Charity funded by Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner 'in turmoil' - but chief executive says 'robust' monitoring process in place

But the PCC’s new chief executive said the office has a”very robust monitoring processes” in place for all its commissioned services.

Embrace Child Victims of Crime (CVOC) runs support services for children affected by crime.

The Times (October 22) published that the former chief executive, Anne Campbell, had reported the charity via the Charity Commission’s whistleblowing hotline.

And it said that following other reports made to it, the commission has opened a “compliance case” to examine potential wrongdoing and is “engaging with the trustees”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) as it understood that concerns about the charity were raised earlier this year.

The OPCC responded with comments made by its new ceo, Sharn Basra, to the chair of the Police and Crime Panel.

Mr Basra said: “Embrace CVOC are a longstanding and respected provider of essential services and support for children and have had a footprint here in Bedfordshire for a number of years.

“They have helped change the lives of many who have experienced real trauma, receiving national recognition for their services and continue to do so here in Bedfordshire and neighbouring Cambridgeshire.

“My team were fully sighted on the events and have been engaged with the charity throughout and the matter is as one article suggests, one of bullying and misogynistic behaviour, which although the named person refutes, is against the principles and values of the Beds OPCC.

“An independent investigation is ongoing.

“That said, I have been assured that there has been no impact on the quality of services delivered by the charity and importantly no impact upon the victims and children at the heart of any such referrals, which is shared by Cambridgeshire.

“A very robust monitoring processes [sic] is in place for all services commissioned throughout the county,” he said.

Simon Bailey, chair of Embrace CVOC, told the LDRS: “A review of Embrace’s infrastructure, policies, governance and finances was recently undertaken as part of work to explore the potential for an extension of its services.

“The review led to the identification of numerous concerns, which resulted in the dismissal of the CEO, following an independent investigation.

“An appeal was made against this, and the decision to dismiss was upheld, again as the result of an independent investigation.

“An Employment Tribunal has now been lodged and is under way.

“We are not able to comment on the detail of this whilst the process takes place, although we can confirm that Simon Bailey strongly refutes the allegations made against him.

“Embrace continues to provide crucial support services to child victims of crime, thanks to the many donors and supporters that help fund its work,” he said.

The Times reported that Sir Paul Stephenson had resigned as president, and David Oliver, treasurer, resigned after warning trustees that the collapse of donations created a financial risk.

It added that the Marguerite Foundation, a Swiss charitable fund, had suspended a planned six-figure donation, and the Principle Trust had halted its partnership.