Grandparents Apart UK

Grandparents Apart UK
"Bringing Families Together"

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Grandparents left out to often. Jimmy & Margaret.

From The Times
June 27, 2009

Grandparents are left out of the family picture too often

When parents separate, grandparents can find themselves cut off from grandchildren with no rights. The law should change

Joan Bakewell

Stage lights sway beside the tall trees in Regents Park theatre on Saturday night, casting a golden glow on Beatrice and her reluctant wooer, Benedick. It was shivering cold, but our hearts were warm, first because of the play, but also because I was there in the company of my grandson. Much Ado had been a set text at school so he got the plot and understood the rude jokes as much as I did. The following morning we were off again, just the two of us, grandma and grandson, heading for the British Library and its exhibition of Henry VIII. Yes, my grandson is already in his teens and enjoys these one-to-one weekends almost as much as I do.
Jimmy and Margaret Deuchars in Glasgow had a fine time with their granddaughters at half-term, too. The two teenagers stayed over in their home and went on outings to Loch Lomond and such, just the sort of treats grandparents enjoy sharing. But in Jimmy and Margaret’s case it hasn’t always been that easy.

The Deuchars lost their daughter to breast cancer only weeks after her second baby was born. Her husband soon married again and moved away to Liverpool. His new family took precedence in his life and the grandparents found contact hard. Their requests to keep in touch came to nothing. They realised that they had lost more than their daughter. But they weren’t willing to accept the situation, and went to court. The laws of this country do not acknowledge any legal relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. However, after a somewhat heated negotiation, the families came to an agreement. In the years that followed they would meet their granddaughters once a month at Carlisle Castle or the Tesco near by. It wasn’t much of a family life, but it would have to do. However, they didn’t stop there.

When I was first a grandparent, about 17 years ago, grandparents didn’t have much of a profile. They were simply bundled in with the general family background and not expected to have much of a role. All that has changed, and people such as Miriam Stoppard are writing delicious books about the joys and rewards, but also about the skills and pitfalls of what I suppose must be called “grand parenting”. Being a grandparent, it seems to me, can be gloriously free of rule books and restrictions. There is only one qualification — parentage — and after that you make it up as you go along.

These days, grandparents are altogether more important in the community of families, a consequence, no doubt, of the fact there are more and more of us — 14 million at last count. The sad thing is that as many as a million of us have lost touch as a result of our children’s divorce or separation. Paternal grandparents are usually the most deprived because women — mothers — are awarded custody of their children in 90 per cent of divorce cases. So the fathers’ parents lose out. A report by the Grandparents Association of an admittedly small sample found that while 55 per cent of grandparents were directly involved in their grandchildren’s care before the separation, 67 per cent found themselves excluded from care afterwards and 42 per cent lost all face-to-face contact.

This is a regrettable situation. But the law — currently the Children Act 1989 — is framed to put the interests of the child foremost. So let’s consider the child’s needs: first the worst-case scenario, there are desperate families where drugs and drink are wrecking the lives of young children. I know of situations where the intervention of a grandparent offers exactly the support that young children need. Less dramatically, 20 per cent of children are growing up in a one-parent family: again the presence of older role models broadens their social horizons.
More positively still, research last year by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Institute of Education found that “involved grandparents” had a major impact on adolescent wellbeing. The research’s principal investigator, Professor Ann Buchanan, said: “What was especially interesting was the links we found between ‘involved grandparents’ and adolescent wellbeing. Closeness was not enough: only grandparents who got stuck in and did things with their grandchildren had this positive impact on them.”

This is where Jimmy Deuchars comes in again. So distressed were he and Margaret over the struggle to gain access to their granddaughters that they founded Grandparents Apart UK, a support group to help others in the same plight. That was five years ago.
They have seen great improvements. The group consulted with the Scottish Executive to shape a Charter for Grandchildren, which was introduced in Scotland in May 2006.

This says that “on occasions professional organisations such as social work departments or the courts . . . may have to make decisions that will have a lasting impact throughout a child’s life. In these circumstances it is vital in touch with her young grandchildren. She is being refused the easy and regular access she would like. She has written to her MP, Andrew Dismore, of Lab Hendon, who referred it for a reply to Baroness of Dreflin Morgan, the minister responsible for this policy area.

Speaking of Scotland’s Charter for Grandchildren, Lady Morgan wrote: “Although we have no plans to produce a similar document in England, I think it is fair to say that the principles of the charter are already well established through case law, government policy and the Children Act 1989 itself.”

That isn’t enough. A report this week from the Grandparents Association, the Family Matters Institute and Families Need Fathers demonstrates that grandparents have scarcely more rights over their grandchildren than complete strangers. They certainly have fewer than step-parents who, if they have lived with a child for more than three years, have an automatic right of access.
Grandparents who are determined to reach their grandchildren must be prepared to embark on lengthy and sometimes expensive legal proceedings. Given that grandparents are likely to be getting on in years, this isn’t an appropriate action. The law needs to be changed to provide for grandparent access as a right. Nothing less will do.

www.grandparentsapart.co.uk


Have your say

It is time people put children first, internal family wars bring unstability in childrens lifes, and money for the courts. Kids world wide are one of the biggest industries. So untill families get it right which will not happen kids will continue to be abused in all ways. LET KIDS HAVE A VOICE.
Maggie Tuttle, Essex, UK

I was just saying to my husband this morning - "how important grandparents are to their grandchildren"; - after noticing a granddad in a garage, explaining a woodwork project with his grandson...I commented on how grandparents can offer patience and wisdom when the parents are short of both.
Anna, Florida, USA,

Regardless of whether you get on with your parents/in-laws children need to be allowed to enjoy their grandparents. Where are people's priorities? Grandparents are priceless. Change the law and take the decision out of bitter parent's hands. My parents have spent 2 1/2 years in court-its very sad.
Angela, London,

I agree with Melanie, we do not need any more laws. I would rather the police concentrate on what they should be doing - catching criminals. These matters need to be resolved within the family.

Charles, Warrington,
My kids grandparents couldnt care less to see my 5 children. They are well behaved, funny and old enough to not need nappy changes. They never babysit, never visit, forget birthdays! I bought presents and forged their names for the kids. And yes we stopped asking for involvment from then long ago.
Lisa, SLC,

My kids grandparents couldnt care less to see my 5 children. They are well behaved, funny and old enough to not need nappy changes. They never babysit, never visit, forget birthdays! I bought presents and forged their names for the kids. And yes we stopped asking for involvment from then long ago.
Lisa, SLC,

Why is the reaction always to create more legislation? Why can't it remain just what it is - a family matter to be determined and resolved within families? Bringing in laws, enforcement, police, etc etc will not create a happy and healthy environment for children to be brought up in.
Melanie, Preston,
Joan, be thankful you are blissfully unaware of how poisonous some grandmothers can be. To give such self-centred meddlers legal rights would be a terrible injustice inflicted upon otherwise happy families.
jasper, chelmsford,

My mother is an interfering, undermining, meddling, manipulative and insufferable woman. I do not trust her near my children. It is mine and my partners choice, as parents, to have nothing to do with her or to have her anywhere near our children. Our lives would be a misery.
ian, Edinburgh, Scotland
In the US as I understand it there are laws that allow 30 days a year access to grandchildren. My eldest daughter over a row over a bottle of wine while on holiday with us has not spoken to me for 3 years and has forbidden her teenage children from any further holidays with me or any contact with me
john, Brighton, UK

What about grandparents who really can't be bothered? Why assume they're all eager to spend time with their grandchildren and help their offspring with childcare? In my experience, they're more interested in their pets, alcohol or hobbies than some noisy messy child. Typical selfish babyboomers.
Jackie, Worcestershire, UK

You cannot legislate for this kind of thing. Joan Bakewell, sense of entitlement firmly fixed, completely ignores the fact that contact with a grandparent is not always desirable. What if a grandfather is a paedophile who has never been caught? They would be delighted to have such a law.
Emily, London,

Over-entitled women, having manipulated family law to their advantage in their youth and middle age, want to amend it to their advantage now that they are grandmothers. The only surprise is how little they appreciate the damage they have done, even now they're real victims themselves.
Rob, Reading, UK

Why should we be forced to play happy families? My mother is interfering, manipulative and divisive. If my husband, our children and I chose to exclude her from our lives that is, and must remain, our decision.
isobel, ashford, uk

The essential role that grandparents do play in children’s lives. Dedicated Grandparents are the huge army that are never recognised officially for their tireless love and protection for children which comes automatically to them. Being mostly available 24/7 for caring for children but do suffer the indignity of being ignored as irrelevant persons. This is an army that doesn’t need to be bought with up to £200,00p a week (from a hard pressed public purse) to buy care for each child that often attracts the wrong kind of people. A lot do need help but not bought. There is a lot of them caring for their grandchildren that do not need or accept a penny but do it because it is their own flesh and blood. The ‘Charter for Grandchildren’ does not ask for legal rights for grandparents or anything like that. There is too much opposition from the government for that and god only knows why. It asks for the professionals to look more closely at the role grandparents can play in their children’s lives to make them utilize the benefits grandparents can be, like keeping a child in a stable home environment, maintaining a child’s identity, health history, keeping extended family connections rather than strangers which renders a child confused, resentful and withdrawn effect which carries with them through-out their whole lives.
Jimmy Deuchars, Glasgow, Scotland

I have seen a number of situations where grandparents have put so much pressure on the parental relationship (usually be criticising son or daughter in law) that the marriage breaks down. In that situation, grandparents should have no right to be involved with the children at all. Lucy, London,

Sally -I'm a grandfather.Like so many grandparents we've had to help both my children financially.We're unpaid childminders 5 days a week,and the Bank of Mum and Dad has helped with mortgages,and food and clothing for the grandkids. Don't talk about maintenance,it cost thousands each year already,
Mike, Dunstable, England

Sally, why should grand parents rights depend on maintenance? They should be there as part of the family background of the child not how much money they can cough up. And, Selena, why is it repelent that a grandparent should have rights of access to his or her own grandchildren.
Gareth James, Cardiff, Wales

Hang on, if grandparents want "rights" from the outset in divorce proceedings then they must also take responsibility. That means maintenance. And if then they have this responsibility it will apply to all grandparents regardless of whether they want contact or not. It is not so simple.
sally, uk,
I would like some involvement from my children's paternal grandparents and great-grandmother, but sadly, my husband's family have shown no interest in seeing their grandchildren at all. My mother is the only grandparent our children have ever known. My husband will never forgive his family for this.
Elisabeth, UK,
While it may often be desirable for grandparents to be a part of their grandchildren's lives, I find the suggestion that they should have any legal rights whatsoever repellent.
Selena, Sydney,

Thursday, June 25, 2009

STV News

Debate on Scotland's child protection system urged
Scottish Labour's Iain Gray challenges First Minister to do more to help vulnerable children in wake of Brandon Muir case and damning report.
25 June 2009 13:33 PM
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Labour has called on the First Minister to launch a national debate and inquiry into Scotland's child protection system following the death of a Dundee toddler and a damning report into that city's support network.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour leader in Holyrood, challenged Alex Salmond to "change the orthodoxy which underpins our system".

Mr Gray indicated as many as 20,000 children in Scotland were living with a parent addicted to drugs. He urged faster action to remove these youngsters, saying: "We need to change the balance between leaving these children with their family and keeping them safe".
In First Minister's Questions at Holyrood on Thursday, Mr Salmond defended the child protection services and said a rigorous inspection system had identified five areas, including Dundee, where there had been "serious deficiencies."
He told Mr Gray: "We have a very good child protection system in Scotland which is identifying deficiencies, authority by authority, and remedying these deficiencies."

Mr Salmond would not accept suggestions the Scottish Government is "doing anything other than improving protection for the children".

The calls from Labour came after a critical report into child protection services in Dundee. The report, issued on Tuesday and based on findings before the case of toddler Brandon Muir, found vulnerable children only received help once they reached "crisis point". Inspectors warned of "major weaknesses" in identifying children who needed protection.

BRANDON

Twenty-three-month-old Brandon died last year at the hands of one of his caretakers. Robert Cunningham, 23, was subsequently convicted of the toddler's culpable homicide. Brandon's mother, Heather Boyd, was acquitted.
Mr Gray added: "His mother was a heroin addict, and Brandon's short life brutal and chaotic."
Mr Salmond said former Fife chief constable Peter Wilson was conducting an independent inquiry into the Brandon case, and there was also an independently chaired "significant case review".

"Off the strenuous and stringent system of inspections being carried out of all local authorities, we have identified five where there are serious deficiencies, of which Dundee has been one," the First Minister said.

Mr Gray said it was known that between 10,000 and 20,000 children in Scotland lived with drug-addicted parents - and perhaps up to 100,000 lived with parents addicted to alcohol.
"We have heard these same figures from the Scottish Government for two years now," said Mr Gray. "I have been saying for months now that we don't need to count them but to find them, and find them quickly so we can protect them."

Morayshire and Aberdeen City councils have also received harsh reports on their social services departments in the past year. A follow-up inspectors' report on Aberdeen released on Wednesday found "substantial" progress had been made.

"Not just in one tragic case where an inquiry is pending, but across social work protection for children across Scotland, this government and I hope all of this Parliament applaud the action being taken to make the children of Scotland safer," Mr Salmond said.
He agreed with Mr Gray that social workers were hard-pressed but cited newly released figures that show a "record" number of social workers - 5,072, up 126 on the previous year.
There was also a record number of social workers in child protection services, up 59 to 2,349, while vacancy rates for social workers had dropped to a six-year low.

APOLOGY

During Question Time, the Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie called for Mr Salmond to apologise to the nation over the SNP's "broken promises". She brandished a copy of the SNP manifesto and said: "This is evidence, hard evidence of Alex Salmond's broken promises over the last two years."

The First Minister, however, insisted the recent European election results showed that Scots were happy with his party's performance.

The Conservative said Mr Salmond's Nationalist administration had failed to fulfil election promises on a number of issues, including class sizes, ditching student debt, grants to first-time buyers, and scrapping the council tax.

Mr Salmond responded by listing some of the commitments his government has achieved, including freezing the council tax, reducing rates for small businesses, abolishing tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges, funding 1,000 more police officers and reversing the decision to close accident and emergency units at Monklands and Ayr hospitals.
Last updated: 25 June 2009, 14:44

A round up of news on families

http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Babysnatch-fuels-call-for-review.2784305.jp

Baby-snatch fuels call for review
Published Date: 16 June 2006
By SHÂN ROSS
SHONA Robison, the SNP's health spokeswoman, last night called for an urgent external review into the case of Corellie Bonhomme, whose newborn baby was removed by social workers minutes after the umbilical cord was cut.
In The Scotsman yesterday, Ms Bonhomme, 34, from Dumfries, told how social workers had entered the labour room to seize her baby while she was giving birth in order to seize her baby. She was reunited with her daughter Fifi last month following a five-month legal battle with Dumfries and Galloway Council. Ms Robison said: "There needs to be an external look into this case to make sure such a thing never happens to a mother and child in Scotland again. "Such a review should look at working practices in hospitals, health boards and local authorities and any external agencies involved in a particular case. "We need to establish a framework for good practice which works and is accountable to the public." Fifi was taken into council care on 15 December last year after social workers in Dumfries received background reports from the London Borough of Camden. The English legal proceedings were questioned and the original decision to take Fifi into care was overruled by Sheriff Kenneth Ross at Dumfries Sheriff Court. Meanwhile, Jean Robinson, the honorary research officer for the Association for Improvements in Maternity Services, a maternity care pressure group, said: "The details of what happened to Corellie Bonhomme are appalling and the most serious case we've seen in the UK."

http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Calls-to-drug-test-parents.2760317.jp

Calls to drug test parents of children 'at risk' in home
""I think this is a well-intentioned idea but it may well be open to abuse in the future" JOHN SCOTT"
Published Date: 20 March 2006
By IAN SWANSON
SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR
SENIOR social workers want parents to be drug-tested to help decide whether children should be taken into care.
The call comes in the wake of recent tragedies involving children being cared for by drug-addicted parents. The Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW) has put forward the plan, which would mean parents with a history of drug abuse could be required to undergo tests to see whether they were still taking illegal substances. Two weeks ago there was an outcry when it emerged two-year-old East Lothian boy Derek Doran died after drinking his parents' methadone. He had been found dead in his bed by his mother last December at their home at Elphinstone, near Tranent. And last year three-year-old Michael McGarrity was found alone in a Leith flat with the body of his drug-addict mother, having survived for six weeks on scraps of food. First Minister Jack McConnell has since spoken of his belief that the authorities have often been too slow to remove children from homes where they may be at risk. He has insisted that the interests of the child should be paramount in all cases, even if that means splitting up a family. Under the ADSW proposals, children's hearings would be able to order parents to undergo drug tests in cases where children were considered at risk of "significant harm". The test results could then be taken into consideration in deciding what should happen to the children. Representatives of the ADSW have discussed the proposals with Education Minister Peter Peacock. Bernadette Docherty, chairwoman of the ADSW's children and family care committee, said drug tests would be "extremely useful in helping child protection workers to obtain better information on which to make decisions about children". And ADSW president Colin Mackenzie said Mr Peacock had been interested in the proposal and said he would raise it in Cabinet. But human rights lawyer John Scott expressed concern about a growing "nanny state" approach to such matters. He said: "Are we going to see a situation where the state forbids people to have kids unless they fulfil certain conditions? "Is it possible that in future people who are too fat or who drink more than a specified amount will be barred from looking after children? "I think this is a well-intentioned idea but it may well be open to abuse in the future and we must guard against that." Tory justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell also voiced some concerns about the proposals. She said: "I have reservations about this becoming a carte blanche approach so that anyone who fails the test is automatically barred from looking after children. It has to be done case by case. "But the welfare of the child is paramount and it may be that drug testing would be useful in certain cases where there were genuine concerns." An Executive spokesman confirmed Mr Peacock had met social work leaders. "It was an informal discussion looking at a number of issues and no commitment to introduce the measures has been made."


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Vow-to-stop-social-work.2815379.jp

Child Reporter cases double
Published Date: 16 November 2006
THE number of youngsters being referred to the Children's Reporter has doubled in the last ten years, according to a report released today.
In 2005/06, 53,883 children were referred to the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA), compared to 26,862 in 1996/97, when the SCRA assumed full responsibility for organising Children's Hearings in Scotland. The main reason for this is the rise in the number of children being referred on 'care and protection' grounds, such as where children are alleged to be victims of cruelty, sexual offences, domestic abuse and neglect. This year, 40,931 children were referred to the Reporter on this basis. SCRA chairman Douglas Bulloch said: "The needs of children - and those of their families and communities - must be addressed much earlier."

Could this happen in your town?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
At risk children left in danger if abuse.
At-risk children left in danger of abusehttp://www.scotsman.com/latestnews/Atrisk-children-left-in-danger.5394219.jpToddler Brandon Muir was killed by his mother’s drug addict boyfriend. It was later revealed that he died two days before a possible decision to remove him from his homePublished Date: 24 June 2009By Frank UrquhartTHE aunt of toddler Brandon Muir called last night for senior council officials and social workers to be sacked following the release of the most scathing report into child protection services ever published in Scotland.The damning report from a government watchdog highlighted the failures of public agencies in Dundee to protect vulnerable children from "significant harm" in the homes of drug addicts and alcoholics.Publication of the study was brought forward after the death of 23-month-old
Brandon.He was killed by his mother's drug addict boyfriend, Robert Cunningham, who was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Investigators from HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) said they had "no confidence" that young people at risk in Dundee were being fully protected.

They also condemned front-line services for their failure to help many youngsters until their plight had reached crisis point.Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray called yesterday for a national inquiry into child protection services throughout Scotland, insisting that it was a national issue."There is a crisis at the heart of child protection services in parts of Scotland," he said.

"This damning report in Dundee quickly follows similar reports in both Aberdeen and Moray. "We were told after the death of Brandon Muir that changes would be made. I have no confidence that that is happening. This is not a localised issue, but a national one. Doing nothing cannot be an
option.

"Brandon's aunt, Dayna Garty, told The Scotsman she was "appalled" at the report's conclusions. "Nothing that they can say or do is ever going to bring Brandon back or stop the suffering that they have let these other kids go through. It is absolutely shocking what has happened."I am absolutely raging about the findings. They are absolutely appalling. I am just staggered about the failures and weaknesses they found."Although the report does not set out to blame individuals, she demanded that Alan Baird, the city council's director of social work, who is also the new chairman of the city's child protection committee, should quit his post."If he had any decency, he would resign," she said. "Somebody should be held responsible, and he is the top man."She went on: "It's not just Brandon they have let down. "Obviously, Brandon died through it all, but other kids are still at risk and they are doing absolutely nothing until it's too late. Apologies are not worth the paper they are written on."The report on Dundee follows strong criticism directed against child protection services in both Aberdeen and Moray in earlier inspections by HMIe.In this case, inspectors examined the workings of the city council, police, NHS Tayside, the Scottish Children's Reporter administration and voluntary and independent groups in February and March of this year.The Brandon Muir trial was taking place at that time, although the case was not considered by inspectors. It will be the subject of a second independent report this summer by Peter Wilson, a former chief constable of Fife.The HMIe report found that Dundee was "weak" in eight of the 18 "quality indicators" examined. Services were rated "satisfactory" in six areas and "good" in three.Child protection services were rated "unsatisfactory" – which meant there were major weaknesses – in one area: that of making sure that children were helped in immediate response to concerns.The report stated: "Inspectors were not confident that all children who were at risk of harm, abuse or neglect, and in need of protection, were identified and received the help and support they needed." The latest figures showed 99 youngsters were on the child protection register in Dundee. In 48 per cent of those cases, drug abuse was a problem in the family. Alcohol addiction was an issue in 33 per cent of cases. In response to the report, Mr Baird said that four additional social workers, some of them agency staff, had already been employed. He added that the council was also spending up to £500,000 to make improvements to the service. The NHS, the city council and police also promised to make improvements. Mr Baird said: "You can never guarantee 100 per cent safety of our most vulnerable children – no council or health authority or police authority can do that. "We will work tirelessly to ensure the improvements identified by HMIe will be put in place at an early stage. "Staff from all the agencies involved in child protection are dedicated individuals who work in an extremely challenging environment. The contribution made by these staff must be recognised."Scotland's children's minister Adam Ingram said: "This report … plainly shows that child protection services in Dundee are simply not good enough and must be urgently improved."Clearly, everyone has a responsibility to keep our children and young people safe, including the public. "However, what we and they expect is that local services are doing all they can to protect the most vulnerable. "As a government, we have continued to set out that we will not protect local systems if they are failing our children, and where this is found to be the case, we will expect robust and rapid action."But he warned: "It is now for those agencies to build on that progress."The Scottish Government and HMIe will be closely monitoring the implementation of that action plan to ensure that vulnerable children in Dundee are not let down by the shortcomings identified in today's report."For our part, we have made clear that we will not fail to act if child protection lessons nationally are to be learned from Brandon's death. However, it is right that we await the outcome of the independent reviews so that we have a full picture of any action that may be required."The agencies involved in child protection have been told by HMIe to prepare an action plan outlining how they will address the problems in the service. They have been given four months to submit a report to inspectors detailing the progress they have made on the action plan.


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Early-warning-system-set-to.2739707.jp

Early warning system set to revolutionise child protection
Published Date: 06 January 2006
By LINDA SUMMERHAYES
HEALTH REPORTER
A COMPUTER system designed to warn doctors, teachers, social workers and police when a child is at risk is set to be launched in the Lothians.
The introduction of the "e-care" children's information system - the first of its kind in Scotland - follows a series of high profile cases in which authorities were heavily criticised for failing youngsters who were in their care. The sophisticated software will be piloted in West Lothian, before being rolled out across the rest of the Lothians, and will allow authorised professionals to see if a child is already a concern to other agencies. It will also allow key workers to see if the child is on the child protection register, has a significant medical problem or if the child has been missing school or hospital appointments on a regular basis. Dr Helen Hammond, a consultant paediatrician with NHS Lothian, is leading the project which has been developed in collaboration with the local council, police and justice department. She said the need for information sharing was first identified in Scotland following the death of three-year-old Kennedy MacFarlane, who was murdered by her mother's boyfriend in Dumfries and Galloway almost six years ago. In Edinburgh, the inquiry into the death of Caleb Ness in 2003 and the case of three-year-old Michael McGarrity, who was found in a flat in Leith beside his mother's dead body in November, had also raised serious concerns. "Each of those inquiries had raised the importance of sharing information and of, I think in particular, the issue of getting in early and realising the accumulated concerns across the agencies," said Dr Hammond. "Personally, since the Kennedy MacFarlane inquiry, I have been very concerned about the sharing of information and, when the funding from the Scottish Executive came up, it was something I saw as really important for us in moving the different work we were already doing forward." Around £300,000 of Scottish Executive money has been spent on the system's development and talks are on-going to roll the system out in Edinburgh and East Lothian. This is the first time a system has been used to promote child protection in Scotland but similar projects have been developed in England in the wake of the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie, whose plight was overlooked by police, social workers and medical staff. Dr Hammond explained that the level of access depended on the person's job, where they worked. For example, teachers would only have access to information about children attending their school. She said: "There are three levels to the system. The first level will be purely identity information. "The second level allows us to see what professionals are involved with the child already and when they saw the child and how we can get in touch with them. We don't need to know why they are in contact with that child. "We are also developing a third level which is a chronology which allows us to see the pattern of care for the child. "That will show major incidents such as the child going on the child protection register." In West Lothian, child protection workers from the police, social work and health departments will begin training in the next few weeks. Although the dates have yet to be confirmed, Dr Hammond said the public will get a chance to view the system at a series of meetings at the end of this month. "We want to make the public aware of what we are trying to do and how we are going to do it," she said. She added: "I think probably the most important thing is early intervention so that people get the help they need when they need it. It is just a tool for us and it's not intended in any way to replace people working together on the phone or face to face. This should just make it easier for people to do their job."



http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Family-protection-experts-join-forces.2783201.jp


Family protection experts join forces under one roof
""Now we can work in a much more co-ordinated fashion to provide better outcomes for children" DI Kevin Cassidy"
Published Date: 12 June 2006
By LINDA SUMMERHAYES
HEALTH REPORTER
SCOTLAND'S first dedicated family protection centre is to be established in the Capital by police, health workers and social workers.
The special operations police unit which investigates incidents of child sex abuse and neglect has already moved to the building and it will soon be joined by health visitors and forensic medical examiners. The move follows high-profile inquiries such as the one into the death of baby Caleb Ness, who was in the care of his brain-damaged father and recovering drug addict mother. Authorities were heavily criticised by the inquiry because vital information about the infant's situation was not shared between police, health and social workers. Temporary Detective Inspector Kevin Cassidy co-ordinated the project and explained that if a vulnerable child comes to the attention of the authorities, it was vital that health, social work and police meet to discuss the case. "That's the key element of any child protection investigation - you have to get that right," he said. "Because we were located in different parts of the town, these were seldom face-to-face discussions. "By co-locating the key professionals under the one roof, the sharing of information can take place much more quickly and much more effectively to enable us to work in a much more co-ordinated and integrated fashion and ultimately to provide better outcomes for children." More than 50 police officers have moved from St Leonard's Police Station to the new centre in the west of the city. As well as providing office space, there are interview rooms and a medical examination suite. The police officers also investigate sex crimes involving adult victims and keep track of people on the sex offenders register. Because victims can be interviewed and medically examined in one place, there is no need for them to give a statement in a police station and then go to hospital. DI Cassidy said: "We are providing bespoke facilities that are designed for purpose. For the public, it means a single point of contact so people do not have to be moved across the city from pillar to post." Sex offences against children and adults in Edinburgh are on the increase and last year the special operations unit investigated 600 cases. Health workers believe there are around 12,000 vulnerable children in the Lothians and a computer system was launched recently to warn doctors, teachers, social workers and police when a child is at risk. NHS Lothian child health commissioner Cathy Orr said: "We welcome the fact that staff are to be co-located in the new unit. By working together with the police and social work department we are able to offer greater support to vulnerable children and adults." The council's children and families department will be basing a team leader and six senior social workers at the centre. A worker will also be responsible for developing programmes to develop personal safety in schools. A spokeswoman said: "The shared response will ensure a balance between investigation and providing assistance to children and families who are in need. "This is a great opportunity for all the agencies to work together to promote the safety and welfare of the children of Edinburgh."


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Fightforlife-baby-may-never-go.2745461.jp

Fight-for-life baby may never go home
Published Date: 26 January 2006
By RUSSELL JACKSON
CHARLOTTE Wyatt, the desperately ill child whose fight for life went to the High Court, may never be allowed home from hospital because of social workers' concerns about the ability of her parents to cope.
The couple, Darren, 34, and Debbie, 24, say an assessment is under way to look at both their housing needs and their ability to look after Charlotte, two. Her condition has improved significantly in recent months and she was allowed home unsupervised for the first time on Christmas Day. Mrs Wyatt said: "They have said we can't have her home even if we did have a bigger home because they say we can't look after her. But that's not true and we can provide the proof now after taping ourselves looking after her. "Charlotte has proved them wrong so far and we have proved them wrong, and I do not think they like it." The unemployed couple, who have three other children, talk about their case in a BBC Radio 4 documentary, It's My Story, to be aired tonight. Mr Wyatt said: "They haven't rehoused us to a place big enough to take Charlotte and all her medical equipment, and now they're saying we can't have her anyway." A spokesman for Portsmouth social services said that a full assessment of the family was under way.


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/How-many-more-will-die.2749068.jp

How many more will die?
Published Date: 08 February 2006
WITH great fanfare, the Executive yesterday announced what it termed the biggest reform of the Scottish social work system in 40 years.
However, we have been here several times before - to no avail. Exactly two years ago, the First Minister announced - also with great fanfare - that no child in Scotland should ever again die because of failings in social services. At that point, he u...The full article contains 379 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.

http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Protection-for-atrisk-youngsters.2772985.jp
Protection for at-risk youngsters
Published Date: 06 May 2006
By LINDA SUMMERHAYES
HEALTH REPORTER
A NEW computer system designed to warn doctors, teachers, social workers and police when a child is at risk is set to go live this week.
The early warning system, called C-me, is the first of its kind in Scotland and is set to be launched in West Lothian on Tuesday. If successful, the scheme, which has seen records of almost 37,000 children entered into the system, will be extended so that professionals throughout the Lothians can see if a child is already of concern to other agencies. The need for information sharing in the Lothians was identified following an inquiry into the death of baby Caleb Ness who was left in the care of his brain-damaged father and recovering drug addict mother. The case of three-year-old Michael McGarrity, who was found in a flat in Leith beside his mother's dead body in November, has also raised serious concerns. Dr Helen Hammond, a consultant paediatrician with NHS Lothian, is leading the project which has been developed in collaboration with the local council, police and justice departments. She said: "It has been three years since we started working on this and it has been quite challenging. We need to be sure the information kept is secure and safe and accurate so it can help to protect children and help them to meet their full potential. But on the other hand, if we keep information too safe and secure then we can't do that so there is a real balance to be met." So far, 76 child-protection workers, including police, social workers and health visitors, have been trained to use the system. Eventually all children's workers, including teachers and school nurses, will have access to information about the children in their care. Staff who work with children with complex behavioural needs or disabilities at a centre in Armadale will also be using the system to assess the future care needs for the child. The level of access they have to the system depends on their job and where they work and teachers, for example, will only have access to basic information about pupils attending their school. A second level of access allows the professionals involved with the child to see who else is dealing with the case and how they can be contacted. The highest level of access will allow workers using a secure connection to exchange information about a youngster on the child-protection register. As documents are currently posted between agencies, the computer system will also mean that information can be exchanged far more quickly. Detective chief inspector Willie Guild said the system will mean that police, social work and health officials will work together more efficiently. He said: "It's going to enable us to share the key information and record it and it's going to prevent duplication of work and standardise inter-agency recording procedures." lsummerhayes@edinburghnews.com


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Review-offers-clear-direction-for.2749056.jp

Review offers clear direction for long-term future of social work profession
ANALYSIS

Published Date: 08 February 2006
By COLIN MACKENZIE
SOCIAL work has been described by some as "society's conscience", stepping in to ensure that a person or child lives in a safe and healthy environment. It attempts to balance the competing demands of the individual, communities and finite resources.
Demographic and societal changes over the next 20 years will be a major test for social work, while rising public expectation and an increasingly risk-averse society will continue to add new dimensions and pressures to the service. What the publi...
The full article contains 497 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Social-work-shakeup-delayed.2749018.jp

Social work shake-up delayed
""We are disappointed that the legislation will be after the 2007 elections""
Published Date: 08 February 2006
By ALISON HARDIE
Key points
• It will take until 2008 to get the legislation on the statute books• Recomendations included giving social workers in Scotland more autonomy• “Para-professionals” are to be introduced for administration dutiesKey quote"We need action, not words, to address the problems facing social work departments around the country if we are to have a service fit for the 21st century." - Adam Ingram SNPStory in full THE Scottish Executive yesterday announced the biggest shake-up in Scotland's troubled social work services for 40 years, but admitted it would take until at least 2008 to get the legislation on the statute books. Despite having 15 months' notice of the publication of a wide-ranging report into how social work is delivered, no legal changes will be brought in by ministers until after the Scottish elections in 2007. Among the key planks of yesterday's report was the recommendation that the 7,000 social workers in Scotland should have more autonomy to do their work. So-called "para-professionals" - working along similar lines to classroom assistants - will also be introduced to the social work service to carry out administrative duties and give qualified social workers more time at "the coal face". People who use social work services and their carers would be given greater involvement in decisions about their own care under the plans, which also include a review of education and training for the profession. A new performance assessment process to promote continuous improvement is also due to be introduced, along with greater investment in professional leadership, including a strengthening of the chief social work officer's role. Peter Peacock, the education minister, ordered the review after high-profile cases involving the systematic abuse of children at risk who had slipped off the social work radar. He said yesterday the report put ministers on "the starting line" for making changes, as it outlined how outdated services in Scotland had become. He also admitted the £2.4 billion social work budget in Scotland was not being spent "efficiently or effectively" and that red tape was preventing social workers doing their job properly. But he said there was no time in the current parliamentary legislative programme to consider changes to the 1968 Social Work Act. However, Mr Peacock rejected criticisms yesterday that the Executive's long delay in responding formally to the Changing Lives review of social work was a missed opportunity. Adam Ingram, of the SNP, said: "There is an immediate crisis with the funding of social work by the Scottish Executive, with under-funding in social work provision for children and families reported to be as high as £135 million. "We need action, not words, to address the problems facing social work departments around the country if we are to have a service fit for the 21st century." Mr Ingram said that in general the SNP welcomed the Changing Lives report, which was drawn up by the 21st Century Social Work Review expert group. However, he added: "We are disappointed that the legislation the Executive is proposing and which they say will consolidate reforms to social work services will not be introduced until after the 2007 elections - it is an unacceptable delay and the minister is being typically presumptuous that Labour will be in power at that point." The main triggers for the review were two damning reports in 2004 into the performance of individuals and managers in Scottish Borders social work department in handling sexual abuse complaints over 30 years. Other cases, including the killing of Edinburgh toddler Caleb Ness by his father in 2001, also raised questions over the abilities of social workers to address modern risks. Mr Peacock said failures had occurred because the service, which is still operating under a framework drawn up in 1968, was "overmanaged and underled". However, he said the Executive planned to enshrine in legislation standards social workers will be expected to meet to make sure there was "a stick as well as a carrot" to ensure reforms. He also dropped a hint that the legislation will give ministers powers to sack any social workers not up to the grade. Willy Roe, a public service consultant who chaired the review group, said a recurrent message throughout the evidence-gathering was that "doing more of the same won't work". The report highlighted "unreasonable expectations" of social workers' ability to resolve society's problems. Mr Roe said a debate was needed over the things society required from social services and the responsibilities of individuals, families, other agencies or others in the community. Mr Peacock said the Executive would respond fully to the report by publishing an implementation plan before the summer following talks with key interest groups. He will also reveal at that point how much extra cash the Executive is prepared to put into social work to meet the recommendations contained in the report.The key elements• Set national priorities for social work • Develop and improve professional standards through a strong framework for continuous professional development • Invest more resources in social work leadership • Strengthen the role of the chief social work officer in providing professional leadership and in maintaining standards of professional practice • Devolve more responsibility to frontline social workers • Create so-called para-professionals, similar to classroom assistants in their remit, under the direction of social workers • Keep the best social workers in key frontline jobs by enabling them to advance their career without having to take a managerial job • Give users and carers more say in decisions about their care and the design and delivery of services • Review education and training programmes with universities and colleges to make sure they are turning out graduates well equipped to fulfil their responsibilities as social workers • Legislate to provide the framework for national priorities and continuous improvement. • The Changing Lives report also highlighted the need for a fundamental change in how society viewed social workers and the work they do. It said social workers were struggling to live up to "unreasonable expectations" and urged ministers to cut red tape to allow them to concentrate on protecting vulnerable members of society.


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Review-offers-clear-direction-for.2749056.jp

Review offers clear direction for long-term future of social work profession
ANALYSIS

Published Date: 08 February 2006
By COLIN MACKENZIE
SOCIAL work has been described by some as "society's conscience", stepping in to ensure that a person or child lives in a safe and healthy environment. It attempts to balance the competing demands of the individual, communities and finite resources.
Demographic and societal changes over the next 20 years will be a major test for social work, while rising public expectation and an increasingly risk-averse society will continue to add new dimensions and pressures to the service. What the publi...
The full article contains 497 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Social-work-shakeup-delayed.2749018.jp

Social work shake-up delayed
""We are disappointed that the legislation will be after the 2007 elections""
Published Date: 08 February 2006
By ALISON HARDIE
Key points
• It will take until 2008 to get the legislation on the statute books• Recomendations included giving social workers in Scotland more autonomy• “Para-professionals” are to be introduced for administration dutiesKey quote"We need action, not words, to address the problems facing social work departments around the country if we are to have a service fit for the 21st century." - Adam Ingram SNPStory in full THE Scottish Executive yesterday announced the biggest shake-up in Scotland's troubled social work services for 40 years, but admitted it would take until at least 2008 to get the legislation on the statute books. Despite having 15 months' notice of the publication of a wide-ranging report into how social work is delivered, no legal changes will be brought in by ministers until after the Scottish elections in 2007. Among the key planks of yesterday's report was the recommendation that the 7,000 social workers in Scotland should have more autonomy to do their work. So-called "para-professionals" - working along similar lines to classroom assistants - will also be introduced to the social work service to carry out administrative duties and give qualified social workers more time at "the coal face". People who use social work services and their carers would be given greater involvement in decisions about their own care under the plans, which also include a review of education and training for the profession. A new performance assessment process to promote continuous improvement is also due to be introduced, along with greater investment in professional leadership, including a strengthening of the chief social work officer's role. Peter Peacock, the education minister, ordered the review after high-profile cases involving the systematic abuse of children at risk who had slipped off the social work radar. He said yesterday the report put ministers on "the starting line" for making changes, as it outlined how outdated services in Scotland had become. He also admitted the £2.4 billion social work budget in Scotland was not being spent "efficiently or effectively" and that red tape was preventing social workers doing their job properly. But he said there was no time in the current parliamentary legislative programme to consider changes to the 1968 Social Work Act. However, Mr Peacock rejected criticisms yesterday that the Executive's long delay in responding formally to the Changing Lives review of social work was a missed opportunity. Adam Ingram, of the SNP, said: "There is an immediate crisis with the funding of social work by the Scottish Executive, with under-funding in social work provision for children and families reported to be as high as £135 million. "We need action, not words, to address the problems facing social work departments around the country if we are to have a service fit for the 21st century." Mr Ingram said that in general the SNP welcomed the Changing Lives report, which was drawn up by the 21st Century Social Work Review expert group. However, he added: "We are disappointed that the legislation the Executive is proposing and which they say will consolidate reforms to social work services will not be introduced until after the 2007 elections - it is an unacceptable delay and the minister is being typically presumptuous that Labour will be in power at that point." The main triggers for the review were two damning reports in 2004 into the performance of individuals and managers in Scottish Borders social work department in handling sexual abuse complaints over 30 years. Other cases, including the killing of Edinburgh toddler Caleb Ness by his father in 2001, also raised questions over the abilities of social workers to address modern risks. Mr Peacock said failures had occurred because the service, which is still operating under a framework drawn up in 1968, was "overmanaged and underled". However, he said the Executive planned to enshrine in legislation standards social workers will be expected to meet to make sure there was "a stick as well as a carrot" to ensure reforms. He also dropped a hint that the legislation will give ministers powers to sack any social workers not up to the grade. Willy Roe, a public service consultant who chaired the review group, said a recurrent message throughout the evidence-gathering was that "doing more of the same won't work". The report highlighted "unreasonable expectations" of social workers' ability to resolve society's problems. Mr Roe said a debate was needed over the things society required from social services and the responsibilities of individuals, families, other agencies or others in the community. Mr Peacock said the Executive would respond fully to the report by publishing an implementation plan before the summer following talks with key interest groups. He will also reveal at that point how much extra cash the Executive is prepared to put into social work to meet the recommendations contained in the report.The key elements• Set national priorities for social work • Develop and improve professional standards through a strong framework for continuous professional development • Invest more resources in social work leadership

http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Vow-to-stop-social-work.2815379.jp

Vow to stop 'social work snatch squads'
Published Date: 02 October 2006
THE Shadow Health Secretary today promised that a Tory government would stop "snatch squads of social workers" taking children into care unnecessarily.
Andrew Lansley said a Conservative government would instead back the family. The father-of-five used the party conference in Bournemouth to start a debate on how public services work for children. He attacked Prime Minister Tony Blair and Social Exclusion Minister Hilary Armstrong's suggestion that the state and social workers should identify potential problem children soon after or even before birth to support the families and in extreme cases take the babies into care. And he also capitalised on Education Secretary Alan Johnson's admission to the Labour conference that too often the state was not a good parent to children in care and action needed to be taken. He said: "Children matter to us, first and foremost. The education they receive, their health, that they get the opportunities in life we enjoyed and more. "One of our aims will be to support the family and marriage as the best environment in which to bring up children. "Mr Blair appears to believe that snatch squads of social workers, taking children into care, is preferable to putting every effort in to support children to stay with their family. He is wrong. The state is a poor parent."


http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Mother-wins-fight-to-get.2784120.jp

Mother wins fight to get her baby back
Published Date: 15 June 2006
By SHAN ROSS
Social workers condemned after newly born child was taken from mother Woman was in last stages of giving birth Sheriff rules social workers action as 'wrong'

Key quote
"I was in the throes of labour, quite dilated and about to deliver. My back was bent backwards, the head was sticking out and I was just about to push the rest of the body out. I raised my head and saw two men and two women walk into the birthing room." - Corellie Bonhomme Story in fullA SHERIFF has condemned social workers who removed a newborn baby from her mother only minutes after the child's umbilical cord was cut. Two social workers and two sheriff officers entered the birthing suite as Corellie Bonhomme went into the final stages of labour. Immediately after her daughter, Fifi, was born, they took her away after obtaining a sheriff's order giving them permission to take custody. But after a five-month fight and a lengthy hearing, another sheriff has ruled the decision and the way it was enforced was wrong, and he ordered the child to be reunited with her mother. Ms Bonhomme, 34, has also received an apology from NHS Dumfries and Galloway over the incident at Dumfries Royal Infirmary last December. The trust has promised to change its working practices. Now reunited with Fifi, Ms Bonhomme, who lives in Dumfries, said only the baby's head had appeared when the door opened and social workers accompanied by sheriff officers came into the room at the hospital to serve a Child Protection Order to take the baby into care. She said medical staff restrained her as she tried to clamber down from the delivery table to stop Fifi, now aged six months, being taken away. "I had a needle in my arm and was on morphine and was having gas and air when I heard a midwife say, 'oh, there's social work involvement'. "I was in the throes of labour, quite dilated and about to deliver. My back was bent backwards, the head was sticking out and I was just about to push the rest of the body out. I raised my head and saw two men and two women walk into the birthing room. "I pushed Fi out and the doctor took her away. I never got to touch her. I tried to get up. I was trying to get hold of the baby. But the staff said 'get back on the bed, get back on the bed'. The doctor put his hand just above my chest and pushed me down, saying the placenta was still to come out. It was horrific. I was going 'where's my baby, I want my baby'. "I spent Christmas alone, crying and crying and wondering how I could get Fifi back." The original child protection order was issued by Sheriff Kenneth Barr on 15 December last year, the day baby Fifi was born. But Ms Bonhomme, who has had two previous children removed by social services in the London borough of Camden, was determined to win back her daughter. Last month, Sheriff Kenneth Ross overruled the legal order and granted her custody. He said Ms Bonhomme's long-running dispute with social workers in Camden had led to the authorities in Scotland taking the baby into care unnecessarily. He also criticised the way Fifi was taken. Commenting on the incident in the birthing suite, Sheriff Ross said: "Fifi was removed very soon after birth. It was not clear to me why that was necessary. She was in hospital in the secure care of the staff there. There was no evidence that Ms Bonhomme was intending to leave precipitately." He also questioned Dumfries and Galloway Council for basing the Child Protection Order on "extremely contentious" English proceedings. He said Camden social work department's approach of viewing "Fifi's welfare entirely through the prism of their experience and perception" of Ms Bonhomme's care of her other two children had transmitted itself to Dumfries and Galloway's social work department and that had led them to apply for the Child Protection Order. A child protection case conference in Camden last September placed the unborn Fifi on the Child Protection Register under the category 'neglect'. It also recommended the child be placed under police protection at birth and removed from her mother, with care proceedings to be initiated immediately. Dumfries and Galloway Council instigated legal proceedings after Camden's legal move was communicated to them. Camden had become involved after Ms Bonhomme left hospital early after the birth of her second child in 2003 against medical advice. They initiated proceedings because of what they claim was her erratic behaviour, failure to provide appropriate and satisfactory care for her children and hostility towards professional staff. But Sheriff Ross said the report did not present a full picture of Ms Bonhomme's current life circumstances, in particular her two-year relationship with a new partner, Derek Bryden, and offers from his family to help with Fifi's upbringing. A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Council said they had followed normal procedure in cases like this and would abide by the judgment of the court. He added: "As Ms Bonhomme has made a complaint to the council, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment." NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: "A complaint was received from the individual concerned and responded to in accordance with the NHS complaints procedure. The complaint remains part of the complaints process and, accordingly, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Actions 'may breach human rights law'
THE treatment of Ms Bonhomme in the birthing suite at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary was last night described as a potential breach of human rights legislation. John Scott, the chairman of the Scottish Human Rights Centre, said: "This could be seen as a breach of Article 8 which guarantees the right to privacy and family life. "It is certainly a breach of common decency and completely unacceptable. "There should not be anyone in a birthing room except the woman, her husband or partner and medical staff. "There needs to be proper guidance issued to make sure it never happens again." Shona Robison, SNP health spokeswoman, said: "This appears to have been very heavy-handed and a breach of privacy and dignity." However, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Midwives said that in such circumstances medical staff were being put in an extremely difficult position. "The guiding principle for us is the wellbeing of the mother and child and we would not do anything to jeopardise that relationship. "But if two legal officers appear on the scene and are present at, for example, ten minutes after the birth, which would be regarded as 'post natal', we wouldn't have a choice. We would strongly object if they appeared while the woman was giving birth as we would not want them around at the point of delivery."

http://news.scotsman.com/socialwork/Vast-pay-rises-after-council.2795427.jp

Vast pay rises after council shake-up
Published Date: 26 July 2006
By AURA SABADUS
SENIOR council officials received pay rises of up to £31,581 as part of a shake-up of Edinburgh's education and social work departments, The Scotsman has learned.
One employee received a 64 per cent wage increase to more than £80,000 after being appointed to a new role. Eight senior officers in the council's fledgling children and families department shared pay increases totalling £109,198 last year.
The creation of the department followed a scathing report into the death of 11-week-old Caleb Ness at the hands of his brain-damaged father, which highlighted failings across the city's child protection system. One of the top winners of the department's overhaul was Alan Jackson - a former "service manager" who was appointed to the new post of "neighbourhood manager". His salary increased from £48,883 to £80,464. Paul Highet - who was promoted to neighbourhood manager - was offered a £28,000 increase, also to £80,464. Christine Ferguson, formerly senior education officer, now manager of schools services, received a 36 per cent rise, from £51,207 to nearly £70,000. A council source last night questioned why the wage increases were "given out so freely". The source said: "What new responsibilities are involved here that such massive salaries are needed? Only government ministers earn £80,000." John Ross, a spokesman for trade union Unison, said the officials were experienced workers who had been appointed to new jobs with wider responsibilities. He said the created posts required officers to take up additional duties related to children's education and health on top of their existing work in social services. Iain Whyte, the leader of the council's Tory group, said the "very large increases" would surprise the public. "People will wonder what is going on in the council," he said. "I hope these people will have more responsibilities and that there will be a slimming down in the structure elsewhere. If that's not the case, then the council will have failed." Steve Cardownie, a councillor who recently quit Labour for the SNP, said the packages seemed "fairly generous" but would not comment on individual cases. "I don't know what those individuals have done to merit these increases, but I suppose they are doing an altogether different job that would justify that." A council spokeswoman said the officers had applied for the jobs after they were advertised internally. She added: "These were new posts that were created and are not pay rises. These posts were created following a major council review and staff were appointed to these posts by the director of children and families in accordance with normal council procedures which had been agreed with the unions involved." The new department brings together all the services previously provided by the education department and the children and families part of the social work department

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

At risk children left in danger if abuse.

At-risk children left in danger of abuse

http://www.scotsman.com/latestnews/Atrisk-children-left-in-danger.5394219.jp

Toddler Brandon Muir was killed by his mother’s drug addict boyfriend. It was later revealed that he died two days before a possible decision to remove him from his home
Published Date: 24 June 2009
By Frank Urquhart

THE aunt of toddler Brandon Muir called last night for senior council officials and social workers to be sacked following the release of the most scathing report into child protection services ever published in Scotland.

The damning report from a government watchdog highlighted the failures of public agencies in Dundee to protect vulnerable children from "significant harm" in the homes of drug addicts and alcoholics.Publication of the study was brought forward after the death of 23-month-old
Brandon.He was killed by his mother's drug addict boyfriend, Robert Cunningham, who was sentenced to ten years in prison.Investigators from HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) said they had "no confidence" that young people at risk in Dundee were being fully protected.They also condemned front-line services for their failure to help many youngsters until their plight had reached crisis point.Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray called yesterday for a national inquiry into child protection services throughout Scotland, insisting that it was a national issue."There is a crisis at the heart of child protection services in parts of Scotland," he said. "This damning report in Dundee quickly follows similar reports in both Aberdeen and Moray. "We were told after the death of Brandon Muir that changes would be made. I have no confidence that that is happening. This is not a localised issue, but a national one. Doing nothing cannot be an option."Brandon's aunt, Dayna Garty, told The Scotsman she was "appalled" at the report's conclusions. "Nothing that they can say or do is ever going to bring Brandon back or stop the suffering that they have let these other kids go through. It is absolutely shocking what has happened."I am absolutely raging about the findings. They are absolutely appalling. I am just staggered about the failures and weaknesses they found."Although the report does not set out to blame individuals, she demanded that Alan Baird, the city council's director of social work, who is also the new chairman of the city's child protection committee, should quit his post."If he had any decency, he would resign," she said. "Somebody should be held responsible, and he is the top man."She went on: "It's not just Brandon they have let down. "Obviously, Brandon died through it all, but other kids are still at risk and they are doing absolutely nothing until it's too late. Apologies are not worth the paper they are written on.

"The report on Dundee follows strong criticism directed against child protection services in both Aberdeen and Moray in earlier inspections by HMIe.In this case, inspectors examined the workings of the city council, police, NHS Tayside, the Scottish Children's Reporter administration and voluntary and independent groups in February and March of this year.The Brandon Muir trial was taking place at that time, although the case was not considered by inspectors. It will be the subject of a second independent report this summer by Peter Wilson, a former chief constable of Fife.The HMIe report found that Dundee was "weak" in eight of the 18 "quality indicators" examined. Services were rated "satisfactory" in six areas and "good" in three.Child protection services were rated "unsatisfactory" – which meant there were major weaknesses – in one area: that of making sure that children were helped in immediate response to concerns.

The report stated: "Inspectors were not confident that all children who were at risk of harm, abuse or neglect, and in need of protection, were identified and received the help and support they needed." The latest figures showed 99 youngsters were on the child protection register in Dundee. In 48 per cent of those cases, drug abuse was a problem in the family. Alcohol addiction was an issue in 33 per cent of cases. In response to the report, Mr Baird said that four additional social workers, some of them agency staff, had already been employed. He added that the council was also spending up to £500,000 to make improvements to the service. The NHS, the city council and police also promised to make improvements.Mr Baird said: "You can never guarantee 100 per cent safety of our most vulnerable children – no council or health authority or police authority can do that. "We will work tirelessly to ensure the improvements identified by HMIe will be put in place at an early stage. "Staff from all the agencies involved in child protection are dedicated individuals who work in an extremely challenging environment. The contribution made by these staff must be recognised."Scotland's children's minister Adam Ingram said: "This report … plainly shows that child protection services in Dundee are simply not good enough and must be urgently improved."Clearly, everyone has a responsibility to keep our children and young people safe, including the public. "However, what we and they expect is that local services are doing all they can to protect the most vulnerable. "As a government, we have continued to set out that we will not protect local systems if they are failing our children, and where this is found to be the case, we will expect robust and rapid action."But he warned: "It is now for those agencies to build on that progress.

"The Scottish Government and HMIe will be closely monitoring the implementation of that action plan to ensure that vulnerable children in Dundee are not let down by the shortcomings identified in today's report."For our part, we have made clear that we will not fail to act if child protection lessons nationally are to be learned from Brandon's death. However, it is right that we await the outcome of the independent reviews so that we have a full picture of any action that may be required."The agencies involved in child protection have been told by HMIe to prepare an action plan outlining how they will address the problems in the service. They have been given four months to submit a report to inspectors detailing the progress they have made on the action plan.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

President Obama, of the USA

Dear Friend,

Last week, I announced United We Serve – a nationwide call to service challenging you and all Americans to volunteer this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America. And when I say “all,” I mean everyone – young and old, from every background, all across the country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort. Today, for the official kick off of United We Serve, members of my administration have fanned out across America to participate in service events and encourage all Americans to join them. The First Lady is rolling up her sleeves and getting to work too. But before she headed out today, she asked me to share this message with you.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/UnitedWeServeKickOff/

Our nation faces some of the greatest challenges it has in generations and we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get us back on track. While Michelle and I are calling on every American to participate in United We Serve, the call to service doesn’t end this fall. We need to stay involved in our towns and communities for a long time to come. After all, America’s new foundation will be built one neighborhood at a time – and that starts with you. Thank you, President Barack Obama

This email was sent to james@grandparents.fsnet.co.uk

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Michelle Obama

Happy Father's Day,

I’m writing to share a special video of Barack talking about fatherhood, but first I want to share some thoughts of my own. My father, Frasier Robinson, was the rock of our family. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion and our hero. He worked tirelessly through good days and bad to make sure my brother and I had every opportunity he didn't -- to go to college and pursue our dreams. His example continues to guide me every day. Barack didn't have my good fortune -- his father left when he was just two years old. But he has always been determined to give our daughters what he never had, and he values being a good father more than any other accomplishment in his life. On Friday, Barack brought some men (and a bunch of kids!) to the White House to talk about fatherhood. Check out a video of the event: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Responsible-Fatherhood/

We all know the remarkable impact fathers can have in our children's lives. So today, on this 100th anniversary of Father's Day, take a moment to celebrate responsible fatherhood and the men who've had the courage to step up, be there for our families, and provide our children with the guidance, love and support they need to fulfill their dreams. Thanks,

Michelle