Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
John Jillings says some of the treatment was 'bestial'
A report written 17 years ago, which has finally been published, identified long-term "extensive" abuse at children's homes in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.
Allegations of abuse at several children's homes, including the former Bryn Estyn home in Wrexham, emerged in the 1990s.
An inquiry by John Jillings was carried in 1996 out but later shelved.
But following fresh inquiries into the abuse the report was published.
"Start Quote
End Quote John Jillings Report authorThe treatment of children was bestial really; they weren't treated like human beings ... by some members of staff at any rate "
The report found:
- Extensive abuse of children over a substantial number of years
- Children had been severely disturbed by the abuse
- At least 12 children had died
- Five men working at Bryn Estyn were convicted of serious offences involving 24 young people aged 10-16
- Investigating panel were hindered by serious constraints
- There was a "lack of clarity" over accessibility of social services files and police material
- Report panel considered abandoning the investigation
- Some staff refused to meet investigating panel
- It was not known how many statements made were handed to CPS
- It was not known how many alleged perpetrators, including police officers, were named in the statements
- An earlier report into abuse at another home was shelved after concerns over prejudicing a prosecution and insurance worries
The 300-page report was initially written in 1996 after it was commissioned by the former Clwyd County Council.
It had followed North Wales Police's investigation into abuse claims in 1991 and the conviction of seven former care workers.
But as more claims of widespread abuse in almost 40 homes emerged, the former Clwyd County Council commissioned Mr Jillings in March 1994 to investigate.
But it was never published.
Mr Jillings, a former director of social services for Derbyshire, said the council was worried about costly insurance claims and his report never saw the light of day.
A redacted [edited] version of the report was finally made public and published online on Monday following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by BBC Wales.
The report said: "Our investigations have led us to conclude that the abuse of children and young people in Clwyd residential units has been extensive, and has taken place over a substantial number of years."
It added: "It is clear that, in a significant number of cases, the lives of young people who have been through the care system in Clwyd have been severely disrupted and disturbed. At least 12 young people are dead."
The report said of "the many statements" taken, "it is unclear how many were forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service [CPS] for consideration", and "it is also unclear how many other professionals, including police officers, were named in these statements as perpetrators of assaults".
However, the panel concluded they could not hope to address successfully the wider areas of concern, including that public figures had been involved in the abuse.
"Start Quote
End Quote Jillings ReportThe most striking fact to emerge is that five men who shared in common their employment as residential care workers at Bryn Estyn were convicted of serious offences "
The report's authors had "frank criticism" for individuals at the council as well as "aspects of policy and practice," but said they " nevertheless respect the authority for its determination to examine what went wrong".
It says that "the most striking fact to emerge is that five men who shared in common their employment as residential care workers at Bryn Estyn were convicted of serious offences involving at least 24 young people."
It adds that 20 victims were boys and young men, five were women and the ages ranged from 10 to 16.
According to the Jillings report, an earlier report on the Cartrefle children's home was not published because of CPS concerns it may prejudice a prosecution, as well as concerns over insurance.
'Detailed scrutiny'It said Clwyd council was particularly vulnerable to criticism because the local authority was about to cease under a re-structuring of councils and "it will be tempting for those who wish to avoid any further critical examination of the issues to propose that the failures were confined to Clwyd County Council, and to seek to draw a line under them".
The report went on to say that other agencies, such as health, education, probation, North Wales Police and the Welsh Office "require similarly careful and detailed scrutiny" to put more effective safeguards in place.
In a statement, all north Wales councils recognised the report may "distress" those connected to the abuse. It said very few children were placed in residential care, but those who are, have their needs "reviewed and monitored carefully".
The statement added that "since the publication of the Waterhouse report... significant new statutory legislation and guidance has been implemented...."in particular, within all new legislation and guidance are the rights of the child".
Abuse inquiriesInterviewed shortly before its publication Mr Jillings told the BBC that abuse was widespread within a group of homes where children were isolated.
Separate abuse inquiries
In April, Operation Pallial, an independent investigation examining claims of historical child abuse at children's homes in north Wales found "significant evidence of systemic and serious sexual and physical abuse".
Investigators found evidence of 140 allegations of historical abuse between 1963 and 1992.
76 new complainants came forward and 84 suspected offenders were named.
A separate review by Mrs Justice Macur is investigating the terms of the Waterhouse abuse inquiry, which took place between 1996 and 2000.
The inquiries followed a victim's claims that Sir Ronald Waterhouse uncovered only a fraction of the abuse.
Those claims surfaced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Home Secretary Theresa May ordered Operation Pallial following a Newsnight report last November which - as well as leading to a Tory peer being falsely accused of paedophilia - alleged that child abuse in north Wales from the 1970s was more widespread than reported.
He said: "They didn't have regular supervisory visits from headquarters staff, as I understand it. Or if they did, they weren't very searching.
"So the staff for 99% of their time were on their own with the children, could treat them as they wished.
"They regarded them as children who were out of control and they thought the way of dealing with that is by severely treating them.
"The treatment of children was bestial really; they weren't treated like human beings, by some members of staff at any rate.
"I mean some children died, 10 children died. Some of them committed suicide."
The Jillings inquiry was followed by another investigation by the late Sir Ronald Waterhouse, which took four years to complete.
Sir Ronald found there had been "appalling mistreatment" of children over a period of 20 years.
He had gathered evidence from 650 people, with most allegations focusing on seven homes.
Last year the scandal re-emerged after a victim claimed the Waterhouse report in 2000 had not uncovered the full scale of the abuse.
Home Secretary Theresa May then launched a new police inquiry into the abuse allegations.
And Clwyd council's successor authorities such as Flintshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council began searching their archives for a copy of that report.
The successor authorities are also due to publish a statement and outline the reasons for the redactions that have been made.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
'Extensive' abuse at care homes
Dengan url
http://gayabugarsehat.blogspot.com/2013/07/extensive-abuse-at-care-homes.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
'Extensive' abuse at care homes
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
'Extensive' abuse at care homes
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar