About us

Reporting concerns

 

We want to be a model of good practice and integrity. Everyone at Oak Hill College is obliged to conduct themselves in keeping with these high standards and to treat others with dignity and respect. Whether you are a current or former student, a current or former member of staff, a member of a local church, or a member of the general public we invite you to report any concerns you may have about a member of the Oak Hill community.

Safeguarding

If your concern relates to a child or an adult who may be at risk, and is concerned with their safety or protection from abuse, your concern is urgent and should be reported without delay. A concern can arise when you observe or suspect abusive behaviour, when an allegation is made or disclosed, or where there are indicators (signs and symptoms) of suspected abuse on the victim.

For more information on how safeguarding issues like this are handled and who to contact, see our safeguarding page hereAll concerns raised will be investigated thoroughly and action taken in line with Oak Hill College’s safeguarding policies and procedures. Confidentiality will be maintained to the fullest practical extent. The main exceptions are when the law requires disclosure, or when someone is at risk.

Other concerns

If you discover information which you believe shows serious malpractice, illegal actions, wrongdoing or unacceptable behaviours or practices by members of the Oak Hill College community, we ask you to report it. Your concern could be about things that are happening now, have happened in the past, or are likely to happen in the future.

Please be assured that we want anyone to feel able to communicate openly any concerns they may have so that we can take appropriate action. Regardless of whether the concern was well-founded, we will ensure that no-one properly raising a concern is detrimentally treated for raising it. We take whistleblowing concerns very seriously and will support those who raise them, preserving anonymity where that is practical and appropriate, recognising the courage it can take to raise concerns, and will protect them from victimisation.

To report such a concern, please do one of the following:

- If you are a current student at the College

  • and it concerns a grievance or complaint from your own personal experience, please refer to the policy here
  • If your concern is raising matters that are in the wider public interest, the procedure would normally be to contact your tutor or the Director of Pastoral Care in the first instance. Where the concern relates to those individuals, you should raise the concern with a member of the Leadership Team.
  • If for any reason you prefer to contact someone else, you may raise the concern in confidence with Fiona Edwards, Secretary to the Kingham Hill Trust.

You may raise the concern with an appropriate outside authority or organisation, for example the police or the Charity Commission.

- If you are a College staff member

  • and your concern relates to your personal circumstances rather than a wider matter of public interest, the correct procedure would normally be the Staff Complaints and Grievance Policy, which can be found on the Staff Hub.
  • If your concern is raising matters that are in the wider public interest, the correct procedure would normally be to raise the concern with your Line Manager in the first instance. Where the concern relates to your Line Manager, you should raise the concern with the next level of management. Alternatively, you may contact any of the people named in the next section if it is not appropriate for the concern to be raised via line management channels.
  • If you are unsure what to do, you may contact a whistleblowing charity, such as Protect (formerly “Public Concern At Work”) who have a confidential helpline and a list of prescribed regulators for reporting certain types of concerns (helpline – 020 3117 2520; https://protect-advice.org.uk/).

They can also be contacted online at https://protect-advice.org.uk/contact-protect-advice-line

- If you are outside the College, whether a former student or staff member, involved at one of our placement churches, or a member of the general public

You have a number of options:

  • You may raise the concern, in confidence, with a member of the Leadership Team, which includes the Vice-Principal and the Director of Operations & Finance.
  • If for any reason you prefer to contact someone else, you may raise the concern in confidence with Fiona Edwards, Secretary to the Kingham Hill Trust.

You may raise the concern with an appropriate outside authority or organisation, for example the police or the Charity Commission.

Where you raise a concern, you can expect that we will take it seriously and, as appropriate, investigate the issue, making every effort to honour and preserve confidentiality, keeping you informed about progress, involving relevant authorities, and taking the proper action in order to address the issue. 

Please note that for the purposes of monitoring and enhancement, that all concerns that are raised through the above channels will be logged with the HR Manager of the Kingham Hill Trust, whilst still protecting the confidentiality.