• About
    • Privacy Policy
  • GSW
  • Guide To Making A Subject Access Request
  • In Dad’s Shoes
    • An Overview
    • Invitation
    • Media
    • Photos
    • Press Release
    • Soft Launch
    • Speeches
    • Summary
  • Media Coverage
  • Parliamentary Debates
  • Voice of the Child Podcasts

Researching Reform

Researching Reform

Monthly Archives: June 2017

Charlie Gard’s Life Support To Be Switched Off Today

30 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform

≈ 6 Comments

Baby Charlie Gard is to have his life support switched off today.

Conflicting reports over the decision have surfaced. Some sources suggest that the parents have been rushed into the decision, whilst a hospital spokesperson has allegedly told the media that there was ‘no rush’ to switch off Charlie’s life support.

The parents also requested that Charlie spend his last night with them at home or in a hospice, a request which has been denied by Great Ormond Street Hospital. Whilst the hospital has refused to comment on the reasons behind refusing to allow Charlie to leave his room at Great Ormond Street, it is likely that the refusal relates to concerns over the Gards fleeing the country to take Charlie to America for the pioneering treatment they were denied in court.

The concerns may have been sparked from a similar case involving a young boy with a brain tumour called Ashya King, whose parents wanted to try alternative treatment for their son, and who fled the UK to Spain to take him to a clinic offering the medical support they wanted after a hospital in England blocked them from doing so. (Ashya got the treatment, and made a full recovery).

Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and his parents today. Researching Reform, like many others in the UK and around the world, will be mourning a loss we have come to feel as our own.

The world stands by your side.

UPDATE: As of this afternoon, Great Ormond Street hospital has allowed Charlie’s parents to spend more time with him, and won’t be switching off his life support today.

Eskimo proverb

 

 

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

BREAKING: One Of The World’s Most Powerful Catholic Figures Charged With Child Sex Abuse

29 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child abuse, child abuse inquiry, Researching Reform

≈ 6 Comments

The third highest ranking official in the Catholic Church, Cardinal George Pell, has just been charged with child sex offences. Pell is Australia’s most senior Catholic figure, and caused an uproar two years ago when he was found to have failed child sex abuse victims by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The Commission also found that Pell did not act ‘in a Christian manner’ during a court battle against a survivor who said he had been abused as a teenager by a priest from 1974 and 1979. The Commission observed that, through Church procedure, Pell had bullied and intimidated the survivor, and had used the threat of court costs repeatedly to try and force the survivor to withdraw his case.

Pell’s latest statement, in which he says he is “looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously” suggests he still isn’t clear on Christian values.

Pell faces multiple charges, due to several complaints of non recent child sexual abuse against him. The first hearing will be on 18th July, at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.

Pell

 

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Charlie Gard: European Court Will Not Intervene.

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform

≈ 3 Comments

The European Court considering the case of Charlie Gard, a baby with a rare medical condition who has been on life support for most of his young life, has turned down an appeal launched by his parents to keep him alive. 

The European Court Of Human Rights concluded that Charlie was most likely in pain, and to continue life support and experimental treatment would cause Charlie significant harm with no prospect of success. The Court has also lifted the interim measure it put in place which would have kept Charlie on life support until 11 July. It is likely that life support will be switched off in the near future.

We cannot imagine what Charlie’s parents must be feeling. At the very least we hope the hospital will ensure that both mother and father have the best counselling and support available as they go through this devastating moment.

We remain in awe of the dedication, love and care they gave Charlie. Their courage and determination in the face of pessimistic medical views, and their unswerving optimism will never be forgotten. Their strength and dignity inspired a nation.

As a mark of respect we will not be posting anything on the site tomorrow.

CG 1

Photo: Featureworld

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

In The News

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in News, Researching Reform

≈ 1 Comment

The latest child welfare stories:

  • Mothers ‘an unseen force’ in ‘honour’ abuse
  • Emotional child abuse reports on the increase, NSPCC says
  • Northern Ireland: Open Letter from victims of institutional child abuse

boy-reading-newspaper-new-001

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Question It!

26 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in Question It, Researching Reform

≈ 10 Comments

Welcome to another week.

Abusive initiation ceremonies in sport where children are being sexually assaulted by peers are still viewed as ‘the norm’ by parents and sporting professionals.

It has also been reported that high profile and well connected parents have been trying to convince police receiving complaints that this kind of behaviour is ‘just a bit of fun’. A sharp increase in reports of child sexual abuse in sport raises serious questions about British culture and the pressure on children to ‘agree’ to being assaulted in order to be part of clubs and elite teams.

Our question this week then is this: how can we ensure this kind of abuse in sport is stopped? 

face_question_mark

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

NSPCC Calls On Government To Launch Child Abuse Investigation

23 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform

≈ 5 Comments

Hot off the heels of its latest report on the state of child protection in the UK, the NSPCC is asking the government to launch a UK wide, in depth study looking at current levels of child abuse.

The call comes after its report highlighted a significant increase in the reporting of different types of child abuse, but a less clear picture on what this means about the prevalence, origins and motivations behind these abuses.

The key findings are added below:

  • In recent years there has been an increase in emotional abuse as a reason for children being on a child protection plan or register in England and Wales, and increasing numbers of contacts to the NSPCC helpline about the issue.
  • There has been an increase in public reporting of child abuse. In 2016/17 the NSPCC helpline responded to its highest ever number of contacts.
  • There have also been increases in police-recorded child sexual offences and indecent image offences across the UK and increases in child cruelty and neglect offences in all UK nations except Scotland.
  • The last decade has also seen increased numbers of children on child protection plans and registers and increased numbers of looked after children in the UK.
  • But, without a new survey of child maltreatment prevalence we lack a clear picture of the extent of child abuse and neglect today. That’s why we are calling on the UK Government to commission a new UK-wide study.

The table of contents is also interesting:

  1. Child homicides recorded by police includes the offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide
  2. Child mortality deaths by assault, neglect and undetermined intent
  3. Child suicides
  4. Number of recorded sexual offences against children
  5. Number of recorded cruelty and neglect offences 
  6. Self-reported prevalence of abuse and neglect
  7. Counselling sessions with Childline
  8. Contacts with the NSPCC helpline
  9. Online harm 
  10. Violent incidents experienced by 10 to 15 year olds Crime survey for England and Wales
  11. Crime survey for England and Wales: Experiences of abuse in childhood
  12. Referrals to social services
  13. Children in need
  14. Children in the child protection system
  15. Composition of child protection plans and child protection registers 
  16. Re-registration onto child protection registers or returning to a child protection plan
  17. How long are children subject to child protection plans or on child protection registers
  18. Looked after children 
  19. Proportion of looked after children who have three or more placements during the year
  20. Child trafficking
  21. Public attitudes to child abuse and neglect
  22. Glossary

Whilst some of this data is not new, many of the stats are still shocking. We have yet to read this report in full, but in the meantime do let us know what you think.

Many thanks to Jonny Matthew for sharing this report on Twitter, which is where we found it.

NSPCC 2017.png

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Damning Report Confirms Church Colluded With Convicted Paedophile Bishop Peter Ball

22 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child abuse, child abuse inquiry, Researching Reform

≈ 6 Comments

A new report written by Dame Moira Gibb accuses the Church of England of concealing evidence of child sexual abuse at the hands of its clergy and colluding with convicted paedophile, Bishop Peter Ball.

Ball, who was the former bishop of Gloucester and Lewes, was jailed in October 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 vulnerable young men aged 17-25 who came to him for guidance and support. He was released from prison in February after serving just 16 months.

Gibb also criticises ex-Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey in her report, whom she cites as being largely responsible for the inexcusable way in which allegations were swept under the carpet. When complaints were first made about Bishop Ball, Ball went straight to the Church and other senior figures within the clergy and the Royal Family to seek out support and protection, including the then Archbishop, Lord Carey who obliged by writing a letter of support which was sent to the police and the CPS. (You can read the letters from Carey and others here).

Carey has now been asked to step down from his position as an honorary assistant bishop by the current archbishop, Justin Welby.

In her report, “Abuse Of Faith”, Dame Moira Gibb says the Church “displayed little care” for Bishop Ball’s victims,”  and that its “failure to safeguard so many boys and young men still casts a long shadow”.

Crucially, the report also confirms that Bishop Ball had suggested “on many occasions, to Lord Carey and others, that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales” and “sought to exploit his contact with members of the royal family in order to bolster his position”.

Those of you following this blog will be familiar with Bishop Peter Ball and brothers, Phil and Gary Johnson who have campaigned tirelessly to bring Ball, and the Church, to justice. An exchange between Phil and Baroness Butler-Sloss, disgraced former Chair of the Child Abuse Inquiry, which we wrote about two years ago, highlights the extent of the collusion, with high profile believers desperate to preserve the Church’s standing. In the recording we shared, you can hear Butler-Sloss’s attempts at defending the Church and minimising allegations of abuse at the same time.

Phil Johnson spoke to the BBC in 2016 about Lord Carey’s involvement in the cover up of allegations against Bishop Ball, highlighting that the Church had deliberately hidden police evidence on the matter.

Things came to a head in August of last year, when it was confirmed that Bishop Ball had been granted Core Participant Status at the Child Abuse Inquiry, leaving his victims and survivors feeling re-traumatised at the possibility of being cross examined by him.

Phil also wrote a statement in September 2016 criticising the CPS’s decision to reduce Ball’s sentence.

Dame Moira Gibb’s report will be a welcome development for survivors and victims and we hope that it will bring about a change in the culture at the Church of England and lead to better safeguarding measures being put into place.

For a full list of articles on Bishop Peter Ball, please take a look at our site.

Peter Ball

 

 

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Buzz

22 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in Researching Reform, The Buzz

≈ 2 Comments

The latest news items:

  • Holyrood to vote on scrapping time bar for child abuse survivors (Scotland)
  • UN: ISIL targets children of families fleeing Mosul (Iraq)
  • Missing babies: Israel’s Yemenite children affair 

Buzz

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Former Minister Calls On Social Workers To Boost Mobility, Completely Unaware Of The Pitfalls

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform

≈ 8 Comments

A former Labour Minister has called on social workers to play a much bigger part in boosting the life chances of children and families they work with, in a speech delivered recently at a social work training event.

The speech Alan Milburn makes highlights how little he understands the social work sector and the enormous pressure it is under, and the economic landscape that is currently suffocating working families. That Alan is also chair of the social mobility commission throws into sharp relief just how serious this is.

During the event Alan makes some key points. He says the profession is one of the biggest “under leveraged assets” when it comes to supporting children and families. Whilst the sector is suffering from budget cuts and a dwindling lack of resources, it has also had its fair share of funding which it squandered through poor management, well meaning but ultimately toxic financial incentives and the kind of breath taking incompetence that has resulted in serious case review after serious case review. The social work sector is not an under leveraged asset, it is a barren one which needs to be rebuilt with better training programmes, a solid infrastructure rolled out nationwide and a central mandate that demands only the highest standards from its professionals. All of this has to happen before we can even think about giving the child protection sector greater powers to support parents in need of help.

Alan also told social workers that they have a part to play in “trying to nudge and encourage and support parents to do the basics of parenting. To foster their kids’ abilities, to read to them, to provide some basic opportunities.”

Milburn places the inequalities children from vulnerable and low income families face squarely on the shoulders of their parents. This is a basic mistake which you wouldn’t expect a politician or chair of a mobility committee to make. It’s already widely established that parents who fit into these demographics are usually under enormous strain themselves, and have no time to read to their children for example, often working two or more jobs and worrying first about the basics like feeding their families. This is a point Milburn touches on but he seems blithely unaware that a lack of food in the home isn’t borne out of parents’ laziness to feed their children but an inability to make ends meet thanks to austerity cuts, and politicians more interested in sound bites and scamming votes.

Social workers should not be fooled by this thinly veiled attempt to get them on side. The profession can be a force for good, but it will have to do this through internal reflection and not be lulled into a false sense of security by schmoozing former cabinet ministers whose main interest in the social work sector and its professionals is purely political.

school meals

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Law Ending Child Marriage In New York Comes Into Effect

20 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform

≈ 2 Comments

A bill raising the minimum age for marriage from 14 to 17 in New York has been signed into law by Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.

Human Rights Watch campaigned vigorously for the move,  resulting in a law being passed in New York State today, which bans all marriage of children under the age of 17, and allows 17 year olds to marry only with permission from a judge.

Website Unchained At Last offers the following stats on child marriage in the state:

“3,853 children were married in New York between 2000 and 2010, many with significant age differences. In 2011 alone, a 14-year-old married a 26-year-old in New York, and a 15-year-old married someone age “35 to 39.” A 15-year-old was wed to a 28-year-old. Another 15-year-old was wed to a 25-year-old. All those marriages required approval from New York judges.”

Whilst there is some debate over whether laws raising the age of consent for marriage will protect all vulnerable children being forced into unions against their will, largely because a significant portion of child marriages around the world happen informally and go undetected as a result, the new law will act as a deterrent and provide much needed protection against adults seeking to marry vulnerable minors, often in order to traffick them.

The legislation is a wonderful start to tackling child marriage in the state. The next step for New York will be to reach out to those communities still sanctioning child marriage and engage with them, so that a dialogue around the practice can begin and new ways of nurturing children within those communities are developed.

Human Rights Watch has published an excellent summary on the day’s events, which you can read here. Many congratulations to HRW and other organisations who fought tirelessly for this new law.

CMNY Heather.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 8,460 other subscribers

Contact Researching Reform

Huff Post Contributer

For Litigants in Person

Child Welfare Debates

June 2017
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May   Jul »

Children In The Vine : Stories From The Family Justice System

Categories

  • Adoption
  • All Party Parliamentary Group on Family Law and The Court of Protection
  • Articles
  • Big Data
  • Bills
  • Case Study
  • child abuse
  • child abuse inquiry
  • child welfare
  • Children
  • Children In The Vine
  • Circumcision
  • Civil Partnerships
  • Consultation
  • Conversations With…
  • Corporal Punishment
  • CSA
  • CSE
  • Data Pack
  • Domestic Violence
  • Encyclopaedia on Family and The Law
  • event
  • Family Law
  • Family Law Cases
  • FGM
  • FOI
  • forced adoption
  • Foster Care
  • Fudge of the Week
  • Fultemian Project
  • Huffington Post
  • Human Rights
  • IGM
  • Inquiry
  • Interesting Things
  • Interview
  • Judge of the Week
  • Judges
  • judicial bias
  • Law to lust for
  • legal aid
  • LexisNexis Family Law
  • LIP Service
  • LIPs
  • Marriage
  • McKenzie Friends
  • MGM
  • News
  • Notes
  • petition
  • Picture of the Month
  • Podcast
  • Question It
  • Random Review
  • Real Live Interviews
  • Research
  • Researching Reform
  • social services
  • social work
  • Spotlight
  • Stats
  • Terrorism
  • The Buzz
  • The Times
  • Troubled Families Programme
  • Twitter Conversations
  • Update
  • Voice of the Child
  • Voice of the Child Podcast
  • Westminster Debate
  • Who's Who Cabinet Ministers
  • Your Story

Recommended

  • Blawg Review
  • BlogCatalog
  • DaddyNatal
  • DadsHouse
  • Divorce Survivor
  • Enough Abuse UK
  • Family Law Week
  • Family Lore
  • Flawbord
  • GeekLawyer's Blog
  • Head of Legal
  • Just for Kids Law
  • Kensington Mums
  • Law Diva
  • Legal Aid Barristers
  • Lib Dem Lords
  • Lords of The Blog
  • Overlawyered
  • PAIN
  • Paul Bernal's Blog
  • Public Law Guide
  • Pupillage Blog
  • Real Lawyers Have Blogs
  • Story of Mum
  • Sue Atkins, BBC Parenting Coach
  • The Barrister Blog
  • The Magistrate's Blog
  • The Not So Big Society
  • Tracey McMahon
  • UK Freedom of Information Blog
  • WardBlawg

Archives

  • Follow Following
    • Researching Reform
    • Join 814 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Researching Reform
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: