this legislation. For more detailed information on PIDA and how it may help you, please refer to the Public Concern at Work website (www.pcaw.co.uk/law/uklegislation.htm).

How to report a concern Any person with a concern in respect of CIEH qualifications should consider if it is appropriate and possible to raise the issue directly with the line management of the organisation concerned. For candidates, the initial point of contact would be with their training centre.

If the concern raised is not satisfactorily addressed at this stage, or if it is not possible to raise concerns directly with the responsible line manager, the individual should report the issue to the CIEH Quality Assurance Manager, by telephone 0207 827 6327, or by email [email protected] using the CIEH Whistleblowing Report Form, appended to this policy document. If reports are made anonymously and/or specific malpractice details are not provided, it may not be possible to substantiate the disclosure and carry out a full investigation.

What we will do

The reported malpractice will be reviewed and further information from the whistleblower will be requested if required.

If deemed necessary, a malpractice case will be opened. We will contact all parties necessary to pursue the investigation. If appropriate, we will also notify and periodically update any other Awarding Organisations affected and/or the regulator.

Upon conclusion of our investigation we will report back to the whistleblower to confirm action has been taken. It should be noted that specific details may not be given on the outcomes of our investigations. CIEH has a responsibility to all concerned with respect to confidentiality.

Whistleblowing Policy version 2 © Copyright CIEH, 2016 Page 2 of 4 Confidentiality CIEH will always aim to keep the identity of any whistleblower confidential. However, this cannot be guaranteed and we may be required to disclose your identity to:

 the police, fraud prevention agencies or other law enforcement agencies (to investigate or prevent crime, including fraud)  the courts (in connection with court proceedings)  another person to whom we are required by law to disclose your identity

Whistleblowers should be aware that the details and nature of their disclosure may inevitably lead to their identification in the course of our subsequent investigation.

CIEH contact details

The preferred means of receiving whistleblowing disclosures is in writing/email using the CIEH Whistleblower Report form below. Please send this direct the Quality Assurance Manager.

Quality Assurance Manager Direct tel: 0207 827 6327 Email: [email protected]

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Chadwick Court 15 Hatfields London SE1 8DJ

Please complete the form below as fully as you can. You do not have to give your name and personal details, but our ability to carry out an investigation may be limited if you do not:

Title Name Telephone Email Job title Organisation

CIEH qualification/s No. of candidates affected Training centre Address

Details of incident or practice Please explain your concerns in detail, including relevant dates, locations and the names of any individuals involved. If any certificates have been issued, please also confirm.

We will always strive to keep the identity of any whistleblowers confidential. However, whistleblowers should be aware that the details and nature of their disclosure may inevitably lead to their identification in the course of our subsequent investigation.