To be outraged they got sacked for this?

[Publicsectorsucks]

Relative working in public sector on temp contract. This particular job involved working with vulnerable people but I won't go into specifics in case outing.

They began working more with a permanent colleague who'd been there for many years but observed some concerning behaviours from said colleague and had safeguarding concerns.

These concerns were shared by other colleagues, although no one had raised the issue with leadership or seemed to want to do so.

My relative decided (perhaps naively) to raise concerns with leadership themselves and had a meeting to discuss.

Long story short, relative got labelled as a trouble making and as a temp worker was easy to sack and now lost job. The other colleagues who apparently shared these concerns were all comiserating with relative afterwards yet they managed to keep themselves out of firing line.

The whole situation has my blood boiling. To get sacked for raising safeguarding concerns about vulnerable people and cast off as a troublemaker? Perhaps they went about it in wrong way but intentions were noble and other colleagues felt the same.

is this what they do in certain sections of public sector when someone tries to call out an issue? Maybe I'm generalising too much but if this sort of thing was raised to HR in my private sector job, I can't imagine anyone getting sack.

YABU - it's not a public sector issue/ relative was naive to wade in

YANBU - terrible way to treat employee with legitimate concerns

Similar experience with local authority.

I've reported safeguarding concerns of institutional abuse (failing to safeguard peer to peer concerns).

The concerns were put to the manager and senior, and there was adequate risk assessment/plans in place.

I later made another referral, and was told that it had been dealt with. The risk assessment/plans had not been put in place.

I left, and later heard that there had been increasingly serious incidents, which were then addressed.

It depends on the individual manager, and the team dynamics - a lot of friendships/relationships within the teams. And a lack of being able to reflect on practice.

Maybe the relative should go to Panorama, as that will be effective.

@Publicsectorsucks
A centre for disabled people took in Students on very short term contracts ..Live in.

Similar thing.
Some serious concerns were raised {Which horrify me still} the students mentioned it to the boss... and they were roundly dismissed.

The students were told they shouldn't ''Make up stories towards a valued and permanent member of staff..Or else.

It was just awful.

The 'Carer' took a vulnerable, non verbal young resident into his bedroom in a Wheelchair.
Young person couldn't even use a ''Spelling board'' to say what was wrong, or communicate.

DO speak out.

This sort of thing is rife. You must be very naive to think it's unlikely to be true!

@Publicsectorsucks I have often thought of the incidents that were concerning that were brushed under the carpet.

People who literally has no voice or ability to fight back were so vulnerable to predation by certain people.

I have googled the place since, thankfully closed down, but the damage done to the residents..what about them?

Theoretically. I had to have a bitter laugh there as my whistleblowing was completely ignored.

Employers will always find a way around these things, if they have backing from senior management. Speaking from bitter experience.

As their job has already gone, your relative has nothing left to lose and should take this to the highest levels.

To those who believe public sector whistleblowers to be protected, I would urge caution.
From personal experience, in a number of local authorities, I have seen senior leaders pledge protection for whistleblowers before arranging for other staff members to make allegations against the whistleblower.
Anonymity is preserved for the people who make the later allegations, so the original whistleblower is left hanging without even knowing who has made allegations against them and 'accidental' delays can drag disciplinary processes on until the victim leaves of their own accord.
There is rarely a paper trail as verbal briefings take place behind closed doors.
If you need to pay rent or a mortgage, it is rarely advisable to make complaints publicly or privately.

She can also call the local safeguarding authority. Just google safeguarding + area and it should come up.

I'm with the others in the bitter laughter that Whistleblowers are ever protected in public services.

There is a massive difference between policy and action.

Anyone on here who genuinely thinks whistleblowers are protected must live in a bubblified box. As for anyone who thinks this kind of thing doesn't happen in the public sector, have you all been asleep during the coverage of the Met/Winterbourne View/countless NHS cases?

OP the local authority will have a safeguarding team for vulnerable adults (similar to children’s social services). As the organisation are not following Safeguarding procedures and there is abuse happening you need to report it to adult social services.

I whistle blew about 10 years ago with 3 other staff. Ended up the person I and my colleagues complained about got "protection" from us and eventually a huge pay out as she claimed we all racially abused her (even my colleague who was of the same ethnicity did apparently🙄). She and her cronies in management stuck together and we got no-where. The residents were moved and we were all sent to other places.

I contacted Social Services/safeguarding and was assured what I said was confidential. Within a couple of hours my area manager was on the phone to me with what I had told Social Services.

Protection for whistle blowers doesnt exist in reality.

Yes, over 30 years ago I stood up to the organisation in support of two colleagues who were unfairly treated. My career was ruined as a result.

I learned the hard way that you will never win against senior management. I've kept my counsel to myself ever since, but my card was marked, even all these years later.

Definitely do this.

Yes, please do raise as a safeguarding alert.
But I worked for Adult Social Care, as a senior social worker-and I was finished after whistleblowing.
But I would do exactly the same again, except I would go to the national press, in a heartbeat.

Good for them 👍

☝️This!

Supposedly, but there is case after case of people getting bullied, ostracised and sacked in health and social care roles after raising concerns.

I heard about a pharmacist who was about to get struck off after raising concerns. Instead of the hospital dealing with the issues, it tried to cover them up and made up lies about the pharmacist. It beggars belief really. They only backed down and withdrew the allegations when a law firm got involved.

I suspected this to be the case @lieselotte.

Another one who whistleblew and got sacked. Obviously got sacked for "poor performance" (totally fabricated and they didn't even follow their own performance management or inform HR before sacking me) and nothing at all to do with the major safeguarding issue I tried to report.
Whistleblower protection is a total joke designed to make naive people think we can help the vulnerable when they need it. If management wants you out to maintain the status quo they'll invent a reason, just the same as they will manage you out if you're pregnant or disabled and they want someone who is neither of these things.

In the future - don't go to raise concerns to the management and don't tell colleagues. Gather evidence undercover. As much as you can. Then raise concerns. You need to have a "folder" ready to go elsewhere - that's where the protection is.