A new podcast launching this week to give a voice to those failed by institutions across the UK.
Address the Harm® – a survivor-led campaign for institutional accountability will launch with a podcast series that directly challenges organisations to listen to those they have harmed.
Hosted by Leah Brown FRSA, founder of The WayFinders Group and architect of the Coalition for Institutional Accountability, the new series will share first-hand stories from survivors and advocates who have fought to expose wrongdoing and demand reform.
The first season features figures including Andy Evans, a survivor of the infected blood scandal; Issy Vine, the whistleblower suing the Metropolitan Police over misogyny and institutional failure; former detective Maggie Oliver, who exposed the Rochdale grooming gang cases; and families affected by the Chinook helicopter crash.
Each episode highlights how institutions from the NHS and social care to family courts and publicly funded organisations often fail to investigate themselves properly.
Polling conducted by Deltapoll found that 62% of the public want survivors involved in how institutions respond to harm, while only 24% trust Parliament to lead that process.
The findings underscore a growing lack of faith in official investigations and the rise in media exposés from Channel 4’s Dispatches to BBC Panorama, revealing deep-rooted institutional failings.
Andy Evans said: “Pressure has to come from the public on any scandal for the government to do anything.
“We have to go to our abusers to receive treatment, then go to another abuser, the government, to get justice. Both institutions have failed us badly.”
Leah Brown said the podcast comes at a pivotal moment for change: “We’re amplifying voices that institutions have chosen to ignore and spotlighting some of the greatest scandals the UK has experienced.
“From infected blood to grooming gangs and misogyny in public life, Address the Harm® is about empowering survivors and rebuilding trust through accountability.”
The video podcast will be available on YouTube and all major platforms from Friday 31 October.
