The Chartered Institute of Fundraising has set up a new committee to oversee its complaints process, following concerns from members about how it dealt with safeguarding concerns.
Michele Welch, head of professional conduct at the CIoF, said in a blog post that its Professional Conduct Committee would oversee and support the CIoF’s complaints process and ensure alignment with its wider safeguarding activity and action plan.
Welch added that the new committee would agree plans for how to take forward recommendations from the CIoF’s upcoming independent review.
The long-awaited review was commissioned after allegations surfaced on social media in March 2021 that the CIoF had been told in 2019 about a sexual assault by one of its fellows at one of its events, and had failed to act.
A spokesperson for the CIoF said it was yet to receive the report from the independent reviewers, adding: “We hope to receive this soon and will then be able to confirm the timeline for publication of the findings and recommendations.”
Lindsay Bartling, senior associate at Clyde & Co solicitors and a deputy district judge, will chair the Professional Conduct Committee. Matt Radford, lead consultant at vulnerability management specialist Vulnerable Paths, will be the committee’s deputy chair.
Other members of the seven-strong committee include: Gary Richardson, chief executive of Countryside Learning; Ngozi Cadmus, chief executive of Happiworkers and a CIoF trustee; and Isobel Michael, consultant for NSP Philanthropy and fundraiser for Southside Family Project.
A spokesperson for the CIoF said membership of the committee was determined through a “fair and open recruitment process”, with Bartling being appointed in late 2021 and the rest of the members appointed from March 2022 onwards.
The committee met in December to appoint its deputy chair and “to consider how they will operate as a committee and establish ways of working going forward, including the allocation of responsibilities”, the spokesperson said.
In another blog post, Bartling said: “We have a wide range of responsibilities, with one of my roles being to direct strategy and focus on ensuring we act in accordance with our terms of reference.
“My approach is shaped by (re)building trust and the importance that the Member Code of Conduct and the Code of Behaviour for Events are understandable, understood and reflect reality, and when, despite our preventative measures, things go wrong, members know what to do and what to expect.”
The committee will sit alongside a wider team, which includes Welch and the CIoF’s former and current safeguarding and whistleblowing trustees, she said.
It plans to meet a minimum of three times a year and will provide an update report at every trustee meeting, Bartling said. She added: “I anticipate we will meet more frequently in the beginning and communicate outside of those meetings to fulfil our role.”
Over the coming year, the committee will review the CIoF’s Code of Conduct and Code of Behaviour, alongside the support available to members. It will also advise the trustees how the institute can improve professional conduct standards.
The committee was announced in a blog post alongside other updates to the CIoF’s safeguarding measures, including a refresh of its online safeguarding hub.
Welch said: “We remain fully committed to the wellbeing and safety of those we serve and work with, fostering a culture of vigilance and care, and we know how important it is to continue to listen and learn.”