Monthly Archives: February 2018

You Are Invited To, On A Journey With Women Of Iran

28 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in child welfare, event, Researching Reform

≈ 6 Comments

Ahead of International Women’s Day this year, three organisations dedicated to improving women’s rights, child rights and the justice system in Iran, will be hosting an event in London to discuss the state of human rights as they relate to women and girls in Iran today. The event will also celebrate International Women’s Day and the work of the late UN Special Rapporteur for Iran, Asma Jahangir.

The International Coalition Against Violence in Iran (ICAVI), Kayhan Life and Persia Educational Foundation are hosting this event, which is free to attend, on Saturday, 3 March 2018 from 3.30pm-7pm, at Fitzroy House.

The event will feature a distinguished group of panelists including Drewery Dyke, Roya Kashefi, and Richard Ratcliffe, along with special messages from UN Special Rapporteur, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed; and Human Rights Professor, Dr. Naz Ghanea-Hercock.

Researching Reform’s editor is also the managing editor for Kayhan Life, one of the organisations hosting the event, and we are humbled to be chairing the conference. Kayhan Life is a media outlet dedicated to news relating to Iran, and will be relaunching soon as a complete digital news service. (For anyone interested in Iranian current affairs, human rights and culture, we will let you know once the new Kayhan Life site goes live).

The Persia Educational Foundation  is dedicated to supporting women and children worldwide through education, including scholarships, awards and resources for children and women of all backgrounds, including 110-million Persian-speakers worldwide.

ICAVI was established to stop the growing violence in Iran. The coalition tries to achieve this aim through educational work; participation in and contribution to the ongoing debates within Iranian civil society on reform of the legal system; and appeals to the international community for support in dealing with the situation in Iran.

A full description of the event is as follows:

“As Iranian women enter a new phase in advancing equal rights, they face fresh attacks by government authorities. Reminiscent of the 8 March 1979 demonstrations at the outset of new compulsory hejab laws, Iranian women have been taking to the streets of Iran to demand their right to choose. The more than three-decade long struggle has seen generations of women and girls contribute to the advancement of a process that is drawing attention to some of the critical challenges facing Iranian society. It puts these challenges in the context of a body of state policies and laws that systematically discriminate against millions of all backgrounds in Iran.

 It also points to the mistreatment of dual citizens, such as British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and policies that limit women’s role in society, often veiled in incendiary justifications to protect the state’s agenda, dubbed as national interests.

 Women’s strides in Iran are parallel to international efforts attempting to improve living conditions for all, regardless of any characteristics, including gender. A significant figure facilitating these efforts was that of United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, the indefatigable lawyer and women’s rights advocate, Asma Jahangir. Ms. Jahangir’s contributions to the women’s movement and human rights energised both those working at the grassroots level as well as those leading the equality movement in Iranian society.

“We want to highlight the positive impact of changes women are making every day,” said Rouhi Shafii, Founder of ICAVI, “and show the interconnected nature of this process among those inside Iran and those residing outside its borders.”

This public event will take place on Saturday, 3 March 2018 at Fitzroy House. Doors will open at 3:30 pm. The programme is open to registered participants and will begin promptly at 4:00 pm. It will include two panels, a new short documentary film on the women’s movement in Iran, special messages and Q&A followed by refreshments.

The event will be made available to a global audience through Facebook Live, and is accompanied by a Thunderclap Campaign.

To attend, please register through Eventbrite.

If you’d like more details about the event, please contact Tahirih Danesh at info@persia.education

Please do come along if you can, we would love to see you.

Iranian_Girls_in_the_22_Bahman_2017_rally_by_Tasnimnew.com07

 

 

 

 

New Guidance On Education And Support For Children In Care.

28 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in child welfare, Researching Reform

≈ 4 Comments

The government has published statutory guidance intended for councils and child welfare professionals, which outline new duties towards children in care, and care leavers. The changes have been made to correspond with the Children and Social Work Act 2017.

The duties are split into two categories:

“Promoting the education of looked after children and previously looked after children,” outlines local authority responsibilities when it comes to ensuring that looked after children have access to a proper education and are heard when they want to express their views and feelings on their educational needs.

“Extending Personal Adviser support to all care leavers to age 25,”  extends care leaver support services from 21, to 25 for every care leaver. Previously care leavers who reached the age of 21 were only allowed access to personal adviser support up to the age of 25, if they were engaged in education or training.

The government has agreed to increase funding for the Personal Adviser extension to over £12 million by 2021, and has promised to provide £7 million a year until 2020 for the extension of the Virtual School Heads scheme.

education

The Latest.

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in News, Researching Reform

≈ 4 Comments

This week’s child welfare focused events, research and news items, as of this morning:

Many thanks to Dana for the last two items.

LAW1

Tory Whip Confesses To Helping MPs Out Of “Scandals Involving Small Boys.”

26 Monday Feb 2018

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

≈ 6 Comments

A documentary made in 1995 about the role of Whips in Westminster, features an interview with a former Tory whip admitting that MPs would come to him for help covering up scandals, including what appear to be incidents of sexual abuse involving young boys.

Tim Fortescue can be seen in the clip talking about the kinds of personal problems politicians might have, and how whips were on hand to offer damage control for scandals that, as Fortescue puts it, “a member seemed likely to be mixed up in.” Whips would be only too happy to oblige, as the favour would ultimately lead to unconditional loyalty and obedience from the troubled MP:

“And we would do everything we can because we would store up brownie points… and if I mean, that sounds a pretty, pretty nasty reason, but it’s one of the reasons because if we could get a chap out of trouble then, he will do as we ask forever more.” 

Whilst the language doesn’t automatically imply guilt on the part of those MPs who were mentioned in scandals of different types, there is a strong implication of it, as Fortescue explains at the start of the clip that MPs were encouraged to come to him, and other whips, with the whole truth. This is the key phrase from the clip:

“Anyone with any sense, who was in trouble, would come to the whips and tell them the truth.”

The documentary also features Geoffrey Dickens, an outspoken Conservative MP who was responsible for calling out the government over an alleged paedophile ring operating between 1981-1985, at the height of the Paedophile Information Exchange’s involvement in British politics. Dickens also used his Parliamentary Privilege to call out diplomat Sir Peter Hayman as a paedophile, which was widely condemned at the time. Hayman was confirmed to be a member of the Paedophile Information Exchange, and was eventually jailed for child sexual offences.

Dickens is perhaps best remembered for handing over a dossier to Leon Brittan, with the names of every politician who was a member of PIE, and all those involved in child sexual abuse as well. On his meeting with Brittan, Dickens said that he was “encouraged” by the meeting, but later expressed concern that PIE had not been banned.

In 2013, Tom Watson, a Labour politician representing Bromwich East,  asked to have access to the dossier. The dossier was never found.

The documentary, entitled, “Life in The Whips Office,” runs to just over 58 minutes and is worth viewing for the revelations, there are several, around child sexual abuse and gender inequality, and for a look at current day politicians as they were when they were green and hungry for recognition.

Fortescue also makes disparaging comments about women in the documentary. When asked about the fact that the country has had a female Prime Minister but no female whips, Fortescue has this to say:

“Well, you’ve got to get your priorities right, haven’t you?”

The Interviewer goes on to ask, “Meaning what? The Whips’ Office is more important than who leads the party?”

And Fortescue replies, “You said it, I didn’t….”

The clip in which Fortescue mentions helping politicians deal with allegations relating to sleeping with small boys starts at 23:35. (We’ve also added it below).

The documentary resurfaced this week in a tweet by Richard Laird, Highland Councillor for Inverness Central, and Deputy Leader of the SNP Group.

With very many thanks to Raul for sharing this tweet with us.

 

 

 

Lambeth Council Offers Compensation To Child Abuse Victims.

26 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by in child abuse, Researching Reform, social services

≈ 21 Comments

Lambeth Council has launched a redress scheme which promises to compensate anyone who was abused or feared being abused, as a child at a Lambeth Children’s Home and/or Shirley Oaks Primary School. The scheme will also compensate survivors who were abused at the Council’s foster homes, if they were placed in the homes directly from a Lambeth Children’s care home.

The scheme was opened on 2 January, 2018 and will run until 1st January, 2020.

Payments

Compensation has been divided into two types:

Harm’s Way Payment

A payment for Applicants who were resident at a Lambeth Children’s Home and feared that they would be physically and/or sexually abused, and/or who were neglected and/or suffered cruelty whilst resident at a Lambeth Children’s Home.

You do not need to have suffered abuse to apply for a Harm’s Way Payment

In order to apply for a Harm’s Way payment, the scheme asks that you answer ‘yes’ to these two questions:

  1. Did you live in a Lambeth Children’s Home and fear that you would be physically and/or sexually abused;
  2. and/or were neglected and/or suffered cruelty? * Did your experience have a negative impact on your childhood?

Individual Redress Payment

This payment is for Applicants who suffered sexual abuse and/or physical abuse and/or psychological injury at a Lambeth Children’s Home and/or Shirley Oaks Primary School.

To make an application for an Individual Redress Payment you will need to show that you have suffered physical, psychiatric or sexual abuse.

To be able to apply for this payment, the scheme asks once again that applicants answer ‘yes’ to both of these questions:

  1. Did you live in or visit a Lambeth Children’s Home or attend Shirley Oaks Primary School as a child and suffer sexual abuse and/or physical abuse there?
  2. Was the abuse committed by a member of staff at the Lambeth Children’s Home and/or Shirley Oaks Primary School?

General Information

Here are some key points from the council’s web pages:

  • There is no statute of limitations on the claim – you can apply even if the abuse happened a long time ago
  • Applicants can apply for both types of compensation
  • If you suffered abuse whilst visiting a Lambeth Children’s home, you may also be eligible for compensation
  • You can ask for counselling as part of the process
  • You can ask for specialist advice and help for things like housing, welfare benefits, education and employment
  • An application for an Individual Redress Payment (but not for a Harm’s Way Payment), can also be made on behalf of someone who is deceased
  • You can apply if you were abused by another child
  • Individuals who lack mental capacity can also apply, but will need to be represented by a legal representative or a litigation friend
  • You can make an application if you have a criminal record
  • You can go through the application process by yourself, with friends/relatives/a support group, and you can also instruct a solicitor
  • The council’s solicitors are Kennedys LLP
  • The council will cover fixed legal costs if a Harm’s Way Payment is made, and reasonable costs and expenses if an Individual Redress Payment is made
  • The council won’t ask you to undergo a medical assessment to receive a Harm’s Way Payment, but there may be instances where an assessment may be required for an Individual Redress Payment
  • If you are not happy with the award that’s made, you can appeal to their Independent Appeal Panel, which is made up of three people, one of whom will be legally qualified. The council does not explain what they mean by an Independent Panel, or how they select individuals to be on the panel. The panel also has the power to reduce awarded payments.
  • You can ask for a written apology, as well as receiving any compensation you are awarded
  • You can request to meet with a senior representative of the Council
  • You don’t have to go through the council’s redress scheme – you can issue a claim through the courts 
  • The information you share in your application will be used for audit and statistical analysis as well as form processing purposes

Applying for Compensation

The council ask that you fill out their application form. You can access a copy in the following ways:

The more information you can offer, the easier it will be to process the claim. The council suggest adding as much detail as you can in the form, including the dates you were at the care home or foster home, and names of alleged perpetrators, as examples.

The council also offers a list of solicitors you may wish to contact:

We recommend asking people who have been through similar proceedings who they have hired and getting their feedback on their experiences. The Public Access Directory also offers listings of barristers who take on legal aid work.

Award Assessments

These payments are graded to a maximum of £10,000 based on the length of time victims lived at a Lambeth Children’s Home. The breakdown of awards is as follows:-

  • More than 6 months – £10,000;
  • 3-6 months – £5,000;
  • More than 1 week and up to 3 months – £2,500;
  • Less than 1 week – £1,000.

If you were a resident in a Specialist Unit as a child, you will receive a payment of £10,000 which is not dependent on how long you lived in the Unit. You will not need to provide written evidence to support your Application for a Harm’s Way Payment.

The council offers a list of independent medical experts for psychiatric assessments. The list is not provided on the site, but should you ask for it, we would advise researching the experts on the list to see whether or not they have worked extensively for the council, as experts representing the council’s interests.

Lambeth Council will cover reasonable medical expenses and the cost of any medical reports prepared for the application.

Applications should be submitted by 1 January 2020 at 5pm, at the latest. 

You can send your Application Form to Lambeth Redress Team, PO Box No. 747, Winchester, SO23 5DP or email it to redress@lambeth.gov.uk

Very many thanks to Dana for alerting us to this scheme.

 

 

Lambeth

 

 

 

UPDATE: Case Involving The Kidnap and Rape Of Children In Care Homes

23 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in child abuse, Researching Reform

≈ 4 Comments

A trial involving a paedophile who claims ‘top political people’ asked him to kidnap young girls from care homes so they could rape them, is ongoing.

Media reports this week suggested that a final hearing had taken place on13th February and a verdict handed down for the defendant, Gihan Muthukumarana. We can now report that this is not the case.

Researching Reform spoke with Southwark Crown Court this afternoon, who confirmed that the case was only part heard, and was currently on their warned list. Warned lists feature a selection of cases that can be heard at short notice. The cases are listed for trial to start on any day within a set window of time, rather than a specific date. Judges decide which cases go on the list.

Southwark Crown Court told Researching Reform that the case was likely to be heard within the next two weeks.

As of today, there is no listing for this case, but we will keep checking The Law Pages for any developments.

Very many thanks to the kind and helpful clerk we spoke with at Southwark.

LP

 

Court Hears VIP Plot To Rape Girls From Care Homes – And Then Dispose Of Their Bodies In Acid.

22 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by in child abuse, Researching Reform

≈ 13 Comments

Southwark Crown Court has heard a case in which a paedophile has claimed that millions of pounds could be made raping children on camera for ‘top political people.’

The hearing took place this month, though no English mainstream media outlets appeared to have covered the trial, which concluded on 13th February, 2018. Only Court News UK,  Breitbart and The Scotsman, have commented.

Gihan Muthukumarana, who has been charged with facilitating sexual activity with a child and three counts of possessing indecent images of children, told an undercover police officer that the film could be sold for as much as £10 million if the girls were then killed and their bodies were disposed of, which he suggested should be done using vats of acid.

Muthukumarana was reported to police after he told an escort about his plans, in a bid to secure her involvement with the making of the video, and that he had the contacts to carry out the plot. He also told the escort that he had slept with a 12 year old girl and encouraged her to think about sleeping with young girls herself.

The Prosecutor for the case told the court:

“He initially introduced himself to Donna as a facilitator who recorded girls and that he had a proposition for her.

He told her he would make her millions of pounds, he also told her that she would be protected because those buying the film were top political people.

Young teenage girls would be filmed by a woman called Angelie in a secure room and filming them “being f*cked up” and these would be watched by others.”

As well as offering up details about where the abuse would take place, Muthukumarana also told the undercover police officer that she should take alcohol or drugs beforehand because ‘it makes you extra heartless’.

The court also heard an extract from a recorded phone call in which he claimed that, ‘the people paying us to do what we’re doing are very high up political people. We will be masked up and it will be on webcam.’

Muthukumarana told the court that the plot was a fantasy, and denied any knowledge of the indecent images found on his computer’s hard drive.

There appears to be no follow up of this case, and no judgment to access. We think this case is a public interest matter, and will be asking for immediate release of the judgment.

Very many thanks to Maggie Tuttle for alerting us to this case.

CCS

Cash Strapped Councils Offering Up To £1,000 To Fill “Difficult” Children’s Services Roles.

22 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by in Researching Reform, social services

≈ 7 Comments

As council tax is set to rise in almost every borough across England, local authorities are offering financial incentives to employees who refer friends for adult and children’s social care roles.

Rotherham Council is offering £500 to employees who refer children’s social workers to the council, with the referer getting £250 if the person they put forward is successfully recruited, and a further £250 if the person performs satisfactorily over a six month period.

Offering twice as much as Rotherham, Surrey County Council pledges to give referring employees £1,000 – £500 for the appointment and the remaining £500 if the referee remains in the council’s employment for three months. Interestingly, the lump sums are not tax free. On its page, Surrey County Council refers to the positions as “hard-to-recruit” posts.

It’s an abominable waste of money. Financial incentives have been used for years in the fostering sector, and have done nothing to help fostering which has been all but obliterated, as the government’s recent foster care review confirmed.

These councils would be far better off spending the money on their current social workers, to deliver a hands on service, so these professionals can actually be physically present for the families they are meant to be supporting.

Many thanks to Dana for sharing Surrey County Council’s link with us.

refer a friend

 

New Body Monitoring Social Workers Makes Malpractice Blunder.

20 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Researching Reform, social services, social work

≈ 13 Comments

A new social work regulator called Social Work England (SWE) set to take over from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has published a survey asking for feedback on its plans to protect the public from malpractice. And it misses the main issue by a country mile.

The background to this latest development is set out in SWE’s consultation guide, which tells us:

“The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) currently regulates social workers in England alongside 15 other professions. The Government believes that the regulation of social workers in England will be better carried out by a social work specific body able to develop an in-depth understanding of the profession. The Children and Social Work Act 2017 (the 2017 Act), provides for the establishment of Social Work England for this purpose…

In January 2016, the then Secretary of State for Education announced, in partnership with the Secretary of State for Health, the intention to set up a new regulator for social workers, as part of wider reforms to improve confidence in social work and raise the status of the profession…

As a single-profession regulator, Social Work England will be able to use the data and evidence it gathers through delivering its core regulatory functions to gain an expert understanding of the challenges that face the social work profession in England and use this information to feed learning back into the wider social work system…

Establishing and maintaining a transparent and accurate register of social workers is fundamental to effective regulation and public protection. We are proposing that Social Work England maintains a single register of social workers in England providing assurance that only those who are sufficiently qualified, have up to date knowledge and remain competent are able to practise as social workers in England.”

Social Work England is a specialist regulator for social workers in England, whose primary objective is to protect the public. The regulator claims that it will fulfil this objective by “setting professional, education and training standards for social workers, and providing assurance that those registered meet the standards, are qualified and remain fit to practise.”

Whilst this initiative could potentially be a good thing for the social work sector, there are two very worrying aspects about Social Work England, and its current proposals.

The first lies in the phrase, “…providing assurance that those registered meet the standards.” A dangerous loophole in the registration rules for social workers currently exists, which lets social workers practice without registering with the HCPC, or other regulatory body. This effectively allows unregistered individuals to work without being monitored, or held to account for breaches in practice or law. The SWE’s proposals only focus on social workers who have elected to register, and fails entirely to include those that choose not to.

This loophole isn’t addressed anywhere inside SWE’s survey either, nor do they ask whether registration should be mandatory, which it should be. Whilst it is impossible to quantify the number of social workers practicing without registering, we have come across several instances ourselves. Dr Ireland’s ground breaking report identifying a significant proportion of expert witnesses in Family Courts who don’t have the necessary qualifications or training is also a sobering reminder that just because the extent of a problem might not be immediately visible or quantifiable, it doesn’t mean it’s not lurking beneath the surface. And this problem is hugely concerning, because it could lead, or may have already led, to the death of a child.

There does appear to be a small concession to service users who wish to complain about an unregistered social worker in the Grounds For Action. S.23 suggests that a social worker can still be investigated for an actionable offence regardless of whether they were registered at the time of the offence or not, however this doesn’t necessarily apply to social workers who were never registered in the first place.

So, the SWE’s proposal to “set professional standards which individuals must meet as a condition of registration,” means very little if registration isn’t compulsory in the first place.

The second aspect of these proposals which concerns us relates to the makeup of the SWE. There is absolutely no mention of who will be running it, or what their professional credentials are. On this point, we have written to the Department For Education to find out, and will let you know as soon as we hear back from them.

As for the first point about mandatory regulation, we mention it in our response to the consultation. And the SWE want to hear from you, too. The following groups have been invited to offer feedback:

  • Social workers (including Approved Mental Health Professionals and Best Interest Assessors);
  • • Social work employers;
  • • Social work sector organisations;
  • • Social work academics and social work education institutions and providers; • Children and families, adults, and the wider public;
  • • Other organisations and individuals with an interest in social work; and
  • • Other professional regulators.

You can access the survey here. 

The consultation closes on 21st March, 2018.

SWDE