One for those with a greater search ability of sharwpoint than me.
Where would i find thw RAFAC whistle blowing policy?
The policy is report the problemā¦ and the issue is swept away.
HQAC and their magic brush!
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There is a confidential reporting poster you should have up at your Sqn. If not Iām sure you can find it on Bader.
You need to follow your concerns through chain of command and that needs to be your last port of call.
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Done that already. Need to get some teflon underwear to stop the ā ā ā ā storm that will be coming my way.
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Weāre you caught trying to steal OG trousers? 
Iāll have a look in the morning if no one has found it by then.
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Iām sure heāll sell you some for the right price
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Donāt think Iāve ever read an actual policy, on the ATC (and I donāt have time to look, possibly ACP20?) but I would assume that it would be the same as in most other government organisations. There would be an expectation that you would have at least attempted to use your chain of Command (or if the problem is with your chain of Command to go over their heads even if it means going straight to Dawn) and only if that has failed would you be properly protected if you went outside).
(Obviously it depends on who you are planning to blow the whistle to, if itās a criminal matter and you are going direct to the Police then I would say just crack on, you canāt be criticised for that. If itās something else (Nepotism bordering on Corruption for example) and you are going to the Press thatās when you need to make sure you are double covered in Policy.)
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Only thing I can think of in 20 is the grievance procedureā¦
I remember reading domthing about having the moral authority to do the right thing and being protected. Could be in ACP1.
Nothing child protection but I have a concern and I feel that I need chapter and verse in front of me when I get a visit and it is said it should all be dealt with within the wing. Not going to say anything more here as it is not the correct forum.
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Best/most likely relevant references I can think of are:
ACP 20:
- PI104 (para23 is the relevant reporting section)
- PI117
- PI118
- Maybe PI119
Although you wonāt find a reference to āwhistleblowingā unless itās hidden in euphemism somewhereā¦
ā¦But someone seems to have helpfully uploaded a version of the MOD whistlebowing policy to Sharepoint, which could have a good snippet to reference:
If itās really that bad, then look to here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-serious-wrongdoing-at-a-charity-as-a-worker-or-volunteer
Note that it states that protection is not afforded to volunteers in lawā¦
Did you get anywhere with this @Mr_OZ ?
I feel i need to report something and its something that i genuinely think is going to have a corps wide affect if its taken seriously. Like you i want chapter and verse before i say something.
I wouldnāt get too hopeful ā¦ ACP-1 has many values which look great on paper. There are also many ārobust proceduresā.
But the reaction to whistleblowers, in approximate order, is usually
1/. Make lots of serious noises
2/. Contact Wing to cover
3/. Wing sit on it hoping it will go away
4/. If it doesnāt Region get involved and send the boys around
5/. If an external agency become involved, then a refreshed approach is taken
6/. Pretend it doesnt happen in RAFAC and this is an isolated example
7/. If, after lots of time has passed, it hasnāt gone away appoint someone āindependentā to arbitrate
8/. The āindependantā person carries out the will of CAC
9/. Assuming there is a genuine issue to deal with, the whistleblower is thanked profusely for their steadfast honesty in highlighting the issue
10/. The whistleblower is then bullied and hounded out of the organisation over roughly a 3 to 6 month period.
11/. Lots of important people say all the right things to the external agency
12/. If there was an āoffenceā then the perpetrator is moved to anothewr squadron or promoted.
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Or we could not worry about any of that and let other peopleās chips and experiences cloud or sway our own judgementā¦ Because none of what you said is a justification to not act.
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Bang on ā¦ totally agree.
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This is possible the best option;
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I think the original post asked about a whistleblowing policy, and it is quite clear that RFAC does not have one. Your post is the nearest to a procedure, but there is some doubt about integrity and I think Rumpole has summed up the situation. The Armed Services have policies, but the RAFAC is detached from sphere and certainly does not follow suit.
ACP4 urges reports without fear of reprisal, but there is no absolute guarantee. The absence of a specific whistleblowing policy shows that there is no commitment that an individual will be respected.
It is disturbing then to find the existence of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which is about whistleblowing protection, except that it only applies to employees; so basically apart from the salaried individuals holding employment contracts, the bulk of volunteers have no protection whatsoever. Which means for example, you make a complaint against someone higher up the food chain, you have a choice a) forget it or b) kiss your aā¦ goodbye.
Such is the integrity of the organisation and the level of respect that descends from on high. Even if there are procedures how do you know they will administered fairly and impartially.
There was mention of child protection, where it seems that the LADO has not statutory power to intervene if a child protection officer gives assurances that a situation is being dealt with. So that excludes one element of impartiality.
Would not be a bad idea to actually have a policy, which might then prevent the potential for bullying and intimidation of complainants - what is there to say it does not happen?
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ACP20 v11.0 introduces Pers121 - RAFAC Whistleblowing Policy and Procedures.
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