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Catastrophic
neglect behind child deaths often overlooked
THE NSPCC is warning that
neglect is not being taken seriously enough and should be treated
with the same urgency as physical or sexual abuse. The call
comes as new research out today shows that of children known to the
authorities as being at risk, who died or were seriously injured,
most (59%) had been on a child protection plan for neglect at some
point in their lives – more than for all other types of child
protection plan combined (41%).
The research – "Neglect and Serious Case Reviews" - was
conducted by the University of East Anglia (UEA), and involved an
analysis of 645 serious case reviews carried out in England between
2005 and 2011 to understand what part neglect played in them. Of
these, 175 involved children who were on a child protection plan
either at the time or prior to their death or serious injury.
The concerns raised by the research echo an NSPCC survey last autumn
which found only one in 20 social workers felt timely action was
being taken on child neglect. And they were often under pressure to
put neglect cases to the bottom of their workload.
Dr Ruth Gardner, the NSPCC's lead on neglect, said:- "This
study is the first time anyone has looked behind the stark figures
to try and understand the complex dangers of neglect. We now have
clear evidence that neglect can lead to catastrophic harm as well as
corrosive long term damage to children's wellbeing.
Child neglect is just as serious as a child being physically or
sexually abused but many neglected children are falling through the
child protection net. There have been a series of high profile cases
where the authorities have failed to step in early enough despite
warning signs of neglect, including Baby Peter and Khyra Ishaq. Most
worrying are the cases where protection plans had been discontinued
when we know with hindsight that there was still a risk of death or
injury to the child. So it is vital that neglect cases are not
downgraded or closed too soon and vulnerable families continue to
get support to reduce the risks to children."
The research was led by Dr Marian Brandon, from UEA's Centre for
Research on the Child and Family, who has conducted previous studies
on serious case reviews for the Government.
Dr Brandon said:- "Protecting children is all about balancing
risks. In very many similar circumstances the child would not have
died or been seriously harmed. We are not saying that where neglect
is found the child is always at risk of death, but rather that
everyone should be aware of how easily neglect gets side lined.
Professionals need to keep an open mind about the possibility of
neglect having a fatal or very serious outcome for a child. But that
must not stop them dealing with neglect in a confident and
compassionate way – for the sake of both the child and their family.
Some children died in an unsafe environment even though their
parents were loving, for example through lack of supervision and in
unsuitable sleeping conditions. Others could no longer look after
their seriously disabled or chronically ill child and weren't
getting the help they needed."
The NSPCC is now proposing an action plan that takes a strategic
approach to cutting the unacceptable numbers of children dying from
neglect. The charity wants to see:-
► An expert social worker in every local authority to advise on
child neglect cases.
► Improved tools and training to help professionals recognise,
evidence and act decisively on child neglect.
► A public health campaign so everyone can spot the signs of neglect
and help protect children.
► Targeted support for vulnerable families and better community
support for vulnerable young people with a history of neglect,
especially care leavers.
The NSPCC is also testing new ways to help professionals take firm
action in hundreds of cases of neglect across the UK, and running a
range of services for children and families, across the North West,
including:-
SafeCare® - Parents who
physically or emotionally neglect a child at this age can cause
immense, lasting damage to their child's development. The Safecare
programme helps parents give children under five the high level of
care and attention they need. This programme is delivered from the
NSPCC service centre in Crewe.
Graded Care Profile - Trialing a
national evaluation tool for assessing the care of children and
identifying neglect. This programme is delivered from the NSPCC
service centre in Crewe. It's important to identify these children
as early as possible so that we can provide the right kind of help.
The longer they suffer neglect without support, the more corrosive
the harm they suffer.
Making evidence-based decisions for
neglected children:-
The NSPCC is working alongside local
authority social workers to make better and more timely decisions in
cases of child neglect. Local authority social workers and NSPCC
social workers visit neglected children in their homes and assess
parents' ability to look after their children using the North
Carolina Family Assessment Scale. Developed in the USA, this tool
has been shown to improve the way social workers interact with
families, how they gather and analyse information, and how they make
decisions. This programme is delivered from the NSPCC service
centres in Blackpool and in Manchester. Anyone who has concerns
about a child or wants advice can contact the NSPCC's free 24 hour
helpline on:- 0808 800 5000 or
email or texting:- 88858. They can choose
to remain anonymous if they wish. |
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NUMBERS EMPLOYED
BY LOCAL CouncilS IN NORTH WEST DOWN BY 45,000
FOR 407 local authorities
in Great Britain there are 380,500 fewer people employed by Councils
than when the coalition government came into office data shows.
The number of employees in 41 Local Authorities in the North West
fell from 305,600 in Q1 2010 to 260,600 in Q3 2012. This is a fall
of 45,000 or –14.7% since the general election in 2010.
The fall in the number of employees in Lancashire Council is the
highest for a local authority in the North West. Between the 1st
quarter of 2010 and the 3rd quarter of 2012 the fall in the number
of employees in the Council is 6,284. Next is Manchester with the
number of employees down by 4,388, Liverpool 3,115, Wirral 2,608,
Sefton 2,406, Cheshire East 2,002, Cumbria 1,988, Rochdale 1,954,
Oldham 1,928, Wigan 1,830, Tameside 1,748, Stockport 1,662, Bolton
1,634, Warrington 1,571, Cheshire West and Chester 1,534, Salford
1,310, Blackpool 1,281, St Helens 1,084, Trafford 913, Knowsley 906,
Halton 643, Blackburn with Darwen 593, Bury 284, Fylde 172, Burnley
130 and Carlisle 111. The figures for all 41 Councils in the region
are set out below.
The number of employees in Local Authorities in England and Wales
fell from 2,254,700 in Q1 2010 to 1,899,800 in Q3 2012. This is a
fall of 354,900 or -15.7%. For Scotland the numbers of employees in
local Councils fell from 304,300 in Q1 2010 to 278,700 in Q3 2012.
This is a fall of 25,600 or -8.4%. Thus for all local authorities in
Great Britain (GB) the fall in numbers employed by the Councils is
380,500 since the general election.
This analysis of official data from the Office of National
Statistics (ONS) was conducted by GMB, the union for public service
workers. See
gmb.org.uk for the national
release and for the figures for 375 Councils in England and Wales
and 32 Councils in Scotland.
Most of these are job losses arise from freezing vacancies,
redundancies and natural wastage as a result of budget cuts. Some of
the fall in numbers arises due to movement between public and
private sectors, like when schools become academies, and some, like
colleges, arise from reclassifications by ONS from public to private
sector.
Paul McCarthy, GMB Regional Secretary, said:- "The terrible
extent of the cuts that the Tory/Liberal government has imposed on
local authorities is plain to see in these new statistics.
In the North West alone numbers employed by the 41 Councils in the
region are down by 45,000 since the general election in 2010.
For 407 local authorities in Great Britain there are 380,500 fewer
people employed by Councils than when the coalition government came
into office.
These are the people who provide local services so cuts are a
disaster for local communities and for those workers who have lost
their jobs. Council budgets are still being cut this trend in
falling employment numbers is likely to continue into 2014.
Not a single Council worker ever contributed anything to the
financial crisis that they are being made to pay the price for.
Neither did any of the elderly, needy or vulnerable local citizens
that rely on ever diminishing Council services."
Euro MPs vote
for faster, easier and cheaper solutions to disputes with traders
EURO MPs voted on a new EU
law to give consumers access to a simple and low-cost way of
resolving disputes when purchasing goods or services in the EU.
Local Labour Euro MP, Arlene McCarthy a champion for consumer rights
said:- "In 2010, one in five European consumers encountered
problems when buying goods or services in the single market. If we
are to truly maximise the benefits of the Single Market and boost
our future prosperity consumers need to have trust in how that
market operates.
In the Single Market it
cannot be right that consumers are not on an equal footing when they
purchase goods in another country, especially if they encounter a
problem. Consumers must feel safe when buying goods online or from
other EU countries and that if things go wrong they can be resolved
easily and without a huge cost."
On what the new law could mean for European growth Arlene added:-
"Every year consumers and traders lose billions of euros on
pursuing cases, equivalent to €22.5 billion a year. Imagine that
money remains in the pockets of consumers and traders so that they
can spend it the market place rather than it being sucked into
costly court cases and administrative fees.
This new law will give consumers the confidence to shop safely
online or in another EU countries safe in the knowledge that they
can obtain redress if a problem occurs with their purchase. This is
vital in these times of crisis when we need to do all we can to
support growth."
On what the new rules include Arlene added:- "The new rules
will give consumers simple, speedy and cost-effective access to
resolution whilst still offering a high-level on consumer
protection.
One of the key elements of
the proposed new law is that consumers should receive a final
response to a complaint within 90 days and for free, or at a very
low cost.
The rules will also ensure
that consumers receive quality, independent advice and assistance
during the conflict resolution." |
