Protect is launching a campaign for new legislation to make whistleblowing protection for people the best in the world. Protect Chief Executive, Francesca West, said, “For some time now, we’ve been calling on the Government to review and extend the current legislation – the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) 1998, which does not provide sufficient … Read more
As latest figures from third sector regulator the Charity Commission reveal more people are coming forward to raise concerns, whistleblowing Protect say it’s a step in the right direction but still so much to be done to rebuild trust amongst the UK’s 166,000 charities and staff. Whistleblowing disclosures have doubled from 185 whistleblowing reports in … Read more
Our Better Regulator – Professional Bodies Roundtable took place today (September 23) at CISI (Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment) and was well attended by delegates from a diverse range of professional bodies. Rebecca Aston, Head of Professional Standards at CISI, opened the roundtable which was chaired by Protect’s Head of Policy, Andrew Pepper-Parsons, who … Read more
Protect are proud to partner with law firm Howard Kennedy to further the careers of two trainee solicitors who will be supporting whistleblowers. Senior Protect Adviser and trainee solicitor, Hari Raithatha, joins the employment team at Howard Kennedy for three months to complete his training, whilst Protect welcomes Diarra Brown, a second-year Howard Kennedy trainee … Read more
The Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) brought together experts from across the world to share best practice at its first annual conference in Glasgow this September. Delegates, including Protect, heard some amazing case studies of how civil society groups can support whistleblowers and address very serious concerns. The Government Accountancy Project (GAP) in the US supported doctors raising … Read more
Our Head of Policy Andrew Pepper-Parsons recently attended a panel debate on Culture and Conduct in Financial Services – SMR, Working Practices and Emerging Cultural Concerns held by the Westminister Business Forum. Andy spoke about the challenge of embedding a better whistleblowing or speak up culture within the financial sector. He explained to delegates that … Read more
As recent law graduates kick-starting our legal careers at Protect , the first few weeks has certainly been an eye-opening experience – we have learnt a lot in our first month on the job! Although we had of course heard of whistleblowing, largely through shocking media news stories, within days of training on the Protect … Read more
In a bid to transform and improve the whistleblowing and speak up culture of charities, Protect is reaching out to offer its help and expertise in a pilot it hopes will transform the sector. In June, Protect partnered with the Charity Commission to launch a six-month advice line for whistleblowers working in the charity sector, … Read more
An interesting recent case at the Employment Tribunal (Bilsbrough v Berry Marketing Ltd) looked at victimising of a potential whistleblower. In this case, Mr Bilsbrough, a client service executive, had been researching how to blow the whistle to the Information Commissioner, and was suspended. A strict interpretation of the law might suggest he was not … Read more
New guidance by the Law Society on NDAs – Non-disclosure agreements – has recommended Protect as an advice centre for whistleblowers as ‘whistleblowing law is complicated’. NDAs, sometimes called a confidentiality clause, or gagging clause, allows the employer and worker to resolve a dispute confidentially without going to a tribunal or court. An individual may … Read more
