Stop!

‘My colleague is bullying vulnerable tenants’ I do voluntary work in a housing association care home for adults with learning disabilities. On Tuesday, while passing the room of one tenant, Ali, I heard him sobbing and pleading to have his pictures back. I then saw Peter, an agency worker, waving Ali’s family photographs out of his reach. Peter laughed when he saw me and said it was just a game that Ali liked to play. I felt very uncomfortable, but just smiled and walked away. I feel Ali was clearly distressed and believe I should say something, but don’t know to whom. Perhaps I should talk to Peter first in case I’ve got it wrong.

What to do

Any service registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection or in receipt of Supporting People funding is required to have a whistleblowing policy. You should be able to find the policy on your organisation’s website or intranet, or staff handbook.

Failing this, ask someone in HR or an internal audit officer for a copy of the policy in confidence. This will outline to whom you should report your concern, normally a line manager.

You don’t have to be a paid employee to raise the alarm. The best whistleblowing policies allow any person involved with the life of the client, including paid or unpaid workers, other professionals, service users or family, to report worries. Similarly, any person or organisation believed to be acting inappropriately may be reported.

When you have reported the bullying to the relevant person, they must assess the situation and the impact on Ali. If there is evidence of significant harm or serious exploitation, they should refer the matter to CSCI and the Social Services Adult Protection department. They should also contact an appropriate manager within the agency employing Peter so they can follow their own whistleblowing protocol. With regard to feedback, I’d expect a policy to say it will give you a clear idea of what is happening and when you can expect feedback, although you might not be told exactly what disciplinary action has been taken for reasons of confidentiality.

Do not approach the alleged perpetrator yourself. While it is understandable that you don’t want to make false allegations, if your suspicions are correct, Peter could seek to cover his tracks, which might include threatening Ali to keep him quiet.

‘I’m worried someone is being abused’

As a local authority maintenance officer, I’ve recently made several visits to a mother and her adult daughter to discuss ongoing repairs. On each visit the daughter, Mary, has lost her temper with her mother and this last time I thought she was going to hit her. I can understand Mary’s frustration, as her mother has dementia and keeps repeating things. I’m not sure it’s really my job to report this and, besides, the neighbours have complained to the housing officer about the shouting, so this will probably trigger some action.

What to do

Everyone has a duty to speak up if they suspect that a vulnerable adult is being abused. Never assume someone else will act. The housing officer may simply treat this as another complaint about noise. Write a clear record of what you witnessed on each visit as soon as possible while your memory of the facts is still fresh. Then report your concern to your manager, who will without delay need to make a referral to the social services staff responsible for adult protection. If alerted at an early stage, social services can step in to offer the help and assistance a person needs to carry on in their caring role. Unchecked, the pattern of domestic violence is often not only one of repetition but also of escalation.

Everyone has a duty to speak up if they suspect someone vulnerable is being abused

Remember: the earlier you speak up the easier it is for appropriate action to be taken. I recently gave training to someone who described being in a similar situation to this. While those involved wondered if they should say something, the situation ended in the tragic murder of an elderly person.

‘A councillor wants a family favour’

I work as an allocations officer within a local authority. One of the councillors has been putting increasing pressure on me to move his uncle to the top of the allocations list. We have a shortage of properties available, and some people have been waiting for years to get a suitable place to live, but this councillor won’t take “no” for an answer. Where can I get advice on what to do?

What to do

In this situation, the councillor will clearly be in breach of council policies and procedures and other guidance, such as the National Code of Local Government Conduct. The first step would be for you to explain to the councillor that you are more than happy to examine his uncle’s current position and keep him advised of progress (with his uncle’s permission), but that the allocations policy determines how people are prioritised and your duty is to work within its parameters.

If you speak to the councillor without success, it could be appropriate for a more senior officer, even the chief executive, to speak to him.

Keep a written record of the occasions when you have been put under pressure.

Writing down what has happened at the earliest opportunity ensures the essential information will be remembered if an investigation is required. A detailed, accurate account could also help to protect your reputation if it is called into question.

You should obtain a copy of the council’s whistleblowing policy. This should include details of internal officers who can be approached. You could also approach Public Concern at Work, a charity that promotes good whistleblowing practice, for free confidential advice. Contact helpline@pcaw.co.uk or telephone 020 7404 6609. Trade unions and professional bodies can also offer support and accompany you should to meetings with your employer if there is an investigation.

‘I think I’ve spotted an expenses fiddle’

In one case of abuse, everyone wondered if they should say something.
It ended in tragedy

I am a newly appointed housing association finance assistant. My manager has instructed me to process cheques for several unauthorised expenses claims. When I queried this he said he’d had the OK from the relevant staff member’s line manager. On checking the file I noticed that this had happened before, always involving the same staff and with some large sums involved. I’m very nervous about reporting my boss. I heard about someone who lost their job for blowing the whistle.

What to do

Because it’s not appropriate to speak to your immediate line manager, you need to work out who to raise your concerns with. Your whistleblowing policy should make this clear, but if you work for a large organisation, the best person may be the director of finance or the chief executive. If your organisation is smaller, and you suspect corruption goes right to the top, you may have to speak to a board member. Alternatively, you could ask Public Concern at Work (details above) or performance audit staff at the Housing Corporation for advice or, in the case of fraud, speak to an internal audit partner or external auditors. Even if you’re not 100% sure you’re right to report the concern, in the light of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 your whistleblowing policy should state no action should be taken against you as long as you’ve acted in good faith and you have a “reasonable” belief thatthe perpetrator is committing an offence.

Your employer has a duty to protect you from criticism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, disciplinary action or dismissal and should strive to protect your identity. It should be possible for an internal auditor to obtain evidence discreetly without needing to blow your cover. If your employer needs you to go public, for example to give evidence in a disciplinary hearing, they should discuss this with you first.

‘I reported it – but nothing happened’

What can I do?

Your company’s whistleblowing policy should contain a commitment to act on your concerns and take them seriously. Where this hasn’t happened, or you are unhappy with a decision, the policy should describe the process for taking matters further. This will normally involve going to a more senior member of staff or board member.

If you have reported abuse to social services but they have taken no action, this can sometimes be the result of miscommunication. When you call, be clear that you are making a formal referral under the administering authority’s adult or child protection procedure and are not simply ringing for advice. Your authority may have standard referral forms that should be used. After the initial phone call, send the referral form by facsimile and provide contact details so they can invite you to follow-up meetings.

If you’ve got to make a referral, ensure you make it to the right person. Contact details on the administering authority’s written adult or child protection procedures or websites can be out of date. The lead manager for adult or child protection should be able to clarify whom you should contact in respect of the client group concerned. This same manager will often be the best person to discuss concerns with if a referral hasn’t received the appropriate attention.