Training for HR and managers
Whistleblowing Management
Most HR professionals have investigated grievances and disciplinaries for years, but have never actually had to investigate a protected disclosure. The two are not the same. Whistleblowing management is a distinct discipline, with its own legal framework, its own risks, and its own required approach.
Or call us on 01709 460500The clock is already running
It has been … days since sexual harassment became a protected disclosure.
Is your organisation ready to handle one?
The legal definition
What is a protected disclosure?
A protected disclosure is a qualifying disclosure made by a worker who reasonably believes it is in the public interest, and that it tends to show one of the following: a criminal offence, a failure to comply with a legal obligation, a miscarriage of justice, a danger to the health or safety of any individual, damage to the environment, or the deliberate concealing of any of these. It is governed by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which sits within the Employment Rights Act 1996. Since 6 April 2026, disclosures about sexual harassment can also qualify.
A grievance is usually about something affecting the individual raising it. A protected disclosure is different. It is raised in the public interest and concerns wrongdoing, not a personal complaint. That distinction changes how it must be handled from the first conversation onward.
The stakes are real. Workers are protected from dismissal and detriment for making a protected disclosure, and compensation for whistleblowing dismissal is uncapped. Get the handling wrong and the legal exposure sits alongside serious reputational risk.
What it covers
The arc of a disclosure, from framework to aftercare.
Tailorable to the audience in the room, from first-time exposure to experienced practice.
Understanding the legal framework
What qualifies as a protected disclosure, PIDA and the Employment Rights Act, and the April 2026 change bringing sexual harassment into scope.
A disclosure versus a grievance
How a protected disclosure differs from a grievance, and why it must be handled differently.
Spotting the moment it changes
Recognising when a complaint or grievance becomes a protected disclosure. A key, easily missed judgement point.
Receiving a disclosure
Receiving and managing a disclosure with a trauma-informed approach.
Protecting the whistleblower
Protecting the whistleblower from detriment and victimisation, and the organisation’s legal duty to do so.
Confidentiality and anonymity
What each one actually means, and why the difference matters in practice.
Record keeping and note taking
Documentation that stands up to scrutiny if a case is ever challenged.
Investigating the substance
Investigating the substance of a disclosure fairly and defensibly.
Supporting wellbeing
Supporting the wellbeing of the person who has raised the concern.
Who it’s for
HR professionals, and any manager.
Content is tailored to suit the audience’s level of competency. Even experienced HR professionals will likely never have handled a protected disclosure. This course fills a genuine gap, not a theoretical one.
Delivery and format
A focused half day, delivered live, always.
Half a day, well spent
Focused enough to protect people's time, thorough enough to change how they respond.
Facilitator-led, always
Discussion-based and scenario-led, rooted in the neuroscience of learning.
Rooted in the neuroscience of learning
Built around how adults actually retain and apply new understanding, not just how they sit through a session.
Delivered your way
Face-to-face at your premises, live virtual via MS Teams or Zoom, or as a public, open-enrolment course. Tailored to your organisation and your audience's competency level.
Included, at no extra cost
Evidence of learning, not just a certificate of attendance.
Pre- and post-delivery impact assessments
Measuring the shift in confidence and understanding this course creates.
A full Learning Solution Impact Report
Statistical evidence of what changed, included free of charge.
Why work with us
Delivered by a genuine specialist, not a generalist trainer.
- A trauma-informed practitioner, trained by Victim Focus, a leading CPD-accredited UK provider.
- Supervision-trained by the British Psychological Society.
- CIPD qualified at Level 7 in Human Resource Management.
- Mental Health First Aid and IOSH Managing Safely trained.
- Elements of this learning have been delivered to over 30,000 professionals, including police and social workers, as part of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategies.
- Experience delivering training in Ofsted-regulated environments.
Expert, specialist training doesn’t have to cost the earth.
This course works out from as little as £150 per attendee, and includes pre- and post-delivery impact assessments and a full Learning Solution Impact Report at no extra cost. Every engagement is tailored to your organisation, so the right way to find your number is a quick conversation.
Get in touch
Enquire about this course
Tell us about your organisation and we will come back to you within one working day.
Make sure the next disclosure lands with someone who knows what to do.
Book a call, send us an email, or pick up the phone. There is no obligation, and no sales script.