Bullied Out -What next? Help please.

[bullied2014]

Hello Mumsnet

I’m looking for some advice on where to turn next regarding an ongoing issue I have.

I am trying to deliberately vague as I do not want to identify the organisation or the locality.

In early 2012 I was appointed to a senior volunteer role with a national youth charity. I was a newcomer to the organisation and what I discovered absolutely horrified me. There was open warfare between different groups of adults, financial irregularities, adults involved that had not been CRB checked, activities being undertaken without proper risk assessments, buildings and other pieces of land in use without proper documentation. In addition, my first day involved being informed of a serious safeguarding incident regarding an adult that was likely to break with the media any day now.

In addition, a number of adults wanted the role to which I was appointed and made it clear that I was an outsider and didn’t understand the values or the organisation.

With hindsight, I should have walked away there and then.

I made lots of visits to lots of locations in order to start to build relationships. I defined a structure for my team, wrote role descriptions and person specifications, advertised roles and slowly started to build my team aligned to HQ’s aspiration for change.

Inevitably, whenever when anyone starts to introduce change, there are always those who do not see the need for it and refuse point blank to countenance it.

After several months it became clear that there was a hardcore of adults (including a Justice of the Peace, a Priest in the Church of England and even a Member of Parliament) who were actively undermining the work of me and my team and trying to, basically, cause trouble.

In 2 short years, my team and I – assisted by others - delivered many successes:

We consulted on and created a challenging Development Plan for the organisation ensuring alignment with HQ’s vision. This was a first.

We increased the number of young people involved in the organisation by 27%. The trend was for a loss of 40% of young person members over the previous decade.

We reduced the number of people with outstanding training down from 51 down to 12. (If adults are not properly trained there are insurance implications if a young person is injured while on an activity).

We created a Risk Register and then significantly reduced the number of Unacceptable and High Risks.

We reduced the average age of Committee members from 59 to 47 (remember this is an organisation that should be young person led)

There are many, more but hopefully you get the point. The organisation was being transformed into a thriving, exciting place. However, there were still the ‘naysayers’ who were doing anything and everything they could to undermine our work.

Over the Christmas 2013 period, there were 2 incidents that I had to deal with. The first was a fundraising activity that I decided was to be shared amongst different groups (rather than the same old groups getting the lion’s share of cash) – The second was a social activity where alcohol was served to a 17 year old young person. The adult organising this activity had previously been suspended by me and my Line Manager for poor conduct and had previously been removed from the organisation completely for breaches of the child protection policy involving alcohol and young people. The organisation has very clear rules about what is considered acceptable and this is not.

In November 2013, the Member of Parliament tweeted about me and suggested he would use a House of Commons procedure against me. He also mentioned the name of my employer. In December 2013 he met with my employer and tweeted about it with regard to their support for volunteering. I do not believe he was tweeted about any other meeting with employers.

I raised 2 separate internal complaints regarding the alcohol incident and the tweets – Neither have been investigated.

Due to other changes that I introduced I believe there has been a deluge of complaints against me and my team – Again no specifics were put to me - All my actions were necessary to deliver against the Development Plan – A plan that every adult had the opportunity to input into.

In January 2014 I was removed from post and in March 2014 was made redundant (having been placed at risk of redundancy in November) – I’ve not worked since and my redundancy has now all gone and I have no idea what the future holds.

I raised a detailed complaint (running to over 200+ pages) in February 2014 and have effectively been stonewalled since then.

I raised the issue with my own MP (different party) who I then subsequently met. He has shown complete indifference. I subsequently learned that he is involved with this charity, too.

• I have written to the Queen who referred me to my MP.

• I have lodged a complaint with the relevant Magistrate Advisory Committee over the conduct of the JP (including essentially fiddling an Executive Committee election).

• I have lodged a complaint with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards who tells me she will not investigate the nature of the meeting between the MP and my now former employer.

• I have written to the Honours Committee because I got wind that the JP was being lined up for a UK national honour, objecting to her nomination (and this has been supported by about another 8 people).

• I have written to the Party Leader of the MP who was tweeting about me, asking him to investigate. No acknowledgement or response.

• I have submitted Subject Access Requests under the Data Protection Act to the various charity entities – 2 have ignored the request completely and the other provided only a partial disclosure. I have complained to the Information Commissioner.

• Due to a misdirected email, the JP got wind of the objection to her honour and tried to warn me off. I’ve sent her a ‘Cease & Desist’ letter advising further contact will be referred to the police as harassment.

I’m told the organisation is now running the way it was before I arrived where adults do what they like, ignoring rules and procedures.

My former team are aghast at the way I have been treated and the way that my complaints have not been investigated. Two have left the organisation completely in disgust. Others have stepped back from the roles I appointed them to, in order to concentrate on the young people.

Other things include my car being vandalised while attending an activity with some of the ‘naysayers’ present. I have received malicious phone calls and one text – too disgusting to repeat – with a single word in it.

Due to the way that the organisation handles complaints it is perfectly possible for people to raise vexatious, spurious and repeated complaints without the person being complained about to learn any detail of the basis of the complaint. To this day, I have still not been informed why I have been removed other than a generic ‘not fulfilling the role’.

I have received recognition in 2 former voluntary roles for my commitment to said roles.

So after all that, my question is this:

What other avenues are available/open to me to try to get someone to take this matter seriously?

Thanks, in advance, for any pointers.

I suspect 'going to the press' isn't quite what you had in mind!
It sounds awful and very concerning that vulnerable young people may be at risk because of it all.
I have no experience but what you've done sounds very comprehensive.
There is a whole separate topic here on employment issues and one on legal matters. You may get better advice on there

Hi Smartiepants79

You're right (about the press thing) - I don't really want to go down that route - for the main reason that the underlying issues will simply get 'lost' in the story.

I do want the people who have done this to be held accountable.

Thanks to mods for moving the thread here.

This is a voluntary role ? You're not getting paid?

It was a voluntary role, yes.

I presume you have contacted the charity HQ. I would get legal advice. A lot of issues, including libel and defamation of character. It sounds like you have been thorough and I can understand why you are hitting your head off a brick wall! I too would be tempted by press/media. The MP used social media so I wouldn't hesitate. The core of this issue is the young people who are not getting access to a service they deserve and are entitled too. It's time those involved are outed. Shocking! Well done you for being a decent citizen.

The charity operates a hierarchical structure - It is something like 8 layers of 'management' between an adult being hands on with young people and the most senior volunteer.

The way their complaints process is supposed to work is that you raise your complaint with the relevant line manager (or equivalent if there is a conflict of interest) who investigates and reaches a decision. The decision can then be appealed to the next Line Manager. That person's decision is final.

I lodged my complaint in February and the last communication I received from the person handling it was late March. I have effectively been ignored since then. I believe their strategy is that the claims against me will be so damning that no right thinking person will want to air such dirty washing in public.

I've tried to do the right thing in following their process complaints but that strategy has not worked thus far.

The problem is that due to the fact that there is no punishment for raising or indeed co-ordinating such vexatious complaints and the complainers know that it is high unlikely that I will actually have the specific allegations put to me they are able to say pretty much anything they want.

Yesterday I wrote to the Chairman of the main national charity giving him 14 days to update me regarding the complaint.

I have also written to the Prime Minister to urge him to order an independent inquiry into the charity in the relevant locality.

In my initial email, I mentioned that the JP had gotten wind of me planning to complain about her honour nomination. On Monday this is the email I received from her:

"I have seen a copy of your emails recently in which you are intending to mount a campaign to bring my reputation into disrepute, and are inviting others to join into that campaign. Should you do so then there will be consequences in the future.

Yours sincerely"

In reply, I sent her a Cease & Desist letter telling her I would consider further communication from her as harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act (1997) and would refer the matter to the police. I copied in the relevant Advisory Committee for the Magistrate Court where she sits and the Honours & Appointments Secretariat. It is high time others have first hand experience of her conduct.

Given the fact that the MP mentioned the use of a House of Commons procedure - I believe it is called an 'Early Day Motion' - I wonder if the House of Commons speaker would be interested in learning of his threat.

Please continue with the suggestions/questions - I'm finding it very calming being able to share this, in this way.

Thanks

Might this be of any help? My next door neighbour was a 'whistleblower' and although I'm not sure in how far he has reached his ultimate goal (the closure of the detention centre at Yarls Wood) he has at least had a hearing at high level about his concerns.

Hi Dutchoma

I've briefly look at this previously. The immediate/obvious problem is that the link mentions workers and (not necessarily) volunteers, companies and not charities.

I've done some research and volunteer rights are very limited and appear to extend to whatever a charity determines you can have. :-(

I have certainly tried to use the whistleblowing policy internally (such as it is) but, again, it has fallen on deaf ears.

I'd still have a go. It is about malpractice in public life after all. It sounds utterly dreadful.

You said you received redundancy so surely you were a paid employee?

If you were a volunteer how did you get a redundancy package?

As far as I can see there is no legal recourse for you here. If you were not an employee you have no legal rights as an employee and it would be difficult and expensive to pursue a defamation claim.

What are you actually looking for?

Sorry - I worded it badly.

They were 2 different roles. I was a volunteer with the charity while working for my [then] employer.

I've not yet been able to establish what was discussed between the MP and my employer when they met.

So are you saying you were bullied out of your 'employed' role or your volunteer role. I don't think you would get far on the volunteer side of things.

The background to the redundancy of your employed role is quite sketchy in your op, other than that the mp met with your employer and tweeted about it. Do you have evidence that the mp pressured your employer to make you redundant or is that your suspicion?

Is your priority here addressing the flaws in the charity, or is it recompense for yourself?

The organisation manages a 'facility' (again, I'm being deliberately vague). In March 2013, I had an independent safety report commissioned which stated:

32 defect(s) which needed rectifying immediately.
09 defect(s) which needed rectifying within 1 week.
11 defect(s) which needed rectifying within 1 month.
01 defect(s) which needed rectifying within 3 months.

I closed the facility with immediate effect. I've recently learned that the organisation is trying to re-open the facility without having carried out much rectification and certainly not had any further reports commissioned.

I've written to the responsible Councillor at the relevant Council and to the CEO at the Health and Safety Executive.

Again, there is a serious risk that young people and adults could come to significant harm due to the actions of this organisation.

Hi Southpaws

I was bullied out of the volunteer role.

It is my suspicion (now knowing what the MP is like) that he has had a conversation with my now former employer regarding me. I do not know whether this has played any part in my redundancy.

Even if it hasn't, I do not believe it is in any way appropriate for an elected person to behave the way he has an d Tweet about me to his 10k+ followers.

I am only interested in dealing with the charity side of things. I am not interested in recompense.

So you were bullied out of a role as a volunteer because the people in management didn't like you pointing out mistakes in the way they dealt with their work load? There is a 'facility' that was being run in an unsafe way; you, as a volunteer, pointed out the flaws; rather than deal with the flaws they sacked you and are now opening the 'facility' again flaws and unsafe practices and all? There must be ways of dealing with that sort of thing without making it personal.

I agree that you have been treated shamefully, but as you say, this is about young people being treated in a safe and legal way. Whether that involves an MP, a JP or a member of the clergy is neither here nor there.
You need to write recorded delivery to the relevant authorities dealing with the 'facility' you mention and keep writing until you get an answer

I know you say you don want to go to the press, but I honestly think that might be your only option now. Think Panorama and The Guardian, rather than a tabloid. They can keep you anonymous if you wish, although obviously the people involved would have a good idea it was you.

Can you back up your claims with paper trails?

(For reasons of full disclosure, I am a journalist but don't work for either of the outlets I mentioned)

Dutchoma

That's my current strategy - So far I've written to:

My MP (and met him) - No response
Queen - referred to MP
Written to Party Leader of the MP who tweeted about me - No response

I've submitted 3 Subject Access Requests (so I can see emails/papers relating to me) - I've had 1 response (which I do not believe to be a full response) - The other 2 have been ignored. As they are now outside the 40 day window, have complained to the Information Commissioner.

I have also submitted a Subject Access Request to the person who is supposed to be handling my complaint - that 40 days does not expire until mid-October. Again, I'm not expecting any meaningful response.

TracyBarlow

I have a huge amount of documentation plus every email I've sent/received when in role.

I still have about 20 supporters still involved with the organisation (2 have left completely in disgust). We are all in a position to provide written statements.

I'll drop you a PM.

Thanks

Is the establishment run by the charity regulated? Ie is it a nursery, childrens home etc? The regulator would be interested.

Also have you contacted the Charities Commission? Parliamentary ombudsman could also help re the MP.

I presume the MPs you spoke to were in the House of Commons, but there's the Upper House, too...?

Have you been to the police yet?

OP what outcome would satisfy you?

LaMonster

Not regulated as such but I have written - earlier this week - to the relevant council regarding the environmental health issue. I've also written to the Health & Safety Executive.

pluCaChange

I could look for an independent member of the House of Lords who might take an interest. I'll investigate further. Not been to the police as I am not sure what criminal acts have occured. I've certainly had my car vandalised and received malicious communications but I can't prove from what source.

wellcoveredsparerib

I want this dealt with properly. I want the people who have bullied me out to be held accountable for their actions. I also want the organisation to explain to me why they have systematically ignored their own rules and regulations.

But, most of all, I want the adults who are left behind - those people who shared my vision for improving the 'offer' to young people - and wanted to see positive change, to once again be able to believe that the 'naysayers' will, finally, be exposed for that they are: Bullies - who just happen to be members of the 'establishment'.

Many thanks