Summary
The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 came into effect on 1 January 2023. This new legislation brought about significant changes for employers and workers in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. This training is specifically designed to assist companies in the correct handling of protected disclosures by reporters (sometimes referred to as “whistleblowers”) who have the benefit of enhanced protections under the new Act.
At the end of the programme participants will:
- Understand the key changes contained in the new legislation impacting their organisation
- Apply best practice and demonstrate compliance with the new Act
- Understand the new rules on how employers must respond to protected disclosures
- Know what changes will need to be made to existing whistleblowing policies
- Receive practical tips for managing and investigating protected disclosures in the workplace
- Appreciate the key differences between handling grievances and protected disclosures
- Fully understand the role and responsibilities of the Designated Person
This programme is for:
HR managers and business partners seeking to ensure that their organisation adapts their practices appropriately to comply with changes to the legislation.
Approach
This programme will be highly interactive with questions and answers sessions peppered throughout the training to ensure all questions are answered. This programme will be delivered by programme directors who regularly advise on whistleblowing issues in the workplace.
Programme Schedule
The Basics
- Overview of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022
- What constitutes a Protected Disclosure and who can make one?
- What constitutes a ‘relevant wrongdoing’ in the context of the Protected Disclosures legislation?
- What is the role of the designated person and their responsibilities?
- What are the potential repercussions under the new regime if a disclosure is mishandled by an organisation?
Practical Tips On Compliance under the new Regime
- Suggested Step Plan for handing a disclosure
- Key considerations when appointing the Designated Person
- Tips for setting up internal reporting channels and procedures
- Red flags for businesses under the new regime- changes around what constitutes penalisation and the duty to protect confidentiality.
- How to approach the investigation of a protected disclosure
Programme Facilitator
Clara O'Sulivan
Clara brings extensive knowledge and experience to her role as Ibec Academy facilitator. She is an Irish solicitor and internationally accredited Workplace Investigator from the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) in California. AWI is an association dedicated to enhancing knowledge and skills in high quality and impartial workplace investigations
Clara qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in 2000. After a number of years as a litigation lawyer in the early part of her career, she moved to Melbourne, Australia where she was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 2007. Clara completed a further programme on advocacy skills in employment law at the Law Society of Ireland and practiced with the team of employment lawyers at Mason Hayes and Curran in Dublin before fully honing her skills as a workplace investigator. Having completed further studies in California in 2018 at the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) Training Institute, she became passionate about improving the quality of impartial workplace investigations in Ireland.
