Posted 6th November 2003
On 4th November FACT North Wales and FACT South Wales undertook a joint presentation for Assembly Members. In a wide ranging talk they called upon the Government to adopt a more ethical investigative model, and improved suspension policies for local authority staff. Concern was also expressed about Police trawling methods and increasing evidence that those involved in therapeutic intervention in child protection cases can (and do) unwittingly promote unreliable and sometimes false allegations. A spokesman for FACT North Wales said that the talk was well received by the Assembly Members present. Following television criticisms of racism in North Wales police force and serious and persistent investigative malpractice in the South Wales police area Assembly Members were particularly interested in FACT's views regarding the police's role in investigative procedures.
In addition Assembly Members were informed of FACT's concern regarding the conduct of the Waterhouse Report which prompted one assembly member to make the comment that "I think it is now accepted that the way Sir Ronald Waterhouse went about his inquiry was wrong" Members were given a number of suggestions for ensuring that the issue of false allegations is confronted. These included the need to ensure that whenever reports are commissioned into failing services or as a result of investigations into complaints of abuse recognition must be given to the possibility that some of the complaints may be exaggerated or false. FACT also called for measures to ensure that all child protection procedures include a section on 'identifying and managing false allegations'.
Overall FACT's message was summed in the statement that the pendulum had swung too far in favour of complainants. FACT accepted that children were sometimes abused by their carers and by teachers - all that they were asking is that others accept that, sometimes (and increasingly so) carers and teachers are wrongly accused of abuse. For too long now it has not been possible to mention child protection and false allegations in the same sentence. FACT believe that false allegations are a matter of child protection and must be accepted as such. If investigative agencies are genuine in their desire to establish the truth it should possible to talk about child protection and false allegations - they are not after all mutually exclusive subjects.
Our thanks to Janet Ryder, Assembly Member for North Wales for sponsoring this event.