Raising Concerns
Raising a concern
Raising a concern is when you disclose information about any issue relating to suspected malpractice, risk, abuse, conduct, or wrongdoing. To raise a concern, you do not need to be personally affected by the risk, conduct or wrongdoing.
Raising concerns policy
We have a policy on how we handle concerns that are raised with the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
If you are a council employee or a member of the public, you can raise a concern about a risk, abuse, conduct or wrongdoing which relates to the council.
Complaints
Raising a concern is not the same as making a complaint.
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.
If you want to submit a complaint, you should use our complaints procedure. This is explained in our complaints procedure.
Confidentiality
We will treat all concerns in a confidential and sensitive manner.
Your identity will be kept confidential, as far as is practicable, and will only be disclosed with your consent.
It should be understood that the source of the information, or a statement, may be required as part of any fact finding / evidence gathering process, particularly if the PSNI and / or other regulatory bodies become involved.
Safeguarding as part of raising a concern
We are committed to good practice and high standards and want to be as supportive as possible.
We recognise that the decision to raise a concern can be a difficult one to make. We will not tolerate any harassment or victimisation (including formal pressure) and will take appropriate action to protect you when a concern is raised in good faith.
Any investigations into allegations of potential malpractice will not influence or be influenced by any disciplinary or redundancy procedures that may affect staff.
How to raise a concern
There are different ways to raise a concern with us. You can:
Raise your concern by email
We have a dedicated and confidential email address by which you can raise a concern, this is – concerns@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Raise your concern in writing, by telephone or in person
Write, call or arrange a meeting with our Audit, Risk & Governance Manager – Aileen Ruddy.
Our postal address is: Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Cloonavin, 66 Portstewart Road, Coleraine, BT52 1EY, Northern Ireland
Our telephone number is: 028 7034 7034
Raise a concern using our online form
You can raise a concern using our online form below.
How we will respond if you raise a concern
We will acknowledge your concern within 10 working days and explain how we propose to deal with the matter.
Where appropriate we will inform you of the outcome of any enquiries or investigations that we undertake. This is subject to legal constraints.
Independent advice
We recognise that you may wish to secure independent advice about raising a concern.
Protect is an independent, charitable organisation that runs a free, confidential raising concerns advice line, that you can contact for help.
Visit the Protect website or call the Protect Advice Line on 020 3117 2520 for free, confidential advice.
Report your concern to the Northern Ireland Audit Office
You can also report a concern about us to the Local Government Auditor in the Northern Ireland Audit Office.
You may raise concerns about us with the Northern Ireland Audit Office relating to – (1) the proper conduct of public business; (2) value for money; and / or (3) fraud or corruption.