Embargo: for publication after 12 noon
Monday 15th November 2004
Safeguards for children improve, but
sex abusers still evade justice, says review
Children living away from home are better protected against abuse than in the mid-1990s when a succession of scandals in care homes were exposed. But there has been little or no progress in bringing sex abusers to justice, or in providing adequate help for children who have been sexually abused. And there are concerns for the protection of specially vulnerable groups, including disabled children and children in prison.
These are among the main conclusions from a wide-ranging review of progress since the publication seven years ago of People Like Us, a report by the former Chief Inspector of Social Services, Sir William Utting, on safeguards for children living away from home. The review, by consultants Marian Stuart and Catherine Baines, was overseen by Sir William and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
It finds that although legislation, policies and guidance on safeguards have been strengthened in the past seven years – including some provisions in the current Children Bill – there is a continuing gap between policy and practice. It warns that policies are not being consistently implemented in all parts of the country and that practitioners in some sectors still do not have enough understanding of what needs to be done to safeguard children:
- Examining action to deal with child abuse, the report notes progress in making information available to staff who work with children and families. But it argues that much more could be done to raise public awareness of the risks to children and measures that can be taken to protect them. It also points to gaps in the information available to parents and children so they can recognise abusive behaviour and know where to seek help.
- On security checks for people who work with children, the report warns against over-reliance on police checks. Since only a small proportion of abusers have previous convictions, rigorous checking of other information such as life histories and references is also necessary. Like the Bichard Inquiry after the Soham murder case, the review endorses the need for better recording, handling and sharing of so-called ‘soft’ information.
- There has been no improvement in bringing to justice those who sexually abuse children. The report says that this is undermining efforts to prevent potential abusers from working with children, and calls for research to discover why conviction rates for offences against children are so low, and how they might be increased.
- Help and treatment for abused children is still inadequate. The review calls for major improvements in the availability of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) so a range of treatment methods are accessible throughout the country.
- Lack of sufficient treatment for sex offenders is also a major issue. The report notes a particular shortage of provision for identifying and treating female abusers. It also suggests there has been too little work on the prevention and early identification of abuse by young offenders, and their treatment.
Marian Stuart, an independent consultant and co-author of the report, said: “The incidence of sexual abuse of children is greater than most people realise, yet the number of convictions remains worryingly low. Experts estimate that fewer than one in 50 sexual offences results in a criminal conviction. If this problem continues to go unchecked, there will be an inexorable rise in the numbers of children subjected to sexual abuse, with all the damaging effects that can follow. A radical rethink is essential.
“We need to put more effort into gathering and analysing information about abusers and the scale of abuse, so that effective prevention, early intervention and treatment can be provided. But we also should be doing more to safeguard children from un-convicted sex offenders, as well as the small minority that have been convicted and registered.”
Residential and foster care
The review describes how regulation, inspection and minimum
standards have been introduced since 1997 for circumstances where
children live away from home, including small homes, residential
special schools and independently-provided foster care. But it
expresses disappointment that there has been no attempt to develop a
national strategy for residential care and that foster care has been
relatively neglected. The report suggests that private foster care
is a particular area of concern, that measures in the Children Bill
will be ineffective, and that the registration scheme proposed in
People Like Us seven years ago is needed.
Boarding schools
Safeguards in schools with boarding provision appear to have been
transformed in recent years, with the introduction of welfare
inspections, a new registration system and better training for
staff. However, the review accepts that it is too soon to assess the
effectiveness of these changes.
Disabled children
The report welcomes Government policy documents and guidance
recognising the vulnerability of disabled children – but also calls
for wider recognition that disabled children are more likely to be
abused than others. It finds that practical advice on how to protect
disabled children is still inadequate and co-operation between
health, education, welfare and other support services remains poor.
Children in health settings
Significant numbers of disabled children and children with
psychiatric problems are treated in hospitals for long periods
without their presence being notified to local authorities. This
means that safeguards under the Children Act 1989 are not being
applied. The report also argues that arrangements for checking
health staff with unsupervised access to children need to be
improved.
Children in custody
The review – like the original report – concludes that ‘prison is no
place for children’. Yet it finds that increasing numbers of
children are being imprisoned, despite an overall reduction in youth
crime. The growing number of young people being remanded in custody
presents a particular problem. The report warns that the welfare and
protection of children has not been a priority for prisons, and that
health and education needs are dealt with inadequately, despite
recent progress.
Marian Stuart said: “While large numbers of children remain in custody, serious and sustained efforts are needed to improve their conditions and welfare. Steps have been taken to improve regimes and safeguards in recent years, but this remains a particularly worrying area. In addition, despite the fact that about half of all children in custody have previously been in care, there is little evidence of local authorities engaging with children in prison or their families.”
She added: “Our report urges the Home Office to review the use and place of custody for children and young people as a matter of urgency. We are also calling for children in prison to be covered by the equivalent of the ‘Quality Protects’ programme for children in local authority care, with a view to improving their life chances. Children in custodial units should have the same rights and access to education and health care as all other children.”
Commenting on the report, Sir William Utting, said: “This critical evaluation of progress in the seven years since my People Like Us report offers reassuring news in a number of important areas – notably in improving safeguards for children attending boarding schools and other residential education. But in others, it suggests that progress has been sluggish or has stalled. Continuing failures of implementation point to weaknesses in managerial structures, and renewed efforts are needed through professional education and training to improve the ability of staff to recognise and meet children’s needs.”
Note to Editors
Progress on safeguards for children living away from home: A review of action since the People Like Us report by Marian Stuart and Catherine Baines is published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and available from York Publishing Services, 64 Hallfield Road, Layerthorpe, York YO31 7ZQ, price £14.95. A companion report Safeguards for vulnerable children: Three studies on abusers, disabled children and children in prison is also available, price £14.95. A £2 p&p charge applies to all orders.
A summary of findings from the review is available here.
Both reports and findings are available by clicking the titles above.
Sir William Utting’s report, People Like Us, was commissioned by Government in 1996 response to allegations of widespread abuse in care homes and foster care in Wales. The Government’s response in 1998 included the introduction of a ‘Quality Protects’ programme in England (‘Children First’ in Wales) to improve residential care facilities and all other children’s services.
For further information, contact:
Marian Stuart (author) 020-8878 1173 (office)
Issued by David Utting, Associate Director (Public Affairs) 020-7278 9665 / david.utting@jrf.org.uk
