CAFOD EthicsPoint is an independent hotline and confidential case management system to assist CAFOD in receiving and addressing any concerns, allegations or complaints. It is run by NAVEX, a third-party company, and is a way for any individual to report breaches of our Code of Behaviour, Safeguarding Policy and Integrity Policies (for example fraud, abuse, or other misconduct) by a CAFOD staff member or someone acting as a representative of CAFOD. It can also be used to allow individuals to raise a concern over serious issues with our Fundraising practices, Data Protection breaches or shortcomings where CAFOD is responsible for Security or Health & Safety matters.
CAFOD EthicsPoint is for use by anyone connected to CAFOD’s work: this includes, but is not limited to, the people and communities CAFOD works to support, staff, volunteers, consultants, partners’ staff and volunteers and our supporters.
You can submit a concern or allegation through CAFOD EthicsPoint by using the webform link on our website and via links on other internal and partner facing online platforms. In some locations you may also be able to use the telephony service to call a toll-free, dedicated complaints hotline.
The CAFOD EthicsPoint system is primarily designed for any individual to report any perceived or actual breach of our Code of Behaviour, Safeguarding Policy or other stated values and commitments. Example of scenarios people can complain about are given below. This list is not exhaustive:
A complaint recorded through this system should not include:
Do not use this webform to report events presenting an immediate threat to life or property. Complaints submitted through this service may not receive an immediate response. If you require emergency assistance, please contact your local authorities.
CAFOD representatives can also contact their designated Security Manager or CAFOD Duty Security Officer to deal with immediate concerns during a security incident.
When you observe some behaviour that you believe breaches our Code of Behaviour, Safeguarding Policy, Integrity Policies or other policies and standards of best practice CAFOD is committed to, we would like you to share it with us it. Ideally, concerns can be shared directly with an appropriate staff member or CAFOD representative and, if you prefer this to be managed informally, we will try to take a flexible approach wherever possible. In these scenarios we will make a professional judgement based on the information shared and, as far as possible, with the involvement of the person sharing the information. Any type of feedback that suggests a serious breach of our codes or policies by one of our representatives, would have to be investigated and recorded in this system, respecting confidentiality and the safety of any individuals concerned.
Please see our Contact Us page on our website for more details of how to get in touch directly, if that remains your preference.
However, we recognise there may be circumstances when you are not able or do not feel comfortable reporting the issue in this manner. It is for such circumstances that we have partnered with NAVEX to create CAFOD EthicsPoint.
You can provide as much information as you feel comfortable with. It will of course depend on the nature of your concern, but names, dates, times, places, witnesses and other documentation can all be relevant and valuable in the report and subsequent investigation.
Please don't wait to make a report. Any suspicion of misconduct or other breach of CAFOD's Code of Behaviour, Values and other policies should be reported and will be looked into discreetly. If the person you suspect is truly acting ethically, then there will be no evidence to find and the case will be closed. Your report will be kept confidential. All reports made in good faith are appreciated.
If you have a serious concern or allegation – yes. In fact, we need you to share this information. You may have initial knowledge of an activity that may be cause for concern. Letting us know can minimise the potential negative impact on those we work with. Also, offering positive input may help identify issues that can improve our practices and performance.
We all have the right to live and work in a positive environment and with that right comes the shared and individual responsibility of acting in an ethical manner and letting the appropriate people know if someone is not acting appropriately. By working together, we can maintain a safe, accessible, dignified and inclusive environment for all those we come into contact with in the course of our work. Anyone who brings concerns or allegations to the notice of CAFOD will be responded to sensitively, respectfully and seriously.
Information is entered directly on the CAFOD EthicsPoint secure server to prevent any possible breach in security. Details are only available to the designated Complaints Manager within CAFOD. Each Complaints Manager has had training in keeping this information in the utmost confidence. Complaints are allocated to specific Complaint Managers based on the type of concern, allegation or complaint, and location of the incident.
No, you can report anonymously, meaning that we will not ask for your name and your gender will not be referred to in your report. All other information you provide will be kept confidential and secure. Whether you decide to report anonymously or leave your name, it helps if the specialist teams looking into your case at CAFOD are able to contact you after you've made your report, to find out more details relevant to the investigation. If you feel able to leave your contact details, then please do. If you prefer to make an anonymous report, please do check the system on CAFOD EthicsPoint every so often, to see if we've asked for any further details regarding your case.
Please note that in a few countries reporting anonymously is against the law. An advisor will let you know if this is the case for you. Please be reassured that even if you leave your name. we will respect your confidentiality and will not share your name or information with anyone other than those assigned to investigate your case.
To ensure confidentiality (and anonymity where requested), CAFOD EthicsPoint is run by an independent third party called NAVEX. They will process the data you enter, (or take your call), and a case report will be created in the system. This case is then picked up by a specialist team within CAFOD who will manage the case on a need-to-know basis only and take action where appropriate.
CAFOD EthicsPoint does not generate or maintain any internal connection logs with IP addresses, so no information linking your computer to CAFOD EthicsPoint is available. In fact, in the setup of CAFOD EthicsPoint, CAFOD and the service provider, NAVEX, are contractually committed not to pursue the identity of any individual raising a complaint.
If you are a staff member and still feel uncomfortable making a report on your work computer, you have the option of using a computer outside the work environment (such as one located at an Internet café, at a friend's house, etc.) through the CAFOD EthicsPoint secure webform.
A report from home, a neighbour's computer, or any Internet portal will remain secure and anonymous. An Internet portal never identifies a visitor by screen name and the CAFOD EthicsPoint system strips away Internet addresses so that anonymity is totally maintained. Plus, NAVEX (the provider of CAFOD EthicsPoint) is contractually committed not to pursue a reporter's identity.
The CAFOD EthicsPoint system is designed to protect your anonymity, if that is your choice. If you wish to remain anonymous, you - as a reporting party - need to ensure that the body of the report does not reveal your identity by accident. For example, if you are a CAFOD staff member by saying “From my desk next to John Smith…” or “In my 33 years working for CAFOD…” or if you are a partner staff member by saying “as the main CAFOD contact between (your partner organisation) and CAFOD”.
Yes. If you decide to submit your concern, allegation or complaint through the telephony service, you will be asked to provide the same information that you would provide in an Internet-based report and a trained interviewer will type your responses into the CAFOD EthicsPoint webform. These telephone reports have the same security and confidentiality and anonymity measures applied to them during recording and delivery as those entered directly online on the CAFOD EthicsPoint database.
There is a section in the standard questions for identifying yourself in the online service, if you wish. You will be asked to make your identity clear when using the telephone complaints hotline, if you do not specifically request to remain anonymous
When the investigation is complete, the CAFOD EthicsPoint advisor will add a final response to your case on the system. You will be able to view the updates by using your ‘report key' to log back onto the system.
When you make a report using CAFOD EthicsPoint, either using the phone service or the web form online, you will be given a unique code called a ‘report key' and asked to enter a password. Please take a note of these details as you will need these to phone back or revisit the website online to review any responses. If you can, please do check back occasionally either by phone or on the web as you may be asked for further details to help with the investigation of your report.
In general, you will be contacted directly. However, you will be given a unique code called a ‘report key' and asked to enter a password when you are submitting your report. With these, you can phone CAFOD EthicsPoint or log back onto the system and check for responses. This is worth doing if you don't hear from anyone, as your contact details could be incorrect, or we may have trouble reaching you discreetly.
The most common reason why a CAFOD EthicsPoint concern cannot be looked into thoroughly is lack of information. It's helpful if you can submit as much relevant information as you feel comfortable with. It will of course depend on the nature of your concern, but names, dates, times, places, witnesses and other documentation can all be relevant and valuable in the report and subsequent investigation.
All unethical conduct, at any level, ultimately hurts the people and communities we work with, our supporters, our staff and CAFOD.
Let us know. CAFOD EthicsPoint can help you prepare and share the information, so it can be properly understood. We'd rather you let us know about a situation that turns out to be harmless than let possible unethical behaviour go unchecked because you weren't sure.
The CAFOD EthicsPoint system and ongoing management of any complaints raised are designed so that any implicated parties are not notified or granted access to complaints in which they have been named.
When you file a complaint using the CAFOD EthicsPoint webform or through the CAFOD EthicsPoint hotline, you receive a unique user name and are asked to choose a password. You can return to the CAFOD EthicsPoint system again either by Internet or telephone and access the original report to add more detail or answer questions posed by a CAFOD representative and add further information that will help resolve open issues. We strongly suggest that you return to the site in the time specified to answer any questions from CAFOD and see how your complaint is being progressed. You and CAFOD now have entered into an “anonymous dialogue,” where situations are not only identified, but can also be resolved.
After you complete your complaint report you will be assigned a unique code called a "report key". Write down your report key and password and keep them in a safe place. After 5-6 working days, use your report key and password to check your complaint for feedback or questions from CAFOD.
All CAFOD EthicsPoint correspondences are held in the same strict confidence as the initial complaint report, continuing under the umbrella of anonymity, if that was the choice you made when you raised the concern, allegation or complaint.
You can make a CAFOD EthicsPoint complaint from any computer that can access the Internet. If you don't have access to a computer, the internet, or are uncomfortable using a computer, in many countries you can call the CAFOD EthicsPoint toll-free complaints hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For locations where an individual wants to complain directly to CAFOD and neither the webform or toll-free complaints are appropriate, our staff will work with our partners and communities on a project by project basis, to ensure an alternative method of raising a complaint is in place.
You can check the phone number for your country on the CAFOD EthicsPoint website. Or you can use the form online to make your report. Please do include in your report any details of access problems that you've had.
There are a few countries where anonymous reporting is against the law. We would like to reassure you that even if you need to leave your name, we will respect your confidentiality and will not divulge your name to anyone other than the trained individuals who investigate your case.