Our statement in response to today’s (25 January 2022) Third Sector article relating to the investigations into complaints at NCVO, which completed in September 2021.
"Last September we shared the outcomes of investigations into 10 complaints received by the board of trustees following an independent inquiry.
"We cannot discuss the identities of those involved or provide any more details other than what we shared in September 2021. Throughout the investigations process we have protected the identity of all the individuals involved for legal reasons, to safeguard the integrity of the investigations and complaints process, and to support the wellbeing of those involved.
"In our statement last September, we apologised to those harmed by failings at NCVO and explained what we consider we could have done better. We set out what we have learned as an organisation and the steps we are taking to achieve real culture change at NCVO.
"Our statement also explained that, at the request of colleagues, investigations into the complaints received were separated from the organisational restructure and did not commence until the restructure had been completed. We recognised and accepted that conducting both an extensive restructure and investigations at the same time could add further strain to our staff. At the time this decision was taken, no members of the board or leadership team were aware of any of the identities of the people named in the 10 complaints.
"We would like to apologise again to those impacted by failings at NCVO. We are sorry for what you have experienced. We have made considerable progress against the recommendations outlined in the internal equity, diversity and inclusion report we received in April 2020 and the learning from the independent inquiry. These, along with additional learnings from the investigations, have informed the first year of our culture change roadmap. We recognise that culture change is a continuous process, and the board and leadership team are fully committed to this vital work.”