Ethics Committee 

Raising an Issue or Making a Complaint to the UB Ethics Committee

The UB Ethics Committee (EC) comprises of 5 elected, impartial, and trusted members of UB. They are charged with the responsibility of ensuring the ethical behaviour of UB members towards other UB Members and UB Member behaviour at UB events.

The EC mediates or investigates, issues, disputes, and complaints from UB members following the Principles of Natural Justice; First, are unbiased in respect of the matter before them. Second, provide those affected with the opportunity to be heard.

Issues and Complaints

First and foremost:

• As an adult, members should be trying to resolve any issue themselves, prior to asking the EC to assist in mediation and possible enforcement - unless of course, they feel unsafe.

• If a law has been broken, the advice (and assistance if needed) will be to see the Police – It is the Police role to address any broken laws, not the EC.

• Social media is an open and public forum. If you are having a problem online, please speak to the moderators of the site you are using, or if criminal activity is taking place, please speak with the Police – the EC may assist you with this process.

• If you are unsure about raising an issue, or whether making a complaint to the EC is appropriate or warranted, then you are welcome to informally talk or message one of the EC Members. You could also talk to a SIG Leader or a member of the Steering Committee.

Issues and Complaint Process:

1. If members do not feel they can talk to the Ethics Committee (EC), they can go to a SIG leader to help them speak to the EC or get help and support from a friend - (we know it can be very anxious to start the progress).

2. All issues/complaints must come through the EC email address to start the formal process; ubethicscommittee@gmail.com, - this is so the EC has oversight of any complaint and can follow up. This also helps with members possibly thinking they have reported a complaint when they have been speaking informally with an EC member.

3. The complaint email can be written by a friend or support person and should have:

   1. • Contact details

      • The date and occasion/event of the incident/issue

      • The name/s of UB Members and other people involved

      • A short description of the issue/incident

4. Upon receiving the email, the EC will come together in person or online to discuss the issue/ incident and how to move forward with it. If the EC agree that the issue/incident is appropriate for the EC to deal with, an action plan is developed, and EC members assigned to various tasks/roles. If the EC feel that the issue/incident does not warrant their intervention, then the EC will reply to the original complaint email advising this with reasons for traceability and future reference.

5. Usually, one or two members of the EC are tasked to have an initial meeting with the member who sent the email to gather further information. This meeting can be done on-line or in person somewhere they feel safe.
   Individuals are welcome to bring someone along to support them, as we know it can be hard going through this on their own.

6. Other individuals involved will be contacted by the EC and asked if they are happy to be talked to about the incident or issue, and if so, online, or in-person meetings with each individual and one or two EC Members will be held. All individuals may have a support person at their meeting with the EC.

7. Once individuals involved have been followed up, the EC will meet again to discuss an outcome and a way to move forward with the complaint or resolving the issue.

8. Once an outcome has been decided upon by the EC, the people involved in the complaint/issue will be advised of it along with the reasoning behind the decision.

9. The EC will reply to the original complaint email advising of the outcome for traceability and future reference.

10. The outcome will not be made public to the UB community, only to those directly involved in the complaint/issue.