There is a thought provoking article in yesterdays Times by Camilla Cavendish about the need for social workers to be more accountable for their actions, and to publically indentified when they make mistakes.Blind justice without a nameCamilla CavendishIf social workers really are manufacturing evidence in child abuse cases, their anonymity is assuredTHIS WEEK Tim and Gina Williams, a Welsh couple, were reunited with their three children. Social workers had whisked them into care two years ago in the wholly erroneous belief that Mr Williams was a paedophile. He had made the fatal mistake of calling social services about an 11-year-old boy he had found half-naked with his daughter. But the tables quickly turned. A doctor claimed to have found evidence of sexual abuse, social workers jumped to conclusions, and the Williamses were prevented from seeing their children except for an hour and a half twice a week. They said that their children never understood what was happening. They thought … [Read more...]
Parents Caught Up in Web of Secrecy
For those of you who have been following our thread on Family Courts there is an interestring article in todays Guardian by John Sweeney who reports on the parents who are caught up in the web of secrecy, and the Government's plans to open up the opaque family courts system. (full story here) … [Read more...]
Guilty until Proved Innocent
There is another excellent article in the Times (17th June 2006) by Cammilla Cavendish on secrecy in the Family Courts called Guilty Until Proved Innocent: the grotesque reality of family courts. it begins:- There is something I wanted to write about today. But I cannot. I cannot even tell you that I cannot tell you, because to do so might be to imply what it was I wanted to write about. And that might lead you to infer that I was referring to a situation that I should not refer to. Get it? No? (more) … [Read more...]
More on the Rochdale Satanic Abuse Case
For those who missed there is an excellent article in the Times (12th January 2006)Innocent but presumed guiltyCamilla Cavendish How many homes are broken by the closed and secretive family courts? Frighteningly, we don't know THE 1990 ROCHDALE abuse scandal, brilliantly documented last night in Real Story on BBC One, is one of the most extreme in the lexicon of social service disasters. One minute a little boy is telling ghost stories, the next he finds himself in care amid rumours of satanic abuse. Even when a judge throws out the case, he is kept in care for ten more years, because the social workers change their story and claim that his parents are unfit. We all hope that things have changed since then. But the almost complete censorship of what goes on in the world of “child protection” makes it impossible to know even how many cases go through the family courts. And 15 years on, the BBC’s court battle to identify the Rochdale social workers shows that the professionals … [Read more...]
Question to Prime Minister – Secrecy in Family Courts
Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar, Con) asked Does the right hon. Gentleman share my concern that secrecy surrounding the Children Act 2004 is having a corrosive effect on justice and on social services departments? Surely it is possible to retain the anonymity of the child without the appalling restrictions on parents facing forced adoptions. They often face a greater degree of control than someone facing a criminal charge. In particular, they are unable to tell their employers why they are taking so much time off work, which places parents with learning difficulties at a peculiar disadvantage. Will the right hon. Gentleman look towards opening up the decisions of the courts and, following the suggestion of the Select Committee, find ways of making the operations of the Children Act much more open? Mr. Hoon (Leader of the House of Commons) replying in the absence of the Prime Minister said: Many years ago, I worked on cases of this sort and I appreciate the sensitivity of the … [Read more...]
GMC Must Recognise and Deal with Vexatious Complaints Fast
According to letter sent to the British Medical Journal the GMC needs to develop a strategy and and deal with vexatious complaints fast “ The letter is written by 18 eminent medical practitioners including Prof. Sir Roy Meadow (now struck off) and David Southall (now found guilty of serious professional misconduct), multiple complaints by a small vocal pressure group are vexatious rather than frivolous, so more easily recognised; the law has long known how to deal with vexatious litigants, but, unfortunately, the GMC seems to lack any such mechanism.” Isn't it somewhat ironic that this group of eminent doctors should now complain about being wrongly and falsely accused. Doesn’t it occur to these ‘experts’ that innocent people accused as a result of their ‘expert opinion’ have a right to question their actions and challenge their decisions?’ Being falsey accused, facing years of imprisonment, and having your … [Read more...]
Secrecy in Family Courts – Government Consultation
This item first appeared on the F.A.C.T. website on 14th February 2005There has been a lot of concern in recent months about secrecy in Family Courts. Members might wish to know that the Government have issued a consultation paper on the disclosure of information in Family Proceedings Cases involving children. This consultation paper from the Department for Constitutional Affairs sets out the Government's proposals for the circumstances in which information from family proceedings cases involving children can be disclosed without permission of the court. The Government is seeking views on the proposed content of rules of court which would specify who could disclose information to whom, the information they could disclose and in what circumstances disclosure would be permissible.The consultation document can be accessed on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website. Responses are sought by 23 March 2005. … [Read more...]
Expert witnesses, suspect science and dead babies
Expert witnesses, suspect science and dead babiesWhy have women been wrongly convicted of killing their children? Dr James Le Fanu points the finger at medical experts. Below, Dr Michael Fitzpatrick responds. by Dr James Le Fanu'Please, if there is any way you could help with our situation, by yourself or anyone you know, could you please get in touch. We can honestly say, hand on heart, we haven't done anything to hurt our baby. We are now been [sic] assessed and we got told [sic] that when we go to the finding of facts hearing and we still insist we haven't done anything, our twins will go up for adoption.' - Letter from parent 'For me, the unusual feature is death so soon after being seen well, the fact that there have been previous deaths in the family and the fact that he had had an episode of some sort only nine days before he died that caused him to be assessed in hospital, because those features are ones that are found really quite commonly in children who have been smothered … [Read more...]
Demo as doctor fights for career
Demo as doctor fights for career By Dave Black, The Journal A group which campaigns for carers and teachers who have been falsely accused of child abuse will today stage a demonstration as a North-East doctor faces a hearing which could end her career.Dr Camille San Lazaro goes before the General Medical Council (GMC) for a fitness-to-practice hearing which could lead to her being struck off the medical register.The consultant paediatrician examined alleged victims for the discredited Abuse in Early Years report published by Newcastle City Council in 1998, which wrongly claimed two nursery nurses were responsible for abuse of youngsters in their care.The two nurses - Dawn Reed and Christopher Lillie - won damages of £200,000 each from Newcastle City Council after High Court judge Mr Justice Eady declared them innocent of all charges and condemned the report during a six-month libel trial.Now Dr San Lazaro's own career as consultant paediatrician at Newcastle's Royal Victoria … [Read more...]
‘It’s a life sentence with no reprieve’
Cassandra Jardine meets parents whose children have been taken from them and asks if Britain's closed adoption system will ever changeThe Carters' living room in south London is covered with pictures of their four children. Will and Michelle (not their real names, because family court rules prevent them being identified) yearn to live as a family again, but for the past five years they have had to content themselves with waiting and hoping. Gone for good? Parents are fighting court decisions Following a court case in 2000 where, on the evidence of Professor Sir Roy Meadow, they were held responsible for poisoning their youngest child by giving her 12-16 imipromine tablets prescribed for their eldest child's bedwetting, the two elder children were put with foster carers and the two younger ones adopted. "I wouldn't even recognise the younger ones now," says Michelle, looking at a picture taken at the "goodbye" meeting when they were only three and five. As their family was pulled apart, … [Read more...]
Families Denied Justice
Families Denied Justice: If a friend of Lord Falconer can sort out a scandal in the justice system, three cheers for cronyism Nick CohenSunday January 16, 2005The Observer The iron law of all bureaucracies is 'first we protect ourselves'. In an ideal world they would look to free themselves from scrutiny by operating under the cover of secrecy. They would strive to deflect criticism by maintaining the pretence that it was in the public interest to operate in absolute privacy. If they could go further they would then make a breach of their secrecy a crime punishable with all penalties up to and including imprisonment. In an ideal world all bureaucracies would want to achieve the state of perfect irresponsibility achieved by the Family Division of the High Court. I know it's only January and it's rash to make predictions, but last week there was a strong contender for the award for phoniest media commotion of the year when Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, announced that he wanted to … [Read more...]
It’s getting worse for vulnerable parents
Two months ago, health.telegraph explored the problem of children being taken into care after their parents had been falsely accused of ill-treatment. Since then, reports Cassandra Jardine, more than 40 couples have defied the rules of secrecy to tell of their own experiencesSince the acquittal of Sally Clark, Angela Cannings and Trupti Patel, a large question mark has hung over the belief, held by some paediatricians and social workers, that there is a hidden epidemic of child abuse in this country. Help needed: 'it is getting worse for vulnerable parents and vulnerable children' Those three women, whose children died sudden, unexpected deaths, had never been in trouble with the police or social services, yet they were accused of murder. The overturning of those verdicts may have left people with the impression that such miscarriages of justice no longer occur. Unfortunately, that confidence seems to be misplaced, as more cases are arising all the time. Nor does a child have to die … [Read more...]
Families gain new protections [USA Arizona]
Homeschoolers across the country have been striving to make some small but necessary changes to the laws governing child abuse and neglect investigations. On June 25, 2003, Congress enacted the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, which requires social workers to inform parents of the allegations against them at the time of initial contact, and also requires social workers to be trained regarding the legal rights of the parents they investigate. The Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) worked hard to convert this federal legislation into specific protections for Arizona families. Arizona has now adopted these new federal requirements into state law and has made other significant changes as well.At Home School Legal Defense Association's urging, CAP added a provision to the law that allows families who have been falsely accused to discover the identity of the person who reported them. A similar law is on the books in Virginia and has proven to be a valuable safeguard for … [Read more...]
Minister was warned about child care family wrecking scandal
MARGARET HODGE, the children’s minister, and Harriet Harman, the solicitor general, were warned more than three years ago about a growing scandal in the family courts of children being wrongfully removed from their families. Jan Loxley, a former government adviser on childcare, wrote to both Hodge and Harman. She told them that families were being destroyed because of false accusations of child abuse based on theories expounded by Professor Sir Roy Meadow. Last week Hodge announced reviews of an estimated 5,000 cases in family courts where children have been taken from parents. Another 258 criminal cases involving Meadow’s theories will be re-examined. Meadow, a distinguished paediatrician who retired in 1997, now faces a General Medical Council investigation into allegations of misconduct. Loxley is angry that action was not taken sooner. In her letters dated May 17, 2000, she wrote that many mothers were being falsely accused of Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, a diagnosis … [Read more...]
Read an Australian account of British justice and its inept Courts
Yet this is the Kafkaesque nature of family courts in England and Wales - an iceberg of civil litigation that lies submerged beneath a few high-profile criminal cases that hit the headlines. In a blaze of publicity last month, the pharmacist Trupti Patel was found not guilty of murdering her three babies. Earlier this year the solicitor Sally Clark was freed from jail after being wrongly convicted of killing her two baby sons.Australian Alternative News … [Read more...]
