A new whistleblowing helpline has been launched by the Hone Office to enable staff to report child protection failures.
The helpline will be run by the NSPCC and will handle calls and emails from workers afraid to raise concerns with their own employer or that feel their employer is not dealing with concerns about child abuse effectively enough.
Minister for preventing abuse, exploitation and crime, Karen Bradley, said: ‘Some employers are making great strides in strengthening whistleblowing processes. But more can be done to encourage employees to report malpractice without fear of victimisation - particularly in relation to children where the cost of failure is so high.
‘No one should be afraid to report concerns about failures in child protection.’ Employees will be legally protected from any future workplace discrimination arising as a result of their concerns, and the new service will also help highlight patterns of failure across the country.
NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: ‘Too often people with concerns have kept silent because they have been fearful of the consequences for their jobs, and this can have devastating consequences for the children involved.
‘A feature of the child abuse scandals of recent years has been people who said they thought something wasn’t right but were unsure whether they could discuss their concerns confidentially outside their organisation.’
To contact the NSPCC call 0800 028 0285 or email help@nspcc.org.uk
