I see further evidence concerning child services, has been revealed by Trudy Dean Kent's Liberal Democratic leader, on tonights local BBC news she pointed out that documents had recently come to light, indicating that severe problems, existed some years prior to last years damning report by Ofsted.
Intriguingly the report on BBC website appears to not mention this, anyway the point is that their needs to be a proper inquiry into this scandal, didn't Paul Carter Kent Tory boss even promise one?
Come on Kent Tories stop hiding behind public relations operations, pointing out how belatedly you've got your house in order, its the least we expect. We also expect an honest answer to the question, just how did Kent's child services become so dire?
Just what are Kent Conservatives hiding?
Nothing Tony. If Ms Dean’s accusations are correct, and there is a document claiming dangerous levels of staffing in 2007, it must have crossed my desk when in charge. I challenge her to produce the ‘evidence’ she has, given that in 2008 KCC Children’s Services were adjudged one of the best in the country by the then inspection regime.
ReplyDeleteIf she cannot publish, will you be as harsh on her scaremongering as you have been on Clive Hart’s?
I might well be.
ReplyDeleteHowever it is not scare mongering an inquiry was suggested by your colleague Chris, and of course it is of public interest so the same mistakes do not occur.
Again what are conservatives hiding?
Tony, appreciate your blog is something of a public service mission, exposing misdeeds and inefficiencies in governance, but this is a tad too soon after your last two posts.
ReplyDeleteYou just had the Labour luvvies reeling on your last two items, with miserable civil servants trying to justify their cushy numbers, exposing Hart's latest posturing and then you go and let them off the hook.
They will gleefully avoid the awkward questions posed on the Unison strike ballot and Hart's vigilantes, and revert straightaway to their favourite pastime of Tory bashing.
Only my opinion, but you should have let them squirm for a bit longer.
Chris Wells must remember that under the previous Chief Exec vacant posts were deliberately kept vacant for longer than necessary to ensure that a budget surplus was made.
ReplyDeleteWhether this was the chief exec's decision alone or whether elected members were involved is another matter. This is recorded in council meetings for previous years. I am sure that cllr Dean can find the appropriate meeting minutes.
Now that we have a £8 millions hit on the budget to clear up the mess the public have a right to know who was at fault in the first place. Many of those who were involved in KCC children's services have left with big pay offs but there are still a few left.
Peter Gilroys report to council made in April 2010 contined the following stats:
ReplyDelete"For example, at the end of January 2010, a number of teams
(including some Intake and Assessment Teams) had 40 percent vacancy rates and there was a 29 per cent vacancy rate for all social worker posts.
Through active recruitment measures, including the employment of social workers from the USA and northern Europe, the overall vacancy rate will drop to 21 per cent as soon as the new workers have completed their induction programmes."
How did he as chief exec and Paul Carter as leader let the staff levels get so low?
Think you will find all parties have known for a very very long time exactly what has been going on including the abuse and cover ups.How unsurprising some are suddenly going to start chirping like canaries. Maybe we should be asking why there has been such a long delay ?
ReplyDeleteWhich report would that be Chris Wells ?
Were any carried out by Peter Gilroy & his pals, could these be classed as independent ?
As for KCC public servants giving themselves a pat on the back for their shocking Children Services track record according to many many families , let the canaries sing and the truth come out .
8 57 it's a tricky business I do try to allow stuff to develop, however as a liberal and having been interested in the child care issue, and since Trudy Dean, bought up the subject I though I'd mention it, while there was a chance that people might catch the story perhaps after the ten O'clock news.
ReplyDeleteAs for clive hart I have been quite mean to him and his colleagues recently, it's difficult not to, when he makes it so easy, interesting the contrast between him and others, I wont mention any names but one of his counterparts of whom I've probably been er ruder is more than polite and I guess takes the attitude that their is no malice intended.
I suppose I'm pursuing my agenda, which I hope is broadly liberal
I think what you mean, Chris, is "If such a document exists it should have crossed my desk when in charge"
ReplyDeleteBeware of what Winston Churchill called "Hierarchical attenuation".
1972 Commons question
Lord Clinton David phoned me in the last two years about this. The number ofg child deaths in Hackney Social Services care over the six year period at the Beeches is indeterminate.
Two received inquests. Others were administered without inquest. I had records of two of the three deaths from December 1971 to April 1972. The one referred to in the parliamentary answer actually changed the GP cause of death.
To obtain the two records for me Bury St Edmunds HM Coroner in the 90s had to search other area HM Coroner records.
I don't know whether Stage 2 Shipman Inquiry addressed this. But the problem was that HM Coroners did not get an overview of deaths on their own patch. It may seem incredible that for six years child deaths in care could be occurring in a small Suffolk village. But the officiating Coroner is where the death occurs. IE IF ambulanced or otherwise transported. How could this occur at Bury St Edmunds which had a hospital, that children in care in Ixworth could have been certified dead outside Bury St Edmunds Coroner jurisdiction ?
About twelve miles from Ixworth I was rural beat Pc at Clare covering 24 parishes and 110 square miles. This included the Sue Ryder HQ Care Home at Cavendish. There in January and July 1972 the matron and an inmate drowned. Matron in the lake, inmate facedown in her bath.
The Commons (Sir Keith Joseph) was asked for care inquiries. Shadow Minister Barbara Castle MP asked for full public inquiry into Cheshgire and Ryder Homes. Michael O'Halloran MP and Clinton Davis MP asked for full inquiry into the Beeches. Both care inquiries would have had to examine West Suffolk Social Services care monitoring. But Sir Keith refused both inquiries.
After the war Leonard Cheshire had a fiasco of a start to his care empire. But the Carnegie Institute rode to his rescue. Building a purpose built care home on his property in Hants.
Similarly the Rockefeller Institute funded Tavistock Institute.
In the 60s the Tavistock got to conduct sort of one flew over the cuckoo nest research on a closed community. Quelle coincidence, the purpose built LeCourt Cheshire Home inmates.
In 1972 the LeCourt inmates rebelled and this started the Disabled Persons Human Rights movement.
Perhaps Sir Keith, in refusing care inquiries, was abdicating the responsibility of the state to disabled people power ? (or not)
I have received various helpful pointers. Such as via Christs College from a Bishop. Suggesting that a common source of careworker to Sue Ryder and to the Beeches at Ixworth was the Kathleen Low Settlement charity. Perhaps that charity had rejected or ejected certain spuriously caring individuals ?
In Ipswich 72/73 there were Jamaican gangsters. One leader was "Jitterbug" or "The Jeeterman" or "Jeeters". Banned from USA and West Germany but resident in England. What the Jamaican pimps called "Capture" was to target girls in care from the age of 15 by kindness. Usually by using older prostitutes.
Indeed some girls fled from care and went to work on the streets aged just 15.
Jitterbug had killed men in USA and carved his initials in their cheeks.
If you look up Tanky Challenor. SAS hero WW2. Fell from grace as Met Detective. He was dealing with a Jitterbug gang member.
Have you got staff who could take a girl back off a Jitterbug ? Or catch out the sadistic or the paedophile ? No you have staff who wring their hands wondering whether to "Whistleblow".
A twat sporting a CQSW ain't up to the job.
And maybe the law of the land ain't yet up to the job.
Fair enough, Tony, and, on reflection, this is a more important story than Clive Hart's silly antics.
ReplyDeleteSee Retired has put a fair bit of meat on the bone so guess there is nothing one can add to that other than I read somewhere that two thirds of girls in care are abused. Makes one wonder about the kind of society we have created and just how are the carers selected and vetted.
Tony, this subject is becoming as boring as Rick's rants about the Deal bombings and conspiracies. And your posts are becoming as sad and laughable. Move on.
ReplyDeleteAnon 08.57, do you ejaculate when you post all these visceral anti-left comments? You really should calmo down, sweetie.
ReplyDeleteI see the local pimp, him at 9:30, has leapt into print to save his business from attracting too much attention. You keep plugging away Tony for this is obviously getting under someone's skin.
ReplyDeleteFor 09:35, no me old lefty mate, not being of sexual orientation I don't ejaculate (had the op) but I do leap about in uncontrolled glee when I read the antics of Labour politicians and union leaders. What a way to go through life, for years wanting to be part of the USSR and now, suddenly, China is the shangrila. Perhaps they will get their wishes in the after life for I sure hope so!
Trudy Dean should be applauded if her intention is ' really 'to tell the truth and whistle blow, although I do beleive this has been happening long before 2007.
ReplyDeleteChildren have been killed, abused and stolen from their families in massive numbers (even though the figures will have been morphed into nonexistence) 'very cleverly of course'whilst in the so-called "care system" which later on fills up the prisons system. This is deliberate destruction of children and families all backed up by the 'brought and paid for' secret Star Chamber Courts Judges many of whom have worked previously for the council.Everyone involved is on the State payroll and everyone who touches a child makes massive amounts of money, so there can be no justice without whistle blowers being prepared to speak out.
The Conservatives are hiding (or trying to) the fact that they don't give a toss about the youth in the county and haven't for years. They came down towards the bottom of a list of authorites spending on youth services years ago and they haven't improved it one iota.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many children have been removed by the council after their families have complained about public services in Kent ?
ReplyDelete12:31 I tried that but I am still stuck with mine.
ReplyDeleteIts about time someone queried why we have so many foreign social workers around 82 or foreign solicitors on the children legal team at KCC or why we are paying over £1000 for American potential adoptive ‘parents’ to fly over from USA , could it be international child trafficking at our expense ?
ReplyDeleteLook into CARA an India based international adoption agency operating through the department of education for children, how many have been taken without the consent of their families ?
http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/families/intercountryadoption/a005803/intercountry-adoption-latest-news
anon 1.31
ReplyDeletemaybe you haven't raised any issues of importance that would worry the council genuine whistle blowers need protection lets hope that Trudy Dean doesnt have any young children if she is daring to raise issues about children's services better known as the SS and for good reason
With this type of intervention and comment, I repeat what I said at 09.30. And for the benefit of Anon 10.11, I am not who you appear to believe I am. I have nothing to do with children whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteThere was me thinking you were King of the local vice racket worried about the loss of future new models!
ReplyDeleteOf course the Conservatives are hiding something - its called the TRUTH
ReplyDeletequote
Jenny Whittle, the Conservative cabinet member for children's services, said the Ofsted report of November 2010 had come as a "shock".
She also says ‘children are much safer in Kent’ but from whom ?
The only safe children are those whose parents know exactly what’s going on and who take preventive measures like home educating, recording all so-called professionals no matter who they are, and never ever let a social worker within a foot of their children. All state systems work together to remove children on flimsy excuses or simply make them up, and if you are daft enough to go to them with a problem they will take the children and the family will never see them again.
Adoption is a £2 billion plus industry, the head of Cafcass (Anthony Douglas) which KCC has an agreement with since 2008 is also a chairman of an adoption agency.
How many more people are going to be considered too poor or stupid to look after their children and be driven to suicide by this government ? Where's the help for families ? after all the social services & fosters are are paid extremely well to take the children
ReplyDeleteArmy veteran and his wife die in tragic 'suicide pact' after becoming 'too poor to live through the winter'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2059238/Army-veteran-Mark-Mullins-wife-Helen-driven-suicide-poverty.html
A veteran committing suicide is a bit off thread within an item on child care services and why this government?
ReplyDeleteUntil recent times nearly every male and many women, after two world wars and national service, were veterans and over the years many have committed suicide or become poor under all kinds of governments.
David MacKay VC died poor and penniless and was buried in a paupers grave over a hundred years ago. Nothing much changes and shit still happens!.
anon 2.04
ReplyDeleteDont you think having their 12 year old daughter taken by child services wouldnt have not only added to their stress & worries but been the mayor cause of it. If you only knew what happens to so many children in their care you would understand better and be rightfully horrified.
All government parties are involved and the word CARE is laughable all childrens charities should be investigated and looked into very deeply.
ReplyDelete9:44 You have your wires crossed a bit, for it is not the taking into care that is the problem, but the quality of the care that is then provided. Indeed, there are been many highly publicised cases where the unfortunate child would have been better served by being taken into care.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many failings within the care of children world, from local authorities to churches, but an institutionalised plot to steal children is the stuff of fiction. What you mean is that sick individuals within care homes and criminal fraternities outside sometimes target children.
Yes the whole set up, not just charities, needs constant checking and those entrusted with care need to be thoroughly vetted. Unfortunately, there will still be bad apples slip through the net, but when caught they should be incarcerated and the key thrown away as a deterrent to others.
However, I would suggest, that leaving children with evil or incapable parents is equally failing them.
Try telling that to the thousands of families that have had their children stolen for forced adoption every year or the children that have been abused within the very same system that is supposed to protect them . The whole barrel is rotten to the core not just a few rotten apples.
ReplyDelete