Updated 10 October - see addendum below.
On 20 December 2022 the UCCF Trust Board received a letter from a firm of solicitors representing individuals alleging multiple breaches of employment law by the charity, and misconduct on the part of some employees. These individuals required anonymity as a condition of participating in any investigation into the concerns they raised, which the UCCF Trustees have sought to honour throughout.
The Trustees took these allegations very seriously, commissioned an independent investigation into all the allegations made, and suspended two senior employees as a neutral act to ensure the complete integrity and transparency of the investigation.
This investigation was undertaken by Hilary Winstone of Old Square Chambers. She is an experienced barrister with expertise in employment law, who had no personal connection with UCCF, its employees or Trustees. She was given freedom to undertake the investigation in whatever way she deemed necessary to address the allegations raised, including an examination of the legality of UCCF’s employment practices.
The Trust Board received the investigator’s report at the beginning of June 2023. For reasons outside the control of the Trustees, this extensive investigation took much longer to complete than had been planned or expected. Over fifty individuals contributed, with both positive and negative personal experiences from their time at UCCF. All of the witnesses who participated were offered strict anonymity by the Investigator, which UCCF is committed to honouring.
The investigator carefully considered all the allegations made by the complainants, together with other issues raised by participating witnesses. Many of the allegations made in the complainants’ initial letter were not upheld. A number of allegations made about the employment practices and contract procedures in relation to Christian Union Staff Workers (CUSWs) were upheld.
It has been the consistent practice over several decades for CUSWs to leave their employment after three years, with some staying on for four or five years. The investigation found a small number of instances where the termination of CUSWs’ contracts had been badly handled and conducted in ways that caused them considerable upset and were potentially unlawful.
The investigator also found that some staff had in the past felt unable to speak out about their concerns.
The investigator considered claims that UCCF and its staff had discriminated against women in its employment and ministry practices. She did not uphold these allegations. She also found significant improvement in recent years in supporting female staff through pregnancy and maternity leave.
UCCF has acted on all the findings of the investigator. The Trustees and Directors apologise unreservedly to those employees whose experiences fell short of what they were entitled to expect from UCCF, and for the hurt caused. We recognise that, as Christians, we need to honour our calling to work at the highest standard.
We are committed to ensuring that our policies and practices are lawful, fairly applied to all staff, and to fostering a Christ-like culture in which staff are not only valued but know they are valued, and where they can have the confidence to openly share any concerns they may have.
The Trust Board was made aware of concerns about the employment practices of UCCF in March 2021. Since then, we have been working, together with senior staff and external professional support, to ensure that all our staff contracts and HR processes are fair and legally compliant. Reviewing the current practices of the charity, the investigator recognised positively that UCCF’s culture and the methodology of its employment practices has changed considerably.
The investigator made four specific recommendations. UCCF is committed to implementing these in full. They are:
In the light of the investigation, the Trust Board will also be undertaking a review of our governance structures. We want to attain best practice as an employer, so that every employee’s experience matches the high standards we have set ourselves.
Following the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent internal processes, and in line with their findings, the suspensions of the two members of staff have now been lifted and it is expected they will make a phased return to active duties as soon as possible.
As we seek to begin this new season from the right foundation and united, there is a renewed, shared commitment between UCCF senior staff and the Trust Board to work cooperatively and within a model of governance best practice. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure that issues identified by the investigation and internal processes are comprehensively addressed and past shortcomings are not repeated.
UCCF is grateful to everyone who has participated in this investigation, and in particular to the individuals who raised their concerns. We recognise that this process has been stressful and demanding for many.
We are also thankful to those UCCF staff who have served as interim leaders of the Fellowship whilst this investigation has been undertaken, and to the wider staff team who have remained deeply committed to making Christ known amongst students. We praise God for the way in which our ministry on campuses around the country has continued and borne much fruit.
We have not asked anyone involved in this process to sign up to any non-disclosure agreement. But, on the part of UCCF, the commitments we have made to those involved, as well as our common law obligations regarding privacy and confidentiality, means that it would not be appropriate for us to give any further details beyond this statement.
Chris Willmott (Chair), Simon Day (Vice-Chair), Jenny Brown, Ray Brown, James MacKenzie, Jai Padam
UCCF Trust Board
4 October 2023
For any media enquiries please email info@uccf.org.uk.
It is with great regret that we announce the resignation of Chris Willmott, chair of Trustees. Chris has given sacrificially of his time and energy in recent months to deal with a very complex situation, and we are grateful to him for his tireless leadership. We are conscious that this brings the total number of recent trustee resignations to six. Those who have resigned have done so for a wide range of reasons, including some entirely unconnected with the recent statement, others directly related, and still others only indirectly related. None of the trustees who have resigned are in any way implicated in wrongdoing.
None of the trustees, whether past or present, reject the report and recommendations of the independent investigator. We who remain are committed to implementing those recommendations, as well as reviewing UCCF’s governance structures, to ensure that UCCF is in the best possible shape to support our ongoing ministry among students. The Trust Board is quorate and functioning, and that we are now actively seeking new trustees to strengthen the Board at the earliest opportunity.
Simon Day (Acting Chair) on behalf of the Trust Board
We are acutely aware that significant time has passed since our last update on the investigation process. Be assured that considerable effort continues to be spent on working through the appropriate steps we must take before we can share the specific outcomes publicly. We recognise the time elapsed is hugely challenging for everyone involved, but that time is critical in ensuring we honour the need for sound process and just outcomes for all concerned. Several other factors including illnesses and fragmented availability of key people during the summer have added to the delay.
It remains our intention to say more about the conclusion of the investigation as soon as we are able. The interim executive team continues to provide outstanding leadership as we head into the new academic year, with new staff training and Forum taking place throughout late August/early September. Please keep the ministry of UCCF in your prayers at this crucially important time of year.
Chris Willmott (Chair)
On behalf of the UCCF board of trustees
Thank you to everyone who is continuing to pray for the gospel ministry of Christian Unions across Great Britain.
The investigation into the allegations is still currently continuing. The process is taking longer than originally anticipated but all those involved are looking to be as swift as possible while being thorough and impartial and complying with all appropriate legal checks and balances.
It is important to note that the investigation is the first step in an internal process to evaluate the validity of the allegations that have been received. It is not a public enquiry and, as such, the resulting report is confidential to the trustees and separately to Richard Cunningham and to Tim Rudge.
Do please continue to pray for a fair resolution to this situation as soon as is reasonably possible, as well as the wider ministry of UCCF.
We are grateful to God that the ministry has continued faithfully and fruitfully throughout this period, and we are grateful for the many members of staff who have taken on additional roles with great maturity and wisdom.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for the Fellowship throughout this time.
Chris Willmott (Chair)
On behalf of the UCCF board of trustees
The Trust Board has appointed an independent employment barrister, Hilary Winstone of Old Square Chambers, to lead the investigation into allegations that have been made. Hilary has already begun work and wants to proceed quickly in order to minimise the period of uncertainty for all concerned.
In light of this announcement, the trustees have asked Peter Dray to take on the role of Interim Executive Director of UCCF. Peter has been UCCF’s Director of Creative Evangelism for many years, developing CU ministry and serving on the UCCF Executive Committee. Please pray for Peter as he leads UCCF, and for all Staff and Relay as they continue to support and equip CUs in reaching students with the good news of Jesus Christ this term.
Peter has now established an interim leadership team consisting of experienced staff who are actively working together to ensure the ministry continues strongly during this time. The Trust Board has full confidence in this team and in the arrangements that Pete has put in place.
On 22 December the Trust Board of UCCF took the decision to commence a formal investigation into various allegations.
After careful consideration the board concluded it was appropriate and would assist with the integrity of the investigation to suspend two staff members, Richard Cunningham (National Director) and Tim Rudge (Field Director), whilst a formal independent investigation is undertaken to establish the facts.
Our intention is to appoint legal counsel with expertise in employment and workplace practices to run the investigation. For the avoidance of doubt the allegations do not relate to matters of sexual misconduct.
Suspension is a normal practice in such circumstances and is not any indication of guilt. It is an important and biblical principle not to prejudge the outcome of any process.
We will provide a further update once the investigator is appointed and the remit has been formalised. Details of the scope and how the investigation will be run will be provided at that time.
Please keep the ministry and staff of UCCF in your prayers at this time.
Chris Willmott (Chair)
On behalf of the UCCF board of trustees
The trustees of UCCF are:
The Trust board can be contacted via uccftb@gmail.com.
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