Independent Investigations
When a serious complaint or allegation is raised, our clients don’t want to make decisions based on inaccurate or incomplete information. An investigation establishes what happened, through the collection and analysis of evidence, with every party given a genuine and fair opportunity to be heard along the way.
What an investigation does
An investigation responds to a specific allegation, involving identified parties. We identify and gather the evidence required to answer the key questions, interview those involved, and deliver a written finding based on the balance of probabilities.
What you receive
A defined scope, agreed before work begins, setting out the concerns or allegations to be examined and the process to be followed. A written report presenting the evidence, our analysis, and a finding against each allegation – giving your board or leadership team a defensible basis for its next decision. All delivered efficiently and with minimal disruption to your organisation.
Workplace Investigations
When a serious complaint or allegation involves a staff member, the stakes are high on every side. The subject of the allegation needs to know the process is fair. The person who raised the concern needs to know it will be taken seriously. And the organisation needs a conclusion it can act on with confidence. We conduct independent workplace investigations into allegations of misconduct, bullying, harassment, fraud, and the full range of serious concerns involving staff or volunteers.
Reportable Conduct Investigations
Reportable conduct schemes require certain organisations to notify and investigate allegations involving the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child. These investigations carry specific obligations around process, timeframes, and reporting to oversight bodies. We conduct reportable conduct investigations with the rigour these schemes require, and the sector understanding to manage them sensitively.
Student Conduct Investigations
When a serious incident or allegation involves a student, schools face a distinctive challenge. The process must be fair to the student and their family, lawful, and handled with sensitivity and professionalism, while remaining defensible to the board and, if necessary, to external scrutiny. That’s a difficult balance to strike internally, particularly when relationships are already under strain and leadership capacity is stretched.
Handing the investigation to an independent specialist removes that burden from your team entirely. We manage the process, conduct the interviews, and deliver clear findings, leaving you free to focus on teaching and learning and supporting the people involved. Our team understands the education environment and findings are reported clearly, with your next decision in mind.
Historic Abuse Investigations
Some of the most serious matters organisations face today involve allegations of abuse that occurred years or decades in the past. Historic abuse investigations are complex. Witnesses are harder to locate, memories have faded, records may be incomplete, and the emotional weight on everyone involved is significant.
These investigations require a particular kind of experience: the ability to gather and assess evidence carefully, to treat all parties with dignity, and to produce findings that are credible and fair despite the passage of time. We have experience conducting investigations into historic abuse across non-profit and faith-based contexts. If your organisation is facing allegations of this kind, early engagement is important – both for the integrity of the process and for the people affected by it.