Whistleblowing Policy

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Organisation: Disability Connect Mentoring Limited (trading as Disability Connect), company number 13268728
Policy owner: Steven Jones, Director
Approved by: Board of directors on 17th October 2026
Version: 1.0
Next review: October 2027

We want everyone who works with Disability Connect to feel able to speak up about wrongdoing. This policy explains how to raise a concern, how we will deal with it and how we protect people who speak up. It follows the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and good practice from Protect, the whistleblowing charity.

This policy applies to directors, staff, volunteers, contractors, mentors, mentees and partners. The law protects workers who blow the whistle. We make the same commitment to everyone else involved in our work.

Whistleblowing means reporting wrongdoing that affects other people or the public interest. Examples include:

• fraud, theft or misuse of money, including grant funding
• a risk to someone’s safety or wellbeing, including safeguarding concerns
• sexual harassment (a protected disclosure under whistleblowing law since 6 April 2026)
• discrimination against, or abuse of, people taking part in our schemes
• misuse of personal information or other breaches of data protection law
• a criminal offence, or a failure to meet a legal obligation
• danger to health and safety, or damage to the environment
• an attempt to cover up any of the above

You do not need proof. You only need a reasonable belief that something is wrong.

Complaints about how you personally have been treated, such as your pay or working conditions, are usually grievances or complaints rather than whistleblowing. Raise these with Steven Jones, or use our complaints process if you are a mentor or mentee. If you are not sure which applies, raise the concern anyway and we will help.

For most concerns: contact Steven Jones, Director, at info@disabilityconnect.org.uk or on 07599 115615.

If your concern is about Steven Jones, or you do not feel able to raise it with him: Disability Connect currently has one director, so please raise your concern with one of these instead:

• For free, confidential advice: Protect, on 020 3117 2520 or at protect-advice.org.uk
• If it involves grant funding: the funder concerned, such as the Department for Work and Pensions
• If it is about someone’s safety: the adult social care team of the council where the person lives, or the police (999 in an emergency)
• If it may be a crime, including fraud: the police, or Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040
• For other issues: the relevant regulator, known as a “prescribed person”, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office for data protection. The full list is on GOV.UK under “Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies”.

We will not treat anyone unfairly for raising a concern outside Disability Connect.

You can raise a concern in person, by phone, by email or in writing, in whatever format suits you. You can bring a colleague or supporter to any meeting, and we will make any adjustments you need.

If you ask us to, we will keep your identity confidential unless the law requires otherwise. You can raise a concern anonymously, but this can make it harder for us to investigate and to tell you what happened.

1. We acknowledge your concern within five working days.
2. If you are happy to, we meet or speak with you to understand it.
3. The person handling the concern decides how to look into it. This may be an internal investigation, an independent review, or a report to the police, a council or a regulator.
4. We aim to tell you the outcome within 20 working days. Some concerns take longer, and we will keep you updated.
5. We keep a confidential record of every concern and what we did about it.

If a concern involves misuse of grant funding, we will tell the funder as our grant agreements require.

• We will not tolerate anyone being bullied, victimised or treated unfairly for raising a genuine concern, even if it turns out to be mistaken.
• Anyone who victimises a whistleblower may face disciplinary action or the end of their involvement with us.
• Knowingly making a false and malicious allegation is a disciplinary matter.
• Nothing in any agreement with Disability Connect stops you from making a protected disclosure.

We hope you will raise concerns with us first, but you can also:

• get free, confidential advice from Protect on 020 3117 2520 or at protect-advice.org.uk
• report to a “prescribed person”, which is usually a regulator, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office for data protection issues. The full list is on GOV.UK under “Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies”
• report misuse of grant funding to the funder, such as DWP
• report a crime to the police, or a safeguarding concern to the local council

Disclosures to the media are only protected by law in limited circumstances. Get advice from Protect before taking this step.

The board reviews this policy every year. Anonymised whistleblowing concerns are reported at each board meeting.

This document is available in other formats, including Easy Read and large print. 

Contact info@disabilityconnect.org.uk.