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Whistleblowing and confidential reporting procedure

Misconduct and fraud within the public sector costs the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds each year and ruins reputations. Like all public sector organisations, Knowsley Council may be affected in some way by misconduct, fraud or corrupt activity.

We are committed to combating misconduct, fraud and corruption by employees or members of the council who abuse their position of trust.  Our Anti Fraud and Corruption Policy includes a whistleblowing procedure, which enables employees and staff within partner and contracting organisations to raise, in good faith, any concerns they may have without fear of victimisation.

Such concerns may include:

• Health and safety risks
• Damage to the environment
• Abuse of vulnerable clients
• Fraud and corruption
• Any conduct which is illegal

Procedure

The procedure recognises that employees need to be assured that their concerns have been properly addressed and will be informed of the outcome of the case, subject to legal constraints.
If you work for the council, partner or contracting organisation and have workplace concerns, you should follow these simple guidelines:

Do

1. Make an immediate note of your concerns.
   Note all relevant details, such as what was said in telephone or other
   conversations, the date, time and the names of any parties involved.
2. Convey your suspicions to the appropriate person.
   Report your concerns to your line manager. If you prefer to speak to someone at Knowsley Council you can report your concerns to the Internal Audit Manager. If you feel you need to speak to someone independent of your organisation and the Council you could contact the Audit Commission.
3. Deal with the matter promptly, if you feel your concerns are warranted.
   Any delay will result in the problem continuing, and perhaps worsening.

Don’t

1. Do nothing
2. Be afraid of raising your concerns.
   You will not suffer any recrimination as a result of voicing a reasonably held suspicion. The Council’s procedures require that firm and appropriate action is taken whenever misconduct, fraud, or corruption is suspected or discovered. Any matter you raise will be dealt with sensitively and confidentially.
3. Approach or accuse any individuals directly.
4. Try to investigate the matter yourself.
   There are special rules relating to the gathering of evidence for use in criminal cases. Any attempt to gather evidence by people who are unfamiliar with these rules may spoil the chance of a satisfactory outcome to the case.
   The Council has specialists who are trained in handling investigations in the proper manner.
5. Convey your suspicions to anyone other than the appropriate officers.
6. Use this procedure to pursue a personal grievance.

Summary

• Note all relevant details but do not attempt to investigate the matter further yourself.
• Report all suspicions promptly to the Council’s Internal Audit Manager.
• If in doubt, report your suspicions anyway. The Council will take appropriate action in all cases.
• Information for council employees (PDF)
• Information for employees with a partner or contracting organisation (PDF)

Need further advice?

If you feel you need to speak to someone, this can be done via the following communication channels:

The council’s:
Internal Audit Manager: 0151 443 3646
Hotline: 08000 730 532
Email: fraud@knowsley.gov.uk

Audit Commission
Confidential Public Interest Disclosure Line
Tel. 0845 052 2646

Public Concern at Work
Tel. 020 7404 6609