We continuously work to strengthen and improve our control and whistleblowing procedures to prevent and reveal corruption, abuse of power and violations. We encourage that complaints about poor quality of work, unacceptable behaviour, and suspicions of corruption, bribery or sexual assault are directed to the person concerned and/or the relevant line manager because this person is closest to the activities. If the issues are not resolved through dialogue, or it is difficult to address them directly with the person in question, we recommend that our online whistleblowing mechanism below be used.
Who can complain:
Anyone affected by our work or the projects we support may complain.
• Our partner organisations
• Institutional/individual donors
• Supporters and stakeholders
A complaint can be submitted anonymously. However, Caritas Norway does not want to encourage anonymous complaints, as these are difficult to investigate in a good and efficient manner.
The complaint will be read by our Secretary General and subsequently forwarded and dealt with in accordance with our complaint management guidelines.
A complaint can be submitted either through one of the formal complaint mechanisms or through more informal channels. It can be submitted in writing to varsling@caritas.no or orally.
A complaint to Caritas Norway is confidential and will be dealt with in confidence. We seek to safeguard the privacy and security of the person submitting the complaint, the person subject to the complaint and other witnesses. Only a limited number of people will have access to the complaint specifically to ensure confidentiality.
Anyone who submits a complaint to Caritas Norway will receive a confirmation that the complaint has been received within a short period of time, and afterwards they will receive a notification as to whether the event will be further investigated.
A complaints committee of three people appointed by the Board of Caritas Norway will handle the complaint. The complaints committee will decide the outcome of the complaint and inform the person who submitted the complaint of their decision within one month of receipt. If necessary, the complaints committee may request further information and documentation. In cases of corrupt practices, Caritas Norway will require the repayment of misused funds, cancel contracts, dismiss employees, and report the case to the relevant authorities and to Caritas Internationalis.