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The following press releases are printed 'as is.' The views expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor.
WATERHOUSE REPORT ON CHILD ABUSE IN NORTH
WALES
Freedom to Care, which promotes freedom of speech in the workplace,
says:
Management cultures are still putting children at risk.
We have evidence that senior managers are still putting the "good"
name of their council first, before the need to properly investigate
and discipline staff who abuse children.
Social Services managers have had to resign from a North Wales
council because they insisted that safe procedures were used for
recruiting children's homes' staff and that staff who abused a
disabled child should be disciplined. Chief Officers in Flintshire
refused to support their complaints, intimidated them and in 1997,
removed them from their duties.
Their statements formed
part of the Waterhouse Tribunal evidence.
Now speaking for Freedom to Care, one of those whistleblowers,
Chris Clode says he believes things are no better than when he
was forced from his job. At the end of 1999, staff still working
for Flintshire, but too frightened to risk their jobs by speaking
out, passed further, similar allegations on to him. Chris has
passed on these latest allegations to be independently investigated
by the Audit Commission.
If Waterhouse recommends new laws, new procedures or the appointment
of a Commissioner for Children, this will not be enough if senior
management in local authorities like Flintshire and elsewhere
continue to suppress and conceal complaints on behalf of vulnerable
children and adults being harmed in council care. This will continue
to deter good staff who wish to speak out against harm and malpractice
by their colleagues. It needs a change from the present bully
culture of senior managers and councillors, if the changes called
for in the Nolan Report are to be carried out.
How can social services bosses be prepared to turn a blind eye
to staff who are harming some children- and yet remove other children
from their parents for inflicting the same type of harm?
For more information, contact Chris Clode, Tel: 01978-750583 Fax:
01978-756851 e.mail: clover.care@tesco.net
Freedom to Care will be covering the Waterhouse Report on its
website: www.freedomtocare.org
CRY CALLS FOR NATIONAL CHILDCARE REGISTER 16/02/00
Following the Waterhouse inquiry into child abuse at children's homes in North Wales, the Campaign for the Registration of Workers with Young People and Children (CRY) has renewed its call for a National Register of all adults working with children and young people. CRY is particularly concerned that some of the people named in the Lost in Care report as suspected child abusers are still at large.
Tricia Pritchard, Professional Officer with PANN, Playpen Chairman and leader of CRY's Publicity Group, said: "This report shows how it is all too easy for undesirable people to gain access to children and to wreak their lives. It seems that 28 former care workers named in the report are 'missing'. They could still be working with children.
"We need action now to protect children, parents and childcarers. The Government must establish a statutory National Register of all childcarers to close the loopholes in the law which allow anyone - even someone with a criminal record - to find work with children, especially as a nanny.
"A Register could not totally eradicate abuse, but by including police checks, a requirement for a minimum standard of relevant qualifications and a complete work history, employers could make informed decisions. It would also stop unsuitable people moving around the country or between types of childcare to avoid detection."
CRY - which is made up of
MPs Martin Salter (Chairman), Jenny Jones and Julie Morgan, and
representatives from the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses
(PANN), Playpen (the campaign for nanny registration), Chiltern
College and ICSE (the Institute of Childcare and Social Education)
- is committed to reducing the abuse and mistreatment of children
by adults who are looking after them. CRY is deeply concerned
that allegations of abuse continue to come to light, both from
the past and present and from various areas of childcare.
- ENDS -
NANNY AGENCY GUIDANCE STILL NOT ENOUGH 17/01/00
Proposals on new guidance for nanny agencies, announced today by the DfEE but to be published in the Spring, have been described as "welcome but still not enough" by the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN).
Tricia Pritchard, Professional Officer with PANN, Chairman of the playpen Campaign for Nanny Registration and leader of the Publicity Group of CRY (Campaign for the Registration of Workers with Young People and Children), said: "We welcome guidance which promotes good practice in nanny agencies, especially in areas such as checking candidates' identities and backgrounds where many agencies have failed in the past.
"However, such guidance does not go far enough to protect children, parents and genuine, professional nannies. According to FRES (Federation of Recruitment and Employment Services), only 30% of parents hire nannies through agencies. There are therefore 70% of employers recruiting nannies directly. Most parents will therefore not be helped by these measures.
"By looking at agencies only, the Government is again failing to regulate the individuals who have access to children in the children's own homes.
"There must be a statutory
National Register of all childcarers to close the loopholes in
the law which allow anyone - even someone with a criminal record
- to find work with children. A Register would include police
checks, a requirement for a minimum standard of relevant qualifications,
and a complete work history so that employers could make informed
decisions. It would also stop unsuitable people moving around
the country or between types of childcare to avoid detection."
- ENDS -
NSPCC CALLS BACKED BY CRY AND PANN 10/01/00
Calls by the NSPCC for stricter controls to protect children in care have been backed by campaigners for a national childcare register. CRY (Campaign for the Registration of Workers with Young People and Children) - which includes the Playpen Campaign for Nanny Registration, the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN), the Institute of Childcare and Social Education (ICSE) and MPs - is supporting the NSPCC's demands for measures such as an independent care watchdog with statutory powers, "safe adult friend" visitors for children in care, and early implementation of the Criminal Records Bureau.
Tricia Pritchard, Professional Officer with PANN, Playpen Chairman and leader of CRY's Publicity Group, said: "The NSPCC has highlighted how it is still all too easy for undesirable people to gain access to children. We support its calls for tighter controls.
"When it is set up, the Criminal Records Bureau will be a step in the right direction, but it will not go far enough to protect children. We are in favour of giving childcare employers much more information about a job applicant's background, including any criminal records. The Home Secretary has said it will take 'two years' to establish the Bureau. We need action now to protect children, parents and childcarers.
"We also need a statutory National Register of all childcarers to close the loopholes in the law which allow anyone - even someone with a criminal record - to find work with children. A Register would include police checks, a requirement for a minimum standard of relevant qualifications, and a complete work history so that employers could make informed decisions. It would also stop unsuitable people moving around the country or between types of childcare to avoid detection."- ENDS -
NEW AGENCY REGULATIONS WELCOME BUT OF LIMITED USE
DTI proposals to give children extra protection against unsuitable agency workers have been welcomed by the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN). However, the Association - which represents around 5,000 nursery nurses, nannies and other childcarers - believes that the proposed regulations will have only limited effect and that unsuitable people will still be able to work in family homes.
PANN Professional Officer Tricia Pritchard, who is also Chairman of the Playpen Campaign for Nanny Registration, said: "We are in favour of giving childcare employers much more information about a job applicant's background. "However, we will continue to argue for a compulsory National Register of nannies and all individual childcarers. Tightening the regulations on agency staff will not protect children whose parents chose to hire nannies direct and not through an agency. According to FRES (Federation of Recruitment and Employment Services), only 30% of parents hire nannies through agencies.
"We still need a National Register of all childcarers to close the loophole in the law which allows anyone - even someone with a criminal record - to call themselves a 'nanny' and work unsupervised with children. The Register should include police checks, a requirement for a minimum standard of relevant qualifications, and a complete work history so that employers can make informed decisions."
PANN will respond fully to the consultation when it receives more details.
- ENDS -
CHILDCARE REGULATIONS INADEQUATE 03/12/99
Childcare regulation arrangements announced today (3 December) with the publication of the Care Standards Bill have been criticised by the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) and its Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN) section.
Professional Officer (Primary and Early Years) Alison Johnston said: "Bringing together early years regulation and inspection under one roof makes sense, but Ofsted in its present form is not up to the job. The Government's own Better Regulation Task Force, when it recommended such an integration, stated that Ofsted should not play the lead role due to its lack of expertise in the area of care. Our members are also concerned that Ofsted is not competent in child protection.
"When we asked our teacher and nursery nurse members about their experiences of Ofsted inspections* they reported incidents of inspectors wanting to hear four year olds read and asking about homework for three year olds! Ofsted must recruit inspectors with early years experience.
"The new funding for childcare is welcome, but where will the qualified staff come from to fill all these childcare places? Quality training cannot be provided in such a short space of time.
"Consistent national standards of checks on people working with children over 8 are long overdue and should give greater protection to children and peace of mind for parents, but what about younger children cared for at home? There are over 100,000 people out there who work as nannies and they are currently not subject to any form of regulation. Professional, qualified nannies, the children they look after and the children's parents deserve the protection of a national childcare register. This would provide checks on, and information about, all childcarers."
Notes: *Looking up the Microscope: a survey of teachers', lecturers' and nursery nurses' perceptions of the school and college inspection systems (PAT, 1999). The initial responses were used by PAT in its written evidence (The Work of Ofsted) to the House of Commons Education and Employment Committee Inquiry into Ofsted. The Committee published PAT's evidence as part of its report.
- ENDS -