Minister For Schools, Edward Timpson has confirmed that the government will launch a consultation shortly, exploring whether there should be a formal obligation to report child abuse.
The consultation is due to run for 12 weeks. Information received will be used to decide whether there is a need for further statutory measures in this area.
It is likely that the consultation will focus on specific professions who come into contact with children as part of their work. A new law in this area could make it a criminal offence for social workers not to report suspicions of abuse, and could include teachers, medical professionals, child care providers and the police.
Currently in America, 48 states subscribe to mandatory reporting.
We’ll share the consultation as soon as it’s published.
Researching Reform 
Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
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Yet children are 6 times more likely to be abused in state care- so how is it in the child’s best interest to be removed from home and traumatised and fragmented?
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This can really work if done RIGHT…I am trying to impose mandatory reporting in scotland so that there are no more coverups at the highest levels.
http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/mandatoryreporting
Please help if you care!
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Mandatory reporting is a step forward but it needs to be accompanied by sweeping changes to Family Law and Child Protection Practices.Shielded by the secrecy afforded by the 1989 Children’s Act the following scenario all-too-often plays out:
Police stand down child abuse crime concerns by passing to Social Services.
Cursory pseudo-investigation follows.
Only serious injury or death are accepted by CAFCASS officers as ‘evidence’ – otherwise case is ‘not proven’.
This is the starting signal for authority representatives to act like the reported abuse was ‘disproven’.
Protective parents are sent to Psychs until someone attests Borderline, Narcissistic and/or Histrionic Personality Disorder.
As a consequence the Council awards the child to the alleged abuser, to ‘Long-term Foster Care’ (£20k tax free per annum) or if under the age 5 to ‘Adopters’ (£27k head hunting fee).
‘Gaming’ of this dysfunctional system through ‘Sadism, Sex & Violence Groups’ is illustrated in this presentation:
In this case authority representatives are not only covering up child abuse but actually instigating it – with three adults in their prime of life seemingly ‘bumped off’ to destroy the mother and gain control over the child!
Government radio advertising of the ‘child abuse reporting’ website facility may at present work out in practice like a ‘screen’ for targeting vulnerable parents – just like the ‘cash for Dementia diagnosis’ scheme to target vulnerable elderly citizens to asset strip them through the ‘Court of Protection’.
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Mandatory Reporting is a positive step. However it needs to be accompanied by sweeping changes to Family Law and Child Protection Practices. Shielded by the secrecy afforded by the 1989 Children’s Act the following scenario all-too-often plays out:
Police stand down child abuse crime concerns by passing to Social Services.
Cursory pseudo-investigation follows.
Only serious injury or death are accepted by CAFCASS officers as ‘evidence’ – otherwise case is ‘not proven’.
This is the starting signal for authority representatives to act like the reported abuse was ‘disproven’.
Protective parents are sent to Psychs until someone attests Borderline, Narcissistic and/or Histrionic Personality Disorder.
As a consequence the Council awards the child to the alleged abuser, to ‘Long-term Foster Care’ (£20k tax free per annum) or if under the age 5 to ‘Adopters’ (£27k head hunting fee).
‘Gaming’ of this dysfunctional system through ‘Sadism, Sex & Violence Groups’ is illustrated in this presentation:
In this case authority representatives are not only covering up child abuse but actually instigating it – with three adults in their prime of life seemingly ‘bumped off’ to destroy the mother and gain control over the child!
Government radio advertising of the ‘child abuse reporting’ website facility may at present work out in practice like a ‘screen’ for targeting vulnerable parents – just like the ‘cash for Dementia diagnosis’ scheme to target vulnerable elderly citizens to asset strip them through the ‘Court of Protection’.
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Recently a child ran away from the foster carer and was picked up by the police and this was the first time this child had been involved with the police and when they approached him these were their words.
GET INTO THE F—-G CAR OR WE WILL F—G DRAG YOU IN BY YOUR F—G FEET. is this how the police speak to kids in fear who had run away from abuse then they wanted to drive him back to where he had run from. This child has now within 3 weeks been with 2 other foster carers he has none of his personal possessions nor can he get them, his computers have been broken by who not known and the sadness from one child is the same for thousands of kids in care who are moved around as was the case of 2 brothers in Essex moved 114 times to different foster carers ands no one knows more truth then the people of the Nation who are experiencing a so loved child suffering In a child’s best interest. So what of the families with gagging orders they cannot complain and as I always say there are no doors open FOR ANY KID IN CARE. If only the Governments would listen to people who do work in a child’s best interest and do not get paid such as children screaming to be heard but NO the British children will continue to be screaming to be heard and the talks will continue one only has to read of the recent report by Lady Macur who said no case of child abuse for the 700 victims from the Welsh care home, that says it all, kids tell lies families tell lies kids abused the police don’t give a dam money for the agencies millions for governments to sit and debate to say all kids tell lies in care and thousands of crooked social workers with untold S/W using their own out side companies for assessments and still get paid by the SS, and boy do I know much more but then THERE ARE NO DOORS TO OPEN FOR TRUTH AND TO PROTECT THE KIDS IN CARE. The governments are just lying Bas—-ds and the poor little children will never have a life.
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http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?I=ed98855
2 boys freed for adoption never had their orders revoked, that would have allowed their family to have contact with them. Instead they went on to be abused several times by different foster carers! The boys were badly let down by those tasked to protect them.
This case set a precedent for local authorities to return to court when care plans change but still many don’t! They are misusing freeing orders to keep families away before foster carers take out SGOs and they continue to prevent contact with family.
They are misusing SGO’s as another form of adoption! This is totally against everything set out in the Children’s Act but it is still going on.
There needs to be independant checks on local authorities to ensure they comply with the law.
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I see Surrey county council is in the the news again! Mum goes missing with her two kids for fear her children will be taken into care. Nothing like working with the parents for the benefit of the children and family. Yes! It’s nothing like working with the parents for the benefit of the children and family! Investigators need to look into the practice’s of Surrey Social Services as they haven’t had a good Ofsted report for almost a decade!
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Mandatory reporting will only work if social workers change their role to help families and stop taking them into care on the off chance the parent will hurt the child and they will get the blame.
It does seem the majority of kids get a raw deal when professionals are involved and still a few fall through the social services net. Trouble is, it’s the same child that keeps slipping through a series of so called safety nets.
If they brought their focus back to safeguarding and helping families instead of making money and (forced) adoption targets, or taking kids into care. that would genuinely help the kids. That was the original concept of social services but has now changed out of all proportion.
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