Francesca West is standing down as Chief Executive of whistleblowing charity Protect after 12 years to spend more time with her young family. Joining the charity as an adviser in 2007, she has held posts as Legal Officer, Director of Policy as well as Deputy Chief Executive, before becoming Chief Executive in 2017. Protect Chairman, … Read more
The Supreme Court has ruled a Royal Mail employee was unfairly dismissed for blowing the whistle, not for the alleged poor performance – based on false information – that the company’s HR department suggested was the reason for her dismissal. The landmark judgment extends the scope of whistleblower protection and suggests that employers will need … Read more
Our legal officer, Elizabeth Gardiner, joined a discussion on Non Disclosure Agreements at The Lawyer’s conference on Managing Risk and Litgation in November. Protect shared the panel with the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority and lawyers who advise employers concerns about the misuse of NDAs had been brought to light by the #Metoo campaign and the Parliamentary … Read more
Protect Chief Executive Francesca West said, “The leaked report into the maternity failings at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust are deeply upsetting and shocking. Our immediate concerns go out to all the families affected. What is very hard to comprehend is the sheer scale and length of time very serious issues have been able to … Read more
Protect attended the recent annual Impress 2019 conference. The conference looked at the challenges facing the news industry and how the public consumes news, with information flying at them from countless directions and what information can be trusted. Our Business Support Executive Sukhbir Singh attended a panel debate, ‘Who Cares About Public Interest News?’ with … Read more
Protect Chief Executive Francesca West will be leading the panel debate ‘Creating cultures that support speaking up and listening up’ at the 5th Annual Culture and Conduct Forum for the Financial Services Industry, held on 14 November in central London. The 5th Culture and Conduct conference focuses on exploring the role of ’purpose’ in creating … Read more
If you attended our panel debate and round table ‘Safeguarding & Whistleblowing in the third sector’ on October 24th – thank you for coming – we hope you agree it was an interesting and insightful morning. We are sending you this reminder that you are still eligible to take part in our third sector Benchmark … Read more
Protect Chief Executive Francesca West will join Oxfam whistleblower Helen Evans at the Marketing Society’s global ‘Bravest Conference’ celebrating strong, brave leadership. Until 2015, Helen was Global Head of Safeguarding at Oxfam GB. In 2018 she spoke publicly about sexual exploitation and abuse at Oxfam GB, precipitating a government inquiry and Charity Commission investigation. Taking … Read more
The Supreme Court has handed down a judgment today (October 16) which confirms judges are protected under whistleblowing provisions under the Employment Rights Act 1996, following a case brought by District Judge Claire Gilham. District Judge, Claire Gilham, raised concerns in 2013 about the stresses and dangers faced by those working in the courts and … Read more
