An independent investigation has cleared a charity’s former interim chief executive after complaints were made by staff around his social media conduct.

A group of staff at anti-poverty charity Toynbee Hall, who had organised themselves under a campaign group called Justice for Toynbee, raised concerns over the posts of former acting CEO Matt Dronfield.

Their concerns, which were passed to the Charity Commission, claimed there was a pattern of posts on Dronfield’s previously public Instagram account that “were not only unprofessional but directly undermined trust in the London based charity’s safeguarding culture”.

They said the posts “contained a pattern of posts that many described as sexually suggestive, culturally insensitive, and inappropriate for someone holding senior safeguarding responsibility”.

They also claimed the posts included the use of “sexual innuendo and emoji captions” and images of Dronfield “semi-nude, partially clothed, or in underwear, sometimes accompanied by charity branding or alongside references to Toynbee Hall and its services”.

The charity initiated an independent review, which has this week cleared Dronfield of wrongdoing.

“An independent investigation into the allegations made against acting chief executive Matt Dronfield has concluded, with none upheld and no evidence found to support the claims,” said Toynbee Hall's recently returned permanent chief executive Rebecca Sycamore.

She added: “Our focus remains on supporting people and communities when they need us most, and we’re deeply grateful to our team for their continued commitment.”

The Charity Commission issued guidance to the charity after receiving allegations from the staff members' campaign group.

In August the regulator said that “while we have not currently identified a further role for us at this time, if we receive any new concerns, we will assess these in line with our usual process”.

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