Doctors
'fear child abuse cases'
Doctors play a key role in investigating child abuse
Doctors involved in child protection work are receiving death
threats and hate mail according to the BBC.
A Royal College of Paediatricians report suggested many doctors
had doubts about continuing with the work.
They
fear being made scapegoats or being the subject of a malicious
complaint. A growing number have had official complaints made
against them.
The
college has called for urgent action, saying the current situation
is damaging to doctors and children.
The
college surveyed its 6,000 members, the vast majority of whom
have done child protection work.
Twenty
four hour Nursery
A children's nursery is planning to open for 24 hours a day. Jumping
Jacks Playcentre in Wigton, Cumbria hopes to open its doors soon
for twenty four hours - parents on shift work can leave their
children aged 6 months to 14 years at any time - and they will
even offer to accommodate them for up to seven days. However,
it hasn't yet got Ofsted approval for its plans.
Milking
for Carers...
For
the first time, the government is placing adverts on the side
of milk cartons, aimed at encouraging 45,000 more people to become
social care workers - as part of a £4m campaign to fill
vacancies for carers in residential and nursing homes, day centres
and hospitals.
Using
TV and press ads - as well as stickers on 3.7m milk cartons appearing
in Tesco and Safeway stores from the end of February - the campaign
will be the first to boost recruitment of carers.
3G
'child porn' claims scare operators into action
January 13 2004
It seems that a recent report by children's charity NCH, which
implicated the internet in a huge rise in child porn and pointed
the finger at 3G as the next big danger to kids, has spurred the
mobile industry into action.
All
of the UK's major mobile names, including Vodafone, Orange, Virgin,
O2 and T-Mobile, as well as the only company to currently operate
a third-generation service in the UK, Hutchison Whampoa's 3, have
signed up to the new regulations, which are designed to protect
children.
Children under 18 will be unable to use third-generation phones
with unlimited access, effectively barring them from entering
adult-orientated sites, including porn or gambling sites as well
as chatrooms. The handsets will come with filters, which to have
removed the buyer will have to prove they're 18 or over.
The
report's author, who is also NCH's internet advisor, John Carr,
said that he feared that the nature of mobile internet would make
it easier for children to access the web without supervision by
parents or teachers, and could lead children to be unwittingly
groomed by paedophiles.
The
new code of practice will come into force later this year.
The original story from NCH below
Internet
feeds Child Pornography says NCH
Child
pornography crimes have rocketed 1,500 per cent since 1988 mainly
due to the increase in use of the internet, according to a report
from the children's charity NCH.
And
the report warns that a new avalanche of child porn could be unleashed
by the increased use of Internet mobile phones.
Child
welfare professionals are worried the new phones will be used
by paedophiles to access child sex sites, take pictures of sex
with children and trade in vile images of abuse.
It
will make it very difficult to trace paedophiles viewing child
abuse images as well as increasing the risk children could be
"groomed" for abuse while using the Internet by mobile
phone away from their parents.
Paedophiles
have used the anonymity of the internet to prey on children -
but some have been caught by tracing the computer's owner.
But
the mobile phone network is even more anonymous.
Prepaid
mobile phones bought for cash cannot be traced as there is no
record of who owns the handset.
And
advanced 3G - third generation - technology will allow paedophiles
to access child porn on pay-as-you-go phones, with impunity.
Children's
charity NCH (formerly National Children's Homes) said 549 child
porn perverts were charged or cautioned in 2002, compared to just
35 in 1988.
Numbers
are expected to rise even further when final data is published
for 2002 due to the impact of Operation Ore, the investigation
into 6,500 Britons alleged to have used credit cards to access
internet child porn, the charity said.
There
is evidence the internet had led to more children being sexually
abused, said NCH's Internet consultant John Carr.
"The
internet is about to go mobile, and that could make many things
more difficult to prevent or detect," he said.
"The
scale of the problem has changed beyond recognition in just over
a decade.
"The
increased demand has made child pornography into big business
and the consequences for children in all parts of the world are
horrifying.
"Offences
being committed through chat rooms have also been rising steeply."
Social
work department set to be axed
EDINBURGH’S under-fire social work department is set to
be scrapped in the aftermath of the tragic death of baby Caleb
Ness.
Under
radical plans backed by city council leader Donald Anderson its
key roles will be handed over to other sectors.
Responsibility
for child protection would be handed to a new super department
charged with pursuing the "best interests" of young
people
The
new body would have wide-ranging responsibilities for everything
from schooling to the detection of child abuse.
Other
key social work responsibilities, such as care of the elderly,
would be transferred to a greatly-expanded housing department.
The revamp - which is likely to see the city’s beleaguered
social
work
leader Councillor Kingsley Thomas lose his post - is seen as vital
to preventing vulnerable children being failed by the city’s
care system in future.
The
failure of various child protection agencies to work closely enough
together was criticised in a damning report into the death of
baby Caleb.
The
root-and-branch overhaul of city care services, and the 415 current
frontline posts, is officially just one option being considered
by the council.
But
it is understood that the plan has the backing of senior councillors
and the transformation could begin as early as April next year.
Edinburgh
Evening News
Police
set web trap to net paedophiles
Police have set up a fake child pornography website as part of
an international law enforcement operation to catch paedophiles
who search for images of abuse on the internet.
Operation
Pin will use a bogus website claiming to contain images of child
abuse to attract paedophiles. Anyone who uses the site will be
given several opportunities through a series of warnings about
the supposed content on the pages to leave the site.
Those who don't will be taken to a page informing them they have
entered a law enforcement website, broken the law and that their
details have been captured.
The
operation was originally developed by West Midlands Police and
has been expanded as part of a 'Virtual Global Task Force' headed
up by the UK's National Crime Squad along with the FBI, Interpol
and police forces in Australia and Canada.
Assistant
Chief Constable Jim Gamble from the UK's National Crime Squad
said at this morning's launch that people who view such images
online fuel demand that leads directly to more abuse taking place.
"We
hope this initiative will disrupt the activity of paedophiles
operating on the internet, discourage those who facilitate the
supply of images of child abuse online and undermine the confidence
of those who hope to use the internet anonymously when searching
for sexual gratification by viewing images of child sexual abuse,"
he said.
The
US Department of Homeland Security's law enforcement and investigative
bureau said it will exchange leads, intelligence and evidence
with police from other countries to tackle the problem.
Silicon
Pervert
teacher's pictures of pupils
A
PRIMARY school teacher is facing jail after secretly taking indecent
photographs of children in his classes.
Supply
teacher Maurice George Turner used a specially adapted bag containing
a hidden camera to snap the youngsters he was teaching at schools
throughout Greater Manchester.
Turner,
54, of Salford, pleaded guilty at Manchester crown court to 19
charges of taking indecent photographs, making indecent photos
and possessing 2,500 indecent internet images of children.
He
also pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images of children.
As
revealed in the Manchester Evening News, Turner was working as
a supply teacher at Lewis Street Primary in Eccles when he was
arrested in October.
Police
took action after receiving intelligence from another force that
was carrying out an investigation in Cumbria.
Turner
used a digital camera hidden in a bag placed under a table to
take pictures of the children who were unaware of his activities.
Turner,
who had worked in high schools and primary schools since 1977,
asked for 30 other offences to be taken into consideration.
He
secretly took pictures at six primary schools - five in Salford
and one in Bury.
The
case was adjourned for probation reports and Turner will be sentenced
in February.
Judge
Jonathan Geake warned Turner that because of the gravity of the
offences, he could expect a custodial sentence.
Tom
Fitzpatrick, counsel for Turner said: "This is a serious
case made all the more serious by the defendant's occupation and
background."
Prior
to his arrest, Turner had been working as a supply teacher in
the Salford area on a temporary contract for five weeks. He shared
a home in Little Hulton with a long-term partner who knew nothing
of his obscene activities.
Salford
local education authority set up an advice line for worried parents
after Turner's arrest.
Manchester
Evening News
SCHOOLS
WARNED - BEWARE OF RUGBY LEGAL BACKLASH
RUGBY
fever sweeping the nation's youth has been tempered by reports
of schools placing strict bans on the sport.
Sports
law experts say an increase in rugby-related injuries inevitably
means a rise in the number of compensation claims.
Two
recent cases highlight the legal dangers faced at the amateur
and youth level of the game according to Manchester law firm George
Davies Solicitors.
David
Mercer, partner at George Davies Solicitors explains:
"There
have been a couple of recent cases where young players have sued
schools and authorities after getting injured playing rugby. It's
a matter of major concern and head teachers should make sure their
pupils participation in the sport is properly governed by trained
and properly qualified people.
"A
young player injured in a school rugby match in Cheshire successfully
sued his opponent's school for around £100,000, after sustaining
injuries to his neck and ligaments. The court found that the school
was vicariously liable for it's pupil's actions and was forced
to pay compensation. (Ramsay Elshafey v Kings School of Macclesfield)
"Earlier
this year (Vowles v Evans) judges decided that a referee in an
amateur adult rugby game was liable to the Claimant for allowing
him to play as a substitute front row forward without checking
his suitability in terms of previous experience or fitness. This
arose when the referee failed to enforce the rule of allowing
a non-contested scrum to be ordered where there is no front row
forward available from one team," says Mercer.
"It
is easy to see how youngsters not properly trained in the sport
could be injured and then parents demand compensation and legal
action in the event of any injuries that might happen. Schools
must beware that for every Johnny Wilkinson produced, there will
be ten compensation claims if they don't take action," he
warns.
Growing
up, sex and the disabled teenager
Parents
often feel uncomfortable talking to their child about growing
up, puberty, and sex. This can be even more difficult if their
child has a disability.
There
are half a million disabled children and young people in the UK
today, but finding information and practical advice on this subject
for teenagers and parents is almost impossible.
Now, for the first time, Contact a Family - the UK wide charity
for families with disabled children - has joined with the Arthrogryposis
Group to tackle the issue and produce one of the most comprehensive
packs ever written.
Entitled
Growing up, sexuality and the young disabled person, this free
pack contains a series of publications offering a wealth of information
and advice for the teenager, the parent, the social worker and
the health professional.
Appropriately
worded for its intended audience, this user-friendly, cartoon-illustrated
pack comprises a folder with separate booklets. Areas covered
include self esteem, making and keeping friends, personal relationships,
body image, sex and relationship education at school and at home.
In the booklet for children and young people, young disabled teenagers
pass on their tips about dealing with some of the toughest bits
of growing up.
Also
included in the pack is a useful list of organisations and further
resources.
"This pack is a must for any parent with a disabled teenager."
says Francine Bates, Chief Executive of Contact a Family. "Growing
up is about becoming a confident adult with many close friendships:
it is about developing self-esteem, a good body image and the
confidence to be happy with who you are. Disabled children are
no different and go through the same processes as any other child.
"Of
course, we recognise that attitudes to difficult issues around
sex education vary widely. We want people to read the information
and take from it that with which they are comfortable. We are
sure that it will provide a valuable resource for many families."
A
pack for teachers is also being produced.
Both
packs will be available at a launch scheduled for the end of January
2004. They are funded by the Department for Education and Skills
and are free of charge to parents and professionals. To obtain
a copy of either pack, please call the Contact a Family freephone
helpline on 0808 808 3555 (10am - 4pm Monday to Friday) or email:
helpline@cafamily.org.uk
The
National Lottery Community Fund helps children of alcoholics to
dial up 0800 for help
The
Community Fund has just awarded a national lottery grant of £99,142
to the National Association For Children of Alcoholics (NACOA).
The money will help the Charity double its 0800 helpline activity
and increase the support it can give to children. Here Mo Mowlam,
patron of the charity explains why this help is so vitally needed.
NACOA's
latest research reveals some disturbing figures. In the UK, there
are at least 920,000 children and young people, under the age
of 18, who share their home with a parent who has a problem with
alcohol. They are often lonely and frightened, with no one to
turn to for help and support, and seventy per cent of these children
will try to hide the problem from the outside world.
Some
feel that they are the reason for their parents drinking, they
feel responsible for the arguments, the violence, anxiety and
stress associated with growing up in an environment where alcohol
is a problem.
NACOA
responds by providing a free confidential listening and advice
service for children of alcoholics to help support them and to
provide information to those who are concerned with their welfare.
Making
that first phone call is a momentous step. The £99,142 grant
from the Community Fund will help us double our 0800 helpline
advice and reach many more children who need advice and support.
We will also be able to employ more counsellors who can deal with
children on a one to one basis.
They
provide callers with information and advice, helping them to work
out what they can and can't do, what works for them and what doesn't,
supporting them through difficult times or just being at the end
of a telephone line to listen in safely. They also refer them
to others for help in their local area.
If
you have a parent who is an alcoholic, or you are concerned about
the effects of someone's drinking or other addiction on a child,
there are many people you can turn to for help and advice.
The
NACOA Helpline (0800 358 3456) can put you in touch with local
and national agencies, who provide other specialised help, with
local drop-in centres, Citizens Advice Beaureax, various support
groups, etc. if you wish.
Alternatively, you can ring and talk. We are here to listen to
you and to help you find ways to deal with whatever problems you
bring to us.
I
support NACOA because I know what its like to grow up in a family
with an alcoholic parent. There are thousands of families in the
UK today keeping up the semblance of normality. Drink is one of
the hidden sufferings.
Listening to children, helping them to understand that they are
not alone, that they are not responsible for their parents drinking
and that they can, with help, make healthy choices for themselves
is essential if we want our children to live happy and fulfilled
lives.
