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Save the Children did not tell Unicef of sexual misconduct claim against chief Save the Children accused of wasting money over sexual harassment claims
(about 4 hours later)
Save the Children failed to inform Unicef that its former chief executive had been investigated over alleged sexual misconduct before he moved to the UN agency, the charity’s former chairman has told MPs. The former chair of Save the Children has been accused of wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds on lawyers as the charity attempted to address reports of sexual harassment by senior staff.
Sir Alan Parker said Unicef was not told about the investigation into Justin Forsyth, conducted by an independent law firm, because it was not a “formal disciplinary process”. MPs on the international development select committee told Sir Alan Parker that it was wrong for a charity to spend cash raised for sick children on legal fees as the charity tried to stop the publication of stories about the sexual harassment of staff.
Parker, who stepped down from Save the Children this year after news broke of a sexual abuse scandal in the aid sector, also said he and other directors vetoed a £20,000 bonus awarded to Forsyth while the investigation was under way. Parker, the chair of the PR and lobbying firm Brunswick, denied wasting money, and claimed he was not trying to suppress stories but was instead trying to ensure that untruthful stories did not damage the reputation of the charity.
Forsyth quit his role as deputy executive director of Unicef in April after allegations emerged of inappropriate behaviour towards female members of staff during his time at Save the Children, where he was chief executive between 2010 and 2016. The exchange took place at a bruising committee hearing examining how Save the Children handled sexual harassment claims against its former chief executive Justin Forsyth and fellow former charity executive Brendan Cox.
MPs on the international development committee accused Parker of wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds on lawyers as the charity attempted to address the reports of sexual harassment by senior staff. Parker, a friend of Gordon Brown and David Cameron, also admitted that the charity had failed to inform the international charity Uunicef about the claims against Forsyth before he was hired by the UN agency.
Nigel Evans asked whether it was right that the charity had spent money on media lawyers who sent legal letters to the BBC and national newspapers. “Do you really think that is money well spent?” he asked. The committee member Nigel Evans asked whether it was right that the charity should have spent money on media lawyers who sent legal letters to the BBC and national newspapers.
Parker said he did not know how much the letters cost, and added: “I think it was very important that the facts were put on the table.” Parker said he did not know how much the action, saying: “I think it was very important that the facts were put on the table.”
Forsyth faced three complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff before leaving the charity in 2015. An internal report from the charity that was leaked to the BBC said Parker’s “very close” relationship with Forsyth may have affected how he handled the complaints. Forsyth faced three complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff before leaving the charity in 2015. An internal report from the charity, which was leaked to the BBC, said that Parker’s “very close” relationship with Forsyth may have affected how he handled the complaints.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Parker rejected a claim by the Conservative MP Pauline Latham that a formal written warning was not sent to Forsyth “because he was a friend of yours”. He said the letter should have been in his file. Parker said Unicef was not told about the investigation into Forsyth, conducted by an independent law firm, because it was not a “formal disciplinary process”.
Parker said the charity spoke with a third-party headhunter about Forsyth but it was Save the Children’s policy “not to mention things if they have not been the subject of formal disciplinary process”. Parker, who stepped down from Save the Children this year after the aid sector sexual abuse scandal broke, also said he and other directors vetoed a £20,000 bonus awarded to Forsyth while the investigation was under way.
Forsyth quit his role as deputy executive director of Unicef in April after the allegations of inappropriate behaviour emerged.
Parker said the charity had spoken with a third-party headhunter about Forsyth but that it was Save the Children’s policy “not to mention things if they have not been the subject of formal disciplinary process”.
He said: “It wasn’t a lucid formal process. It was a process but it didn’t formally trigger a formal disciplinary process which would have been marked, which would have been kept.”He said: “It wasn’t a lucid formal process. It was a process but it didn’t formally trigger a formal disciplinary process which would have been marked, which would have been kept.”
Asked whether it should have been flagged up, he said: “When I look back, there are a number of things we would have done differently. I think we would have done it in a way that would have settled it at each time more appropriately and I think very clearly there were quite specific HR failings in this, which I have to take on board as I was chairman at the time.” Asked whether it should have been flagged up, he said: “When I look back, there are a number of things we would have done differently.
Parker also revealed that Brendan Cox, the widower of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, would have been suspended by the charity if he had not resigned. “I think we would have done it in a way that would have settled it at each time more appropriately and I think very clearly there were quite specific HR failings in this, which I have to take on board as I was chairman at the time.”
Cox admitted this year he had made “mistakes” and behaved in a way that had caused some women hurt and offence when he was working at the charity. At the hearings on Tuesday, Parker rejected a claim by the Conservative MP Pauline Latham that a formal written warning was not sent to Forsyth “because he was a friend of yours”, insisting the letter should have been in his file.
Parker said: “Of course Mr Cox at the time of his resignation was still fully denying everything, and in his resignation letter was saying very clearly he felt this was unfair, he would not get proper justice. He was very, very robust on this and literally just left. Parker also revealed that Cox, the widower of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, would have been suspended by the charity if he had not resigned.
“But from the moment we received the report on Brendan Cox – he was away at the time – we then moved to suspend him. He never returned to the building once during that process.” Cox admitted this year that he made “mistakes” and behaved in a way that caused some women hurt and offence when he was working at the charity.
Parker said: “Of course Mr Cox at the time of his resignation, was still fully denying everything, and in his resignation letter was saying very clearly he felt this was unfair, he would not get proper justice, he was very very robust on this, and literally just left.
“But from the moment we received the report on Brendan Cox – he was away at the time – we then moved to suspend him.”
Parker was also asked why the board had chosen to replace Forsyth as chief executive with a charity trustee, Kevin Watkins.
Latham, the MP for Mid Derbyshire, said: “Does it not smack of jobs for the boys?”
Parker replied that a thorough search had taken place for a new CEO and Watkins was the best candidate.
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