Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Require all departments to collate feedback from whistleblowers at the end of the process.
Conclusion
The Cabinet Office and other departments do not seek feedback from whistleblowers and so are missing vital insights into the effectiveness of the process. The ‘whistleblowing heath check’ guidance from the Cabinet Office suggests departments should gather feedback from individuals on whether their concerns have been handled responsibly, professionally and in a positive manner. Feedback can provide a valuable source of information on concerns raised and also provide a whistleblower’s perspective on whether the culture helps people feel safe to raise concerns. It can also help whistleblowers feel listened to and supported, and lead to improvements in the support offered to others. But we have seen no clear indications that any departments routinely seek feedback directly from whistleblowers. Some feedback can be given to departments through their Nominated Officers (senior members of staff who are nominated to receive and consider concerns), but it is not collected in a formal or systematic way for it to be informative and there are limitations with anonymous whistleblowers. By actively seeking feedback from whistleblowers they will feel listened to and more confident that their concerns are being treated seriously. It is up to the Cabinet Office and departments to collect feedback in a positive and constructive way, as suggested by their own guidance. Recommendation 4: In its Treasury Minute response, the Cabinet Office should commit to requiring all departments to collate feedback from whistleblowers at the end of the process. It should implement this immediately and use this information to better understand the whistleblower experience and make improvements.
Government Response Summary
The Cabinet Office will work with departments to develop methods, including an anonymised voluntary survey, to capture whistleblower experiences, including those who report anonymously, by the end of 2024. It will also ensure senior leaders oversee victimisation claims and promote a safe-to-challenge culture.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation: end 2024 The Cabinet Office will work with departmental leads to develop ways on how it can better capture whistleblowers' experiences, including whether they have experienced victimisation or harassment. The Cabinet Office will encourage the sharing of learning and good practice across departments. 4.3. The Cabinet Office will develop an anonymised feedback survey for whistleblowers to capture their experience, sharing learning across government. Providing feedback will be a voluntary measure to ensure that whistleblowers do not feel deterred from raising a concern. Consideration will be given to ensure that those who raise concerns anonymously can also provide feedback. This will help departments and the Cabinet Office understand better why anonymous whistleblowers use this route and explore ways to ensure whistleblowers have a safe experience. The Cabinet Office will continue to work with departmental leads to ensure that there is a senior leader in each organisation who oversees cases where whistleblowers raise subsequent concerns around victimisation or harassment to ensure follow-up actions are captured. The introduction of a civil service-wide whistleblowing champion (as per para 3.6) will help support a safe-to-challenge culture. The Cabinet Office will look at how any lessons learned can be shared, effectively and respectfully across government.