Basic course confidential advisor (four day course)

Due to changes at the end of 2023, regarding a national exam in Dutch, we are temporarily unable to offer this course.

Certified by the Dutch Association for confidential advisors (LVvV).

This four day course will be organized in Amsterdam. In some cases one day (the third or fourth) will be given online.

The Working Conditions Act (‘Arbeidsomstandighedenwet’) obliges organisations to implement a policy to prevent or limit psychosocial workload as much as possible. The employer must protect employees against the consequences of sexual harassment, bullying, aggression, discrimination and work pressure. In addition, pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Act (‘Wet Bescherming Klokkenluiders’), in most cases the employer must have a scheme in place for reporting wrongdoing, such as fraud. One requirement is that employees can go to a confidential desk to discuss abuses they have observed.

A confidential counsellor can make an important contribution in both areas of attention. Our basic course provides a solid foundation to successfully work in this role.

Relatively new is the interest in acting with integrity in a broader sense. More and more organisations are realising the added value of an explicitly formulated ‘organisation with integrity’. This shifts the focus from dealing with incidents to prevention. The confidential counsellor can also play a key role in this.

What does a confidant do, what are the authorisations, who can appeal to a confidant?

You will be provided an answer to these questions, and many more, during the Basic course. You will be introduced to both the theoretical and practical aspects. The programme is evidence-based, but also experience-based. Our trainers work as external confidential advisers on a daily basis and constantly link theory to real-life practical cases. During the training, attention is paid to social thinking about desirable and undesirable behaviour within work organisations.

Result

After following the basic course:

• You have the necessary knowledge and skills to work as a confidential adviser in practice, in both areas of undesirable behaviour and integrity.
• You are aware of the position, role, tasks and pitfalls of the confidential advisor.
• You are familiar with the relevant legal aspects with regard to both areas of interest.
• You have an idea of the current social force field around the topics of undesirable behaviour and integrity.
• You will be able to determine your role as a confidential adviser and draw the dividing line between undesirable behaviour, cooperation problems, employment law issues and integrity issues.
• You are familiar with the differences (and similarities) between the focus areas of ‘undesirable behaviour’ and ‘integrity’ and the associated differences in approach.
• The employees can contact you for a good and practical advice on undesirable behaviour and integrity issues and you have the skills to deal with these issues.
• You will be able to give a catchy presentation on the topics of social safety and integrity and the work of the confidential advisor.

Certification

Our course to become a confidential adviser is accredited by the National Association of Confidential Advisers. When you have successfully completed the four-day training, you will receive a certificate of participation. This allows you to register for a centrally administered written exam and an assessment. More information can be found here (for now, in Dutch only). After successful completion of both components, you can register as a registered confidential adviser with the National Association of Confidential Advisers. The costs of the exam, the assessment, the membership of the LVV and the registration are not included in the course.

Result after following a course study

• After completion, you will receive a certificate of participation, which you can use to register for the central exam and assessment. After successful completion, you can be registered by the LVV. The test and assessment are not yet offered in English. Certification is therefore not yet possible. It is expected that this will be organised in the second half of 2024, however, this is not in our hands. This does not alter the fact that the training itself can be offered.
• Mediatorsfederatie Nederland (MfN) (Mediators Federation Netherlands): PE recognition, 24 points on level 2