Westminster child abuse inquiry

"A 67-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of historical child abuse following an investigation into claims of a paedophile ring with links to Downing Street. The unnamed suspect was held in Dorset yesterday and questioned at a local police station before being released last night, Scotland Yard said."

"In 2012, he used Prime Minister's Questions to claim that a file of evidence used to convict a man called Peter Righton of importing child pornography in 1992 contained 'clear intelligence' of a paedophile gang. He also claimed that a member of the group had bragged about links with a senior aide to a former Prime Minister."

"Mr Watson wrote to Scotland Yard about the case, and the force later launched a number of separate criminal investigations after assessing the information."

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2793603/police-arrest-67-year-old-man-following-investigation-claims-paedophile-ring-links-downing-street.html#ixzz3GGb8O5vj

Meanwhile the inquiry into historic child sex abuse seems to have ground to a halt as pressure mounts against Fiona Woolf:

"The controversial new head of the Government’s inquiry into historic sex abuse is under growing pressure as more evidence emerged of her links to a key figure in the scandal."

"Fiona Woolf has connections going back at least a decade with Leon Brittan, who is accused of involvement in a cover-up when he was Home Secretary."

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2754998/Pressure-growing-abuse-inquiry-chief-Fiona-Woolf-new-links-Leon-Brittan.html#ixzz3GGioSU00

DBFamilyLaw has written an open letter to Fiona Woolf regarding potential bias but the Mayor of London has so far not responded.

http://dbfamilylaw.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/csainquiry-open-letter-to-fiona-woolf-on-bias/

Tasers used by police more than 10,000 times

"New figures show the controversial weapons were drawn or fired 10,488 times in England and Wales in the 12 months to the end of June..."

"Home Office data showed the controversial weapons - which fire two electrodes to deliver a high-voltage shock and incapacitate the target - were used 10,488 times in the 12 months to the end of June."

"It was a 13 per cent increase on the previous 12 months (9,289) but there was a slight dip in the number of incidents in the latter half of the period, from January to June this year."

"A detailed breakdown of figures in the first six months of this year showed the weapons were fired 826 times."

"West Midlands fired the weapons more than any other force - 120 times - including the far larger Metropolitan Police, which discharged the "less lethal" weapons 114 times."

"A separate inquiry is underway into the use of Tasers on three teenage boys with severe learning difficulties, aged 14 and 15, who were stunned by officers from Devon and Cornwall Police at a school near Plymouth after reports of a violent incident at the end of last year. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11163634/Tasers-used-by-police-more-than-10000-times-last-year.html

Here`s the Guardian:

　
"The school, which is owned by the Priory Group, specialises in children with learning difficulties including behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and autism."

"It is a day and residential school for boys and girls aged seven to 19, and is owned by the company known for its addiction clinics favoured by celebrities."

"Devon and Cornwall police also is being investigated by the police watchdog over an incident in which a man who doused himself in petrol burst into flames when he was shot with a Taser."

"Figures released to parliament earlier this year showed armed officers discharged, targeted or threatened to use Tasers against youngsters more than 320 times in 2011 – an 11-fold increase from the first year they were cleared for use against under-18s in 2007.

"In the first year of officers being cleared to Taser children, they were used 29 times in England. By 2009, this had increased to 135."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/23/ipcc-police-taser-boys-plymouth-school

Update http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-officer-will-not-face-charges-for-tasering-man-doused-in-petrol-who-caught-fire-and-died-9799952.html
　

Facebook social worker defends herself

There`s a crackdown on free speech coming, and it is being pushed through as necessary to eradicate terrorism. Enhanced powers to trawl anybody`s internet data along with extremism-disruption orders will silence anybody with `extreme` views. These are two of the Home Secretary`s proposals. If they come to pass, there is a risk that any critical remark against the establishment may be called `hate crime`. There is no doubt that we would be on a slippery slope.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-week/leading-article/9330962/think-again-mrs-may/

So it was very disappointing to read Siobhan Condon`s remarks in Community Care regarding the criticisms she received from respondents to the Daily Mail article, most of whom, berated her for gloating on Facebook about the part she played in breaking up a family. According to Ms Condon the Daily Mail readers displayed `absolute hatred for social workers.`

On the contrary, the comments were mostly critical of Ms Condon but that is because the public want social workers to do a good job because when they fail, it is children who suffer. That should be understood. We do not know anything about the family, except there were notes going back eight years. Whatever difficulties the children had faced, a split with their family was going to be another upheaval, perhaps necessary - we do not know -  but hardly anything to celebrate on Facebook whilst making their identities available to the public.

It would have been better if Ms Condon had heeded her  friends and quietly slipped away. Then we might have accepted that she regretted her behaviour. As it is, in defending herself she has implied that criticism is `hatred`.  We are probably going to see a lot more of that in the mainstream as they nudge us in the appropriate direction to shut us up completely. It is a disservice to social workers in general that Ms Condon has used that line of defence, as for her grand vision:

"We’re at this point in time where there needs to be a social work revolution. Social work is an excellent career to be in, we get to change people’s lives. We get to change children’s lives, families lives. And that’s really powerful."

Let`s hope the revolution Ms Condon has in mind does not increase Social Work powers any further - we know where that goes - and it is bad enough as it is.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2014/10/14/social-worker-sanctioned-facebook-posts-reflects-feeling-abandoned-amidst-media-storm/?cmpid=NLC%7CSCSC%7CSCNEW-2014-1015


See also http://alicemooreuk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/can-social-workers-be-trusted-with.html

BBC stashes away money for children`s charity

"BBC Children in Need has kept £87.7million stashed away in its investment portfolio instead of giving it directly to charity, its latest accounts reveal. The charity, which has raised more than £600 million for youngsters in the UK since 1980, is preparing to launch a fresh appeal to viewers next month."

"But some donors may be surprised to discover it does not give the money directly to good causes. Children in Need has £87,705,000 invested in a range of portfolios, up from £81.2 million last year. Another £2.2million is sitting in its bank accounts, up from £864,000 last year."

"The accounts reveal it paid £9,000 in fees to fund managers and made £893,000 in investment income..."

"The money is used to help charities that support disadvantaged and disabled children around the country. Yesterday, the BBC insisted all of the money it raises is given to charity, but said it does not release all of it at once so it is able to measure the impact of its donations and ensure funds are being put to good use..."

"In 2008 the BBC faced the prospect of an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office after keeping more than £100,000 which should have been given to charity... In 2006 TV viewers were warned against giving money to the BBC’s Children in Need appeal..."

"Intelligent Giving said money is swallowed up by the need for two sets of bureaucrats: those who run the charity and those in charge of the organisations to which it gives money."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2793340/why-children-need-sitting-90million-fortune-charity-stashes-sum-away-investment-portfolio-instead-handing-out.html#ixzz3GEwTMuPT

Third sector funding

According to the Scottish Government the Third Sector Early Intervention Fund (TSEIF) is a new way of funding the third sector which will then align itself with national outcomes and priorities.

Following the first report by TSEIF a working group is being set up to look at funding mechanisms for the third sector and how they can best support children, young people and families.

http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Supporting-children-and-families-10f6.aspx

One of the activities identified as a priority by the Scottish Government is delivering prevention and early intervention services, particularly although not exclusively in the early years. Another is to build parenting and family capacity and skills.

Third sector organisations have long had a role in social care but that role has shifted in recent years. Because the economic crisis has reduced funding for public services, the third sector is expected to play a bigger role. However, it may lose its distinctiveness through the new funding arrangements:

Given that many third sector organisations have shifted into service delivery on a contract, rather than a grant basis, this may cause tensions for third sector organisations in terms of their role and remit. Are they an advocate for their client group? Or are they bound to their contract which can divert them from their mission? This is a tension which will only become more profound in the future and public and third sector organisations alike may need help in working through these.

http://sscr.nihr.ac.uk/PDF/ScopingReviews/SSCR-Scoping-Review_2_web.pdf
 

In other words, if you do not agree with SHANARRI, GIRFEC and the `named person` policy, there will be no funding for you.

The Snappening from Channel 4 News

　

The selfie has been advertised endlessly in the mainstream media. Just about every celebrity has done one - and they have been promoted by charities to raise funds:

`Friends of Ibba Girls School` aims to raise 250,000 pounds by the end of the year to further buildings and teaching staff so that 40 more 10-year old girls can join the boarding school in February 2015.

`It`s all about the pencilpower selfies - take your own and put it on Twitter and Facebook and nominate your friends and family to do the same.` Friends of Ibba Girls School 

Cancer Research UK received more than 800,000 text donations in 24 hours after it began sharing the text code for donating. "Newsfeeds have been full to the brim of women posting bare-faced pictures for all to see in a bid to raise money for the charity, along with the hashtag."

 Facebook and Twitter   

After the promotion of the selfie along come the experts to explain the phenomenon, particularly to parents:

"But even though taking selfies is a part of growing up digital, that doesn’t mean all self-portraits are okay. Like all behaviors that children and teens test out, parents should help them to learn the limits and guidelines for which types of pictures are acceptable and which are not...

That includes whether others will perceive the pictures as suggestive or too indulgent. ... But such discussions are likely the most positive way to solve the issue — explaining to a child what "questionable" selfies are — why it’s not acceptable to send out a sexually suggestive picture — is more constructive than blocking their Facebook account or taking away their phone....

But increasingly, other experts say that selfies can also be a window into deeper adolescent issues. With Facebook becoming a prominent resource in young people’s’ therapy sessions, they could provide a useful jumping off point for addressing a teen’s or young adult’s self-perceptions. ..."Psychologically speaking, there may be some benefit to participating in sharing selfies because this practice is interwoven in our social culture and is a way to interact socially with others."

http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/06/why-selfies-matter/
 

Early years assessments

Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) is one of several companies providing an assessment system to test pre-school children in kindergartens and care centres in the USA. The test is a `whole child` assessment which means it covers social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive development. Teachers are encouraged to log children`s behaviour on to computers using videos, audio files, journals and photos which are then uploaded to a central database. The plan is to have these updated every 10 to 12 weeks.

Some parents in Colorado are worried about the safety of their children`s private data and are questioning why it is being collected. There are doubts that the data mining is about improving child development and learning outcomes and anxiety that the scheme is to be extended.

http://michellemalkin.com/2014/10/09/look-whos-data-mining-your-toddlers/

A teacher who blogged about TSG a year ago is critical that the assessments turn teachers into data managers and students into data generators to serve the corporations. "Much of GOLD is based on observation - or kid-watching."  One of the problems is the time it takes to gather and enter the huge amounts of data required for each child which could be better spent teaching and interacting with the children. Another is the negative impact the information may have on a child`s future.

"Teacher as data manager and teacher as technician will grow and could eventually erase teacher as professional decision maker..."

http://www.pegwithpen.com/2013/09/do-not-go-for-gold-teaching-strategies.html

The articles are worth reading as a warning to those less familiar with the idea of assessing toddlers. As for early years practitioners in Scotland, here is a discussion some of them have had about using interactive learning diaries for students which are considered compatible with Curriculum for Excellence. At the moment using these systems is voluntary.
:
http://community.tes.co.uk/tes_scotland_early_years/f/49/t/584489.aspx

We can see that people are keen to use the ILDs, including parents who enjoy seeing what their children have been doing at nursery, but have they any idea where this is leading? The information gathered about pre-school children is stored with the company and a forum member asks do they have back-up in case the system is hacked? Yes, that is always a possibility but there is more than that to worry about. Intimate details about children are being gathered for a purpose which has nothing to do with what is best for the children and, for good or ill, it will follow them throughout their lives.  Here`s a link to the company:

https://orbit.so/

 

 

　

Julie Beal: Global Smart ID

"The grand plan for Global ID is to give each person on the planet a way to identify themselves online. One ID number for each person, to signify all that they are. This is the full personal profile containing anything relevant for identification purposes. It means all our private details being managed by a corporation, in the cloud."

"If you want to sign up to the online identity ecosystem, you can already do so through Google or Yahoo!, or by registering with the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group ."

"And if you don’t want anything to do with it, it’ll be tough, if not impossible, to get by in the future, because you’ll have to use your global ID to access all government services and healthcare services, to drive a car, and, once cash is gone, to pay for anything. Given the atmosphere of mistrust engendered by the system, and the constant fear of terrorism, over time it’s likely you’d need to ‘validate your identity’ to get insurance, to get a job, and to access buildings."

See Julie Beal`s blog: `Get Mind Smart`

http://www.getmindsmart.com/About.html

Little Red Riding Hoodie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8V3cHdSC4

"Once upon a time there was a young hoodie who liked nothing better than to joy-ride in stolen cars with her friends and whose family was so militantly left-wing that everyone who knew her used to call her Little Red Riding Hoodie."

"One day, Little Red Riding Hoodie’s unemployed single mother said to her, `Take this basket of luxury goodies I’ve bought with the massive benefits handout I’ve just received, to your grandma’s 5-bedroom council house funded by hard-working taxpayers.`"

"`But why can’t one of my seven half-brothers or sisters, all born to a different father, do it?`" Little Red Riding Hoodie complained."

"`Because they’re all out begging for me and your step-dad’s beer money, like you would be if you weren’t such an example of Britain’s lazy youth!`" her mother scolded her. `Now remember, don’t talk to anybody black on the way!`"

"Promising not to, Little Red Riding Hoodie skipped off, the basket of taxpayer-funded luxury goodies tucked away safely under her arm next to the Stanley knife she always carried with her..."

It`s not often there is humour in this blog. Definitely worth reading more at http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/the-daily-mail-book-of-fairy-tales-little-red-joy-riding-hoodie/

Nottingham City part of ONE in FIVE campaign

 

http://www.congress-1in5.eu/en/page/185-nottingham--uk--signs-the-pact-of-towns-and-regions-to-stop-sexual-violence-against-children.html

There is a Council of Europe ONE in FIVE campaign to stop sexual violence against children. They invite towns and regions to sign up to their Pact.

"A programme of awareness-raising of the Pact was launched in 2013 to achieve as many signatures from towns and regions from as many Council of Europe member states as possible. A "Pact Platform" has been set up on the Congress ONE in FIVE website (www.coe.int/congress-pact) where towns and regions can sign up and provide information on their initiatives and structures to stop sexual violence against children. This Platform will also serve as a database of good practices."

It is interesting to see that one of the regions which have signed the Pact is the  Nottingham City. When Mickey Summers, a child abuse survivor, protested at a recent meeting about his records going missing, making it difficult for him to present his case, Nottingham City councillors walked out. Yet on the above website Nottingham City make the following claim:

"Nottingham City is highly committed to combatting child sexual exploitation and abuse of children and has a well-developed strategy and services."

In addition, Melanie Shaw, whistleblower of childhood abuse at Beechwood care home in Nottinghamshire, is still in Peterborough prison on remand. No evidence against her has been presented at court and many pleas to assist Melanie Shaw have fallen on deaf ears. Fortunately, she is not without support.
See http://www.neonnettle.com/features/350-jailed-whistleblower-melanie-shaw-exposes-prison-human-rights-abuses