Two articles in the weekend’s papers should make us sit up
and take notice.
The Independent
reports on the Labour Party’s declared intention to undertake a “radical
overhaul” of child protection if it wins the next election.
Sadly it just makes me despair to hear the Shadow Home
Secretary, Yvette Cooper, trotting out ill-thought-out arguments in favour of
mandatory reporting. It sounds all well and good to say that children have been
failed, but will the threat of criminal sanction against professionals who fail
to report abuse make any difference?
I think the answer lies in The Guardian’s article about why staff at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
did not report abuse conducted by Jimmy Savile.
It is said that there was a bullying regime at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. As a result junior
staff were too scared to report Savile’s abuse.
That is the key. It’s not a matter of putting the frighteners
on junior employees – as it seems Yvette Cooper is planning to do – but rather
a question of how all members of staff can be protected, supported and
encouraged to report abuse. A positive approach of making it easy to report is
what is required; not criminal sanctions if people get it wrong or are
pressurised by senior managers into staying silent.
