Crest Advisory is working with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to conduct research into the handling of misconduct in fire and rescue services in England.
As part of the research, Crest Advisory want to hear from both current and former staff members of all 44 fire and rescue services in England who have experienced misconduct while in service. The goal is to better understand misconduct within fire and rescue services, so processes and policies can be strengthened and improved.
Current members of staff
Staff currently working in a fire and rescue in England will be invited to take part in a survey to capture their experiences of the misconduct process, by their service liaison officer.
Former members of staff
Former members of staff who have left the service in the last five years are also being given the opportunity to share their experiences in an online interview with Crest Advisory’s specialist team. Anyone wishing to register their interest in being interviewed should complete the questionnaire linked below.
Experiences of current staff members will also be captured through the fieldwork that HMICFRS are conducting with selected services. Anyone can also submit information through the HMICFRS independent reporting line.
The findings of the research will contribute to the evidence base of the inspection on misconduct within fire and rescue services, which will be reported on by HMICFRS.
FAQs
What is misconduct?
This research will define misconduct as any unacceptable or inappropriate behaviour or acts that breaks workplace rules. This includes bullying, harassment, insubordination and being absent without permission and can include behaviour outside of work that can have a bad effect on the organisation.
Confidentiality, anonymity, and safeguarding
Participants are welcome to share as little or as much as they like. Information shared will typically remain confidential, unless there are safeguarding or criminal issues raised that require Crest Advisory to share this information with a third party (e.g. the police).
Reporting of data obtained via the survey, questionnaire and interviews will be anonymised/pseudonymised, meaning there will be no risk of identification of individuals. Potential participants will be provided with full details on the limitations of confidentiality and on how their data will be handled as part of the participant information sheet and privacy notice provided when gaining informed consent to take part in the survey, questionnaire or interviews.
Support
As some of the issues that will be raised in the research will be of a potentially difficult and sensitive nature, dedicated post-interview support will be arranged where needed. All participants will be provided with information signposting support organisations and advice.
Background
In July 2023, Home Secretary Rt. Hon. Suella Braverman KC MP commissioned HMICFRS to carry out an inspection of the handling of misconduct in fire and
rescue services in England. The inspection’s terms of reference can be found here.
For further information, or any queries related to the research, the Crest Advisory team can be contacted by email at [email protected]. Alternatively, more information can be found on their website.