Whistleblowing Policy September 2024 - Legal Protection for Workers with Concerns at Work
In this section
- What is this about?
- What legal protection do I have?
- Will I be protected if I make a public disclosure?
- What support can I expect?
- What is the Council’s attitude to malpractice in the workplace?
- Who can blow the whistle?
- What can I blow the whistle about?
- How does the policy fit in with other Council policies?
- What if I am already involved in another HR procedure?
- How does this policy fit with the Members’ Code of Conduct?
- What if I want to make anonymous allegations?
- Is my identity kept confidential?
- How do I raise a concern?
- What happens after I have raised my concerns?
- How will we deal with your concerns?
- What happens if my concerns are not confirmed after an investigation?
- What happens if I am not happy with the Council’s response?
- Who is responsible for this policy?
- What happens to your ‘information’ and ‘personal data’?
- Appendices
Will I be protected if I make a public disclosure?
8. You are encouraged to raise your concerns via your line manager (para.33), the Council’s dedicated Whistleblowing Officers (para.33); a confidential mailbox (para.34), Senior Officers (para.35) or a recognised Trade Union Representative (para.36). You can also seek advice from prescribed organisations independent of the Council regarding your concerns (para.50). If you raise concerns to someone else other than those detailed within this procedure, e.g. to the local paper, depending on your disclosure and to whom it is made, you may not receive the legal protection as a ‘whistleblower’. You are therefore strongly advised to seek advice before taking this action.
9. If you do take the matter outside the Council, you should ensure that you do not disclose any confidential information, e.g., client case notes, given to you in confidence, unless you have consent in writing from the person to whom the information relates.