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Protect – Speak up stop harm
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Free, confidential whistleblowing advice
Call us on 020 3117 2520 or email us

Whistleblowers get reassurance against furlough fraud prosecutions

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We are pleased to see the Government give reassurance to whistleblowers raising concerns about Furlough Fraud.  Neither the proposed powers (in the Finance Bill) to recover money paid illegally through the scheme (formally called the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) nor fraud charges will be levelled at those who raise these concerns. Background Furlough fraud makes … Read more

Covid-19 exposing good and bad whistleblowing practice in the retail sector

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Covid-19 is exposing good and bad practice when it comes to sectors who put employee welfare first and foremost. Unsurprisingly, retail is not leading the way, as highlighted by the quite shocking reports of working conditions of Boohoo suppliers in Leicester. As the UK’s whistleblowing charity, we advise workers from all sectors. At the start … Read more

Whistleblower Reward Schemes: Who Really Benefits?

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In March of this year, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the creation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (‘CJRS’). Protect’s Advice Line rapidly saw a spike in reports of “furlough fraud”, and, at the time of writing, handling nearly 300 calls with HMRC receiving 4,500 reports of fraud from whistleblowers[1]. This level … Read more

Mind the Gap: Have Whistleblowing Rules Improved culture within the financial sector?

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Protect with the support of Slater & Gordon Lawyers has launched Silence in the City 2 (SITC2 2020), a new report examining whether whistleblowing culture within financial services organisations has improved following the introduction of Whistleblowing Rules by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This blog will examine what employers can learn from the research. Background: … Read more

Whistleblowers protect public services, says government fraud report

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Local government procurement is big business, and in England alone costs the taxpayer £55 billion a year[1]. Even more staggering is the amount lost to fraud each year which is estimated to be between £275 million and £2.75 billion[2]. A recent report by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government Department, in line with … Read more

Protect says ‘Time To Transform’ and calls for Third Sector whistleblowing rules

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Whistleblowing charity Protect is calling for the Charity Commission to introduce whistleblowing rules or regulations for the sector, following serious failings at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – which the watchdog has called ‘one of the worst examples of poor governance and oversight having a direct impact on vulnerable people’.

The Commission has issued an alert to all large complex charities about the importance of safeguarding processes, governance and whistleblowing following the inquiry into the RNIB. The failings led to repeated incidents where young people in its schools and residential homes were put at risk, or suffered harm and distress.

Protect Chief Executive Liz Gardiner said,

“We welcome the Charity Commission’s reminder to charities to ensure they have effective whistleblowing or speak up arrangements, and the emphasis on anti-retaliation measures towards whistleblowers.  However, asking charities to be ‘mindful of the issue’  may not be enough to really drive forward change.

The time has come to introduce whistleblowing rules in this sector.  Rules which can be enforced by the regulator will help guide charities on the standards expected of them in this area and hold those falling short to account.”

As we saw in our research into charity sector whistleblowing, Time To Transform,  there is more work needed in the Third Sector to prevent the victimisation of whistleblowers, and train staff in how to effectively act on concerns raised.”

#TimeToTransform

Protect seeks reassurance from HMRC whistleblowers reporting furlough fraud will not be penalised

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Protect is seeking reassurance from HMRC that whistleblowers who contact the tax authority over furlough fraud will not be faced with paying back their employers’ fraud, or face prosecution if their employer forces them to work while on the scheme. Calls to Protect’s Advice Line have seen record-high levels, with  more than 250 calls related … Read more

Silence in The City 2 research: 70% City finance workers who whistleblow ‘victimised, ignored or dismissed’

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Research by Protect – Silence in The City 2 –  into whistleblowers who work in finance in the City has found 70% who spoke up about workplace wrongdoing were victimised, ignored, dismissed, or felt forced to resign after whistleblowing. The research analyses the whistleblowing cases of 352 finance workers who called the Protect Advice Line … Read more

Will the pandemic improve care home whistleblowing culture?

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Protect’s Head of Policy, Andrew Pepper-Parsons features in the latest issue of Care Markets magazine, discussing how Covid-19 has affected the sector. Protect, the UK whistleblowing charity, helps whistleblowers safely raise concerns about wrongdoing, abuse or poor practice. We run an advice line where whistleblowers can call us for free confidential advice about how to … Read more