Key facts
- Chloe Moffat, a 26-year-old Treasury employee, died by suicide following a disciplinary meeting.
- The meeting concerned an anonymous complaint about sharing confidential information.
- Moffat was reportedly not informed of her rights or reassured about her job security.
- Her mother is calling for significant changes to the Treasury's disciplinary process, including mental welfare assessments.
- The Treasury is implementing new advice and training for staff and managers.
The mother of a young Treasury employee who died by suicide has urged the department to reform its disciplinary procedures. Chloe Moffat, 26, took her own life after a meeting about an anonymous complaint, during which she was reportedly not reassured about her job security and was denied the right to have a chosen third party present. Her mother, Anne Moffat, stated that had Chloe been properly supported and informed of her rights, she would not have become so devastated and isolated.
Witnesses at the inquest described Moffat as shocked, crying, and overwhelmed during the meeting with her line manager, Kimberly Aldrich, and senior manager Elizabeth Farmer. Moffat had asked for her friend, Helena Cawley, to be present, but this was deemed inappropriate by Farmer, who stated that any alternative attendee would have made the meeting feel more formal. Farmer also indicated that notifying Moffat of the allegations beforehand could cause unnecessary stress.
Moffat's friends and family reported that she was convinced she would be fired, with one friend receiving a text message shortly after the meeting stating, "Helena, I am going to be fired." Moffat died the day after the meeting.
In response to the events, the Treasury is piloting new advice for staff dealing with disciplinary matters, and managers are receiving additional training. Moffat's parents questioned the decision not to inform her that she was unlikely to lose her job, given her distress, but a Treasury HR representative stated that doing so would have been "unhelpful" at that stage. Aldrich, Moffat's line manager, stated she believed they did all they could at the time with the information and advice they were given.