My partner works with young people as job and voluntairly. A parent has made accusations to employer that an investiagtion was underway into child protection issues at the voluntary organisation, concerning my partner.

This has been investigated by employer and voluntary organisation and proved entirely false.

Person who has made the accusations has been challenged to back up claims and refuses to do so. The accuser continues to make claims to others in the community (gossiping) but is also trying to escalate complaint to higher up in empoyer and other organisations. My partener is under an agreement not to speak to anyone about this issue.

While on one hand I am confident nothing will come of the claims, at what point can we speak out – on grounds of false claims and bullying.
As you can imagine, having claims such as this hanging over you will cause employment issues and sour relationships within the community.

(yes I am regular, no I do not want to be ID’d)

My partener is under an agreement not to speak to anyone about this issue.

I think your partner needs to be seeking some independent legal advice from a union or professional body. The above woudl seem to make that difficult, though.

re: the person making the allegations other than suing them for defamation (again tricky with a gagging clause in place) I can’t see you can do much.

go to the CAB and get some real advice.

In these situations you are best to maintain a dignified silence. Engaging with the parent just adds fuel to her fantasy and keeps it going.

People forget and move on, they will have some other poor soul to gossip about next week, if your partner has a good reputation that will prevail. Poor thing btw, give her big hugs.

I don’t quite get this

No history of animosity between this person and you/partner ?
Why a “silence” agreement – who is suggesting/enforcing this ?
Is the person also employed at the same place ? (becomes employer’s issue there, IMO)
Sounds a lot like slander/defamation if they’re continuing to repeat baseless accusations

I am an armchair lawlord

scaredypants:
No history between the people involved; lots of history with accuser on similar cases/issues/nastyness in past.
Silence agreement is with employer. As hels says, trying to maintain silence is good, but feeling like the grace for this is running out.
No person is not employed in same place.

lots of history with accuser on similar cases/issues/nastyness in past.

then I’d say present policy of ignore it and let the process run its course is the best one.

If this individual is ‘known’ for this sort of behaviour then there’s no reflection on your partner and people will know that.

Easy to for me to say and, as someone who cares about your partner and probably wants to go around and have a shouting match with the accuser, probably not easy to sit and watch from the sidelines.

lots of history with accuser on similar cases/issues/nastyness in past

If this is well known, I suppose it makes it a bit easier to keep your silence and ignore them since everyone else probably is too

Not nice though

Alternatively, not sure I’d recommend but perhaps they could be assisted by yr partner’s employer in escalating this so that they have to cough up their “evidence” and the higher authority (police, LA) can dismiss claims as unfounded (and maybe, hopefully, bollock rumourmonger into the bargain)

Another call for getting some independent advice. That would not jeopardise confidentiality in my book.

The employer needs to demonstrate complete support in my view – perhaps agreeing a form of words which can be used if another parent or stakeholder approaches them as a result of the gossip, which make it clear that the allegations have been investigated fully and that no further action was required.

Interestingly, on the day I post this and was pondering the issue, the accuser has made multiple complaints over my partners work.
All the complaints are minor and bordering on frivolous, but they are still a stress, and a clear indication that ‘every move’ is being watched.
The accusers partner works at the same place and is also employed at the place my partner volunteers, and while he is not making the complaints, he is at all the meetings, and it is clear from today’s actions that he is informing the accuser of lots of details of the working day. We are going to take advice over making a formal complaint about his actions.
It feels that things will not end by themselves.

Defo employers formal grievance procedure then.

yep, time to go formal and look at making appropriate representations re: breach of confidence/contract if this person is complaining about stuff their partner is findign out durign the course of their work.

This must be tricky because taking action against the person making these false accusations is likely to raise the profile of them and their claims within the community.

If it has not already been done then I would ask the voluntary organisation to confirm in writing to your partners employer that they have received a complaint but that they have investigated it and that there is no evidence of any wrong doing. This might help calm their nerves.

I would then set a date in the future and notify both the voluntary org and her employer that if rumors continue to be spread you will take civil action for defamation against the individual concerned. I think the voluntary org also has a duty of care to its volunteers to make sure that if you are subject to false allegations that you’re protected from contact with the individual, same for employer if they are in contact in that context.

If things persist I would then go to a solicitor and ask them to write a letter informing said gossip that if they continue they will be pursued for damages in a defamation claim – a letter will probably be enough.

I’m a chair of a charity working with young people, and also studied law, although I’m not a lawyer. I would ensure that your partner protect her own reputation, and if that eventually means breaking silence then that is her right and she wouldn’t be doing anything unreasonable.

Please bare in mind this is free internet advice and therefore it could be worthless. I don’t know the details of the allegations and this will have a big influence on approach as far as I can see. If things don’t calm down I would definitely see a lawyer.

If partner is a teacher speak to union for legal advice, if not seek legal advice yourself.

whowherewhy,so absolutely stressfull for you both its probably a case of sour grapes that is now being made worse by using the child protection rules and the the law.

May i wish you both the best of luck,be honest keep records of what is said and be careful what you say.

… when is it right to cut out the tongue of this accuser? 👿