Adjudicator in the Liberal Democrats Complaints System

Job Title: Adjudicator in the Liberal Democrats Complaints System
Remuneration: This is a volunteer role.
Time commitment: Variable, but with an expected minimum of 3-5 hours a month
Location: This role is normally carried out through remote working, via zoom meetings
Closing date: 5 pm November 25th 2024
 

This role is only open to current members of the Liberal Democrats. Holders of some offices within the party are not eligible for the role. Please see the full role description for a full list of exclusions.
 

It is recommended that you read the full job description before applying for this role.
For questions and further details, and to submit an application, please contact: DSG@libdems.org.uk
 

You are very welcome to get in touch before making an application if you wish to understand more about the role. We can put you in touch with someone with experience of the role to discuss your potential application if you would like.
 

Please apply by email attaching:

• Full name, membership number and local party
• Email address
• Phone number
• Summary of your relevant experience and skills, which need not necessarily be with the Liberal Democrats
• Other roles held within the party (current and past) or related to the party

• Brief details showing previous involvement in any complaints in the party as a) complainant and b) respondent, together with the outcomes (dismissed or upheld).
   

  Further information may be requested by the DSG at a later point in the process

• 200 words statement saying why you would make a good adjudicator

• A completed diversity monitoring form
   

  Following receipt of an application the Disciplinary Sub-Group will search for publicly available information about the applicants. 

  They may also ask the applicant
  a) To attend a virtual interview;
  b) To provide examples demonstrating their expertise, skills or experience;
  c) For the name of a referee who is a current party member;
  d) To consent to further due diligence, such as a social media check.

Applicants are encouraged to inform us if any reasonable adjustments are needed to be made during any part of the recruitment process.

Job Description: Adjudicator

The Role

An adjudicator is a volunteer trained to consider complaints about individuals who are member of the Liberal Democrats which are submitted through the party’s Complaints system. Adjudicators make decisions whether to uphold complaints or not, and where a complaint is upheld, they determine the sanction that will be applied.
 

Adjudicators do not act alone. They sit on panels made up of 3 adjudicators brought together to consider each case individually. Cases may be determined on written evidence or through hearings. An adjudicator may also sit on an appeals panel, where a complainant or respondent has asked for the decision to be reviewed. No adjudicator will take part in an appeal where they were part of the initial panel that made the decision.
 

The administrative work of setting up a panel is carried out by Standards Office staff, at the request of the Senior Adjudicator Team (SAT), which consists of the Lead Adjudicator, who has overall responsibility for complaints, and 3 adjudicators representing the 3 state parties.
 

There is a separate appointments process for the SAT roles.
 

For each panel, one adjudicator will be nominated as the chair, and it is their responsibility to ensure that the panel runs smoothly, the process is correctly followed and the decision communicated back to the Standards Office.
 

Adjudicators may in addition be asked to act as investigators, to obtain further information if required by a panel, or as process mentors, to provide assistance to complainants or respondents on the operation of the Complaints process.
 

At full strength the adjudicator team consists of 40 people.
 

The time commitment for this role can vary according to the availability and flexibility of adjudicators. Approximately 20 – 25 panels are held each quarter, which means an average commitment of 1 – 2 panels per month per adjudicator. A panel hearing can be quite short or may last several hours.
 

What makes a good adjudicator?
 

The main qualities that are needed are:

• The ability to make decisions based on the evidence in front of you, and to exclude irrelevant information. This includes being able to recognise the difference between allegations which are supported by independently verifiable factual evidence and those which are not. This also requires the ability to recognise when there is insufficient evidence provided to enable a decision to be made.
• The ability to be impartial and fair. This includes ensuring that both sides in a complaint have equal access to information and equal opportunities to present their case. It also means remaining calm in what may be upsetting or challenging hearings, and not expressing support for one side or the other, or allowing your own views on issues to prejudice your judgement.
• The ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality throughout the complaint process. This includes not disclosing the details of the case to people outside it. It also involves not disclosing the details of panel discussions.
• Organisational skills. This includes the ability to plan ahead and commit to hearing dates; responding to emails and calls about hearings in a timely manner; allowing sufficient time for reading papers to prepare for hearings; and the ability to follow process, so that the hearings are conducted properly and the outcome is properly recorded and communicated.

• Experience in similar systems, such as work or council disciplinary or grievance processes, legal training, or experience as a school governor dealing with exclusions, may be helpful, but is not compulsory.
   

  Who CAN’T be an adjudicator?
   

  Only current members of the Liberal Democrats can be adjudicators.
   

  The Complaints system is independent of the executive functions of the party. Therefore people who hold the following positions are not eligible to be adjudicators:

• Members of the Federal Board, Federal Council, Federal Finance & Resources Committee (FFRC), Federal People Development Committee (FPDC), Federal Communications & Elections Committee (FCEC), or Federal Audit; Scrutiny Committee (FASC)
• Members of the Executive of any of the English, Scottish and Welsh state parties
• Officers of the Executive of an English Regional Party (other members of the Executive are eligible)
• Being a current or past complainant or a respondent in a complaint within the Lib Dems would not lead to automatic refusal to appoint. Anyone in that position should disclose the full details of the complaint(s) involved and their outcome (if completed), so that the Disciplinary Sub-Group can take the circumstances into consideration appropriately.

• Similarly, applicants should disclose involvement in complaints at work or in a council, tribunals, court cases etc. Again, this is so that the Disciplinary Sub-Group can take the circumstances into consideration appropriately.
   

  Training
   

  It is important that people understand how the Complaints System operates before applying. Therefore adjudicators are expected to be familiar with the Complaints process in full. This can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/complaints-procedure
   

  On joining the team, new adjudicators will have a session with the Lead Adjudicator/SAT members to explain how the role of adjudicator works in practice, and will have an
  opportunity to ask questions.
   

  From time to time surgeries may be held for adjudicators to discuss any operational issues on which they need guidance.
   

  As dealing with cases involves having access to considerable amounts of sensitive personal data, adjudicators are expected to have read the written guidance on data protection
  available on the party’s website at www.libdems.org.uk/members/compliance-data-protection in particular the items under Data Security and Data Breaches and UK GDPR.
   

  Because of the nature of complaints, adjudicators may also find the guidance on Libel and Defamation helpful.
   

  There is also an explanatory video on recent changes to the Complaints system which all new adjudicators are expected to view, which can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/complaints-procedure/proposed-changes
   

  Further written guidance on conducting hearings, the role of chair, and writing decision notices is currently being prepared. Some bite-sized training sessions to accompany this written guidance are likely to be ready to be offered from January 2025.