It is hard not to feel sad reading the account of a family
on the wrong end of child sex abuse allegations that have proved to be false.
Unlike some of the cases reported in the tabloid press, which often have
puzzling or incomplete information, this account in the Guardian has the ring
of truth.
Of course it is a counsel of perfection to urge that child
abuse investigations will always be painless. It is simply not possible to make
the process anything less than stressful and unpleasant.
But professionals charged with conducting child abuse
enquiries always need to be aware of how horrible it is to be accused of
heinous crime, especially if you happen to be innocent.
One of the process objectives we should have for these
investigations is that they should do the least collateral damage possible. Every organisation involved should have plans to try to achieve this end.
