Blowing the whistle on abuse

Whistleblowing – speaking out about wrongdoing in the workplace – can help support regulations to safeguard care service users, particularly vulnerable adults. Care staff play an important role in reporting abuse, says the Ann Craft Trust. Director Deborah Kitson looks at how managers can create an environment where whistleblowing is positively encouraged.

In response to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, most employers have developed whistleblowing policies to enable workers to raise concerns. However, little is known about how whistleblowing legislation interacts with adult protection procedures, nor whether it is succeeding in protecting staff and the people with learning disabilities they work with.

Blowing the whistle can help protect adults with learning disabilities from abuse but doing so can have a profound impact on the whistleblower and on wider relationships within a care setting.

Policy issues

The way in which whistleblowing incidents are perceived and managed in the workplace makes a huge difference to the experience of care staff. Support, protection and feedback for the whistleblower are crucial. Almost all care providers now have whistleblowing policies to allow staff to raise concerns, but the implementation of these policies varies widely. And whistleblowing is sometimes regarded negatively, so people may be reluctant to identify themselves as a whistleblower and therefore may not access the protection and support offered by a whistleblowing policy.

An Ann Craft Trust research study makes a number of recommendations about implementing an effective whistleblowing policy, supporting staff who blow the whistle and building a positive and open culture.

Changes in organisational culture are often necessary so that workers can speak out without fear of reprisal and feel confident that their concerns will be listened to. Whistleblowing policies need to make whistleblowers fully aware of the potential effects of when a concern becomes ‘formal’. Explicit detail is needed on what the process will entail and what support, safeguards and feedback whistleblowers can expect once they have spoken out.

The policy needs to cross-reference to adult protection policies and to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, and should include a clear statement of the circumstances under which it is acceptable to share confidential information in order to report abuse. A clear distinction needs to be made between whistleblowing, complaints and grievances, and alternative procedures offered for the latter two categories.

Sources of support

Workers need information on sources of advice and support before reporting their concerns, particularly if they are not comfortable with discussing these concerns with their line manager, or have already done so but received no satisfactory response.

Managers and other people who receive whistleblowing reports need to have knowledge of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 to ensure that a worker who has blown the whistle in good faith does not suffer detrimental treatment.

Good practice

Whistleblowing needs to become integrated into wider philosophies of good practice and codes of conduct in care. Poor practice must be challenged and addressed before becoming entrenched and escalating into more severe forms of abuse. Managers and senior staff play a key role in fostering an open culture that encourages everyone to question and discuss care practices through regular supervision and team meetings.

Social care workers have an ethical and professional duty to speak out about abuse and poor practice in the workplace and, under current legislation, employers have a duty to support and protect staff when they raise genuine concerns.

The Ann Craft Trust study confirmed that whistleblowing is a vital part of protecting vulnerable adults but it continues to be an emotive and difficult issue. Implementing policies and procedures is only part of the solution. Safe services can only be developed where the organisational climate is such that workers can speak out without fear of reprisal and where they have the confidence that their concerns will be listened to.

Further information

The Ann Craft Trust aims to safeguard vulnerable people. In 2005 it published the research report Blowing the whistle on abuse of adults with learning disabilities, looking at the importance of whistleblowing in social care settings. Find out more at www.anncrafttrust.org

For advice on compliance with safeguarding regulations, visit the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s website at www.isa-gov.org

BSI British Standards and the independent body Public Concern at Work have just published new guidance to reduce confusion about an organisation’s whistleblowing arrangements. PAS 1998:2008 Whistleblowing arrangements – Code of Practice can be downloaded from www.pcaw.co.uk/bsi or www.bsigroup.com/PAS1998