D.10 Complaints and whistleblowing

Introduction

1. Complaints and whistleblowing processes should have been an important safeguard against poor treatment or abuse of detained people. Detained people and staff should have been able to raise concerns and have those issues resolved satisfactorily, with thorough investigations into alleged wrongdoing and action taken against any staff responsible for misconduct. In addition, steps should have been taken to improve policies and practices found to be problematic.
2. In reality, many detained people felt unable to complain about poor treatment. When they did, there were a number of failures in the responses from G4S, the Home Office and the Home Office’s Professional Standards Unit (PSU). Similarly, most staff were either unwilling or unable to raise concerns about the treatment of detained people. The whistleblowing processes in place during the relevant period (1 April 2017 to 31 August 2017) were insufficient and ineffective, and responses to concerns raised were inadequate.