Save the Children UK confirms chair and Terms of Reference for Independent Review of Workplace Culture
London, Friday 2 March 2018
Today Save the Children UK named Dr Suzanne Shale as leader of a fully independent team commissioned to review workplace culture within the organisation. Dr Shale is an international expert in the field of organisational ethics and moral leadership.
The Independent Review team’s Terms of Reference were approved by the Charity Commission on 28 February 2018. A sub-committee of the Board of Trustees, chaired by Lisa Rosen has been set up to secure the independence of the Review and to act as the primary interface with the Board of Trustees when the Independent Review reports. The findings of the Independent Review will be published on the charity’s website and made available to the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The overall aim of the Independent Review is to understand current workplace cultures in Save the Children UK, and make recommendations to further develop them for the future.
Dr Shale says: “I am delighted to have been asked to lead this Independent Review, which will aim to make a candid assessment of the workplace culture at Save the Children UK. Save the Children UK does extraordinary humanitarian work, and a positive and constructive workplace culture is critical if staff are to advance this cause to the very best of their abilities.”
The Independent Review team will announce its methods very shortly and staff and volunteers, past and present, will be offered the opportunity to submit evidence and views in complete confidence.
Dr Shale continues: “The Independent Review team acknowledges that past events may have caused distress to staff, and disquiet amongst those who support the work of the charity. We will listen to those accounts very carefully and with utmost consideration. All contributions will be handled in strict confidence and where desired, anonymity will be provided. We also hope to find existing ways of working which are collaborative, inclusive and supportive, and which can be emulated across the organisation.”
Commenting on Dr Shale’s appointment and the Terms of Reference for the Review, Save the Children Trustee Lisa Rosen said: “I am delighted that Dr Shale has agreed to lead the Independent Review team and I look forward to receiving her report in due course. I feel confident this Independent Review will help us to build on the many strengths of our organisation in the interests of our beneficiaries.”
The Independent Review team will post details of its work programme and how to participate on a special section of the Save the Children UK website.
Dr Suzanne Shale biography
Dr. Suzanne Shale works as an independent ethics consultant. She develops ethical policy and guidance, undertakes commissioned research, provides education and training, and offers one-to-one support for people seeking ethical direction. She has an international reputation for her work helping health care organisations to respond well when patients have suffered harm in their care.
Dr Shale chairs the London Policing Ethics Panel and is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London. She works extensively with a wide range of public service organisations, professional regulators and universities in the UK and overseas. She was formerly a Fellow of New College Oxford, University Lecturer in Law, and Director of the Oxford Learning Institute. She holds higher degrees in law and medical ethics, and qualifications in mediation and conflict resolution.
Dr. Shale chairs the UK’s leading patient safety charity, Action against Medical Accidents, sits on the Department of Health & Social Care’s Independent Reconfiguration Panel, and is a member of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch Advisory Panel. Her book Moral Leadership in Medicine: Building Ethical Healthcare Organisations was published by Cambridge University Press in 2012. She was a 2016 Winston Churchill Memorial Fellow.
Read CEO Kevin Watkins' statement announcing the review.