Dear All,
ROYAL COMMISSION INTO THE CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES IN THE U.K.
AND THE ASSOCIATED COURTS and LEGAL SYSTEM
I have corresponded with most of you over recent years regarding
our shared concerns about the Child Protection system in the U.K.
and the Courts and legal systems.
Despite Parliamentary Debates, Select Committees, adverse media
reports, disastrous events in Courts, Public Inquiries after the
deaths of children under the care or supervision of CP agencies(e.g.
Victoria Climbie') etc, the present government is in complete
denial or ob;ivious to the fact that the CP system is deeply-
flawed, erratic, and dysfunctional.
Many thousands of children, their parents, and adults have all
suffered serious injustices and continue to suffer because the
CP system is incapable of learning from its mistakes and is incapable
of carrying out the necessary reforms. Each crisis has simply
resulted in more legislation to boost the CP systems powers and
resources and very rarely have the voices of consumers been heard.
Despite the cruel injustices which happened to Sally Clark and
Angela Cannings, the government have merely sought to introduce
better training and accreditation for Expert Witnesses although
the faults were not in their ability to present evidence, but
that their evidence was seriously flawed and misleading. The consultation
and changes envisaged by the Dept of Constitutional Affairs are
merely a cost-cutting exercise which will even further reduce
the capacity of parents and other falsely accused adults from
receiving fair and just hearings and will merely Fast-Track the
Care Proceedings in the same way that the Adoption Procediures
have been fast-tracked.
Of most concern are the `theories' of child abuse which can be
introduced with no scientific basis and no system of verification
or validation by a National Validation body, even though the last
20 years have seen horrendous harm caused to children and families
by such junk science as the Anal Dilatation Test (Cleveland),
Repressed Memory Syndrome (widespread across the U.K. over many
years), Satanic Ritual Abuse (Orkneys, Notttingham, Rochdale,
and most recently in the Isle of Lewis), Shaken Baby Syndrome,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Fabricated and Induced Illness in
Children, Brittle Bone Disease (in this case denial of its existence
in infants), etc etc.
The purges which have been carried out under the guise of investigating
historical abuse of children (now adults) in residential schools
and children's homes have similarly resulted in widespread injustices
where normal tenets of law (e.g. presumptions of innocence, factual
evidence, corroborative evidence, etc) have been cast aside and
false accusers have been tempted by large sums of money offered
by lawyers and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to past
residents and pupils to make allegations of abuse from 20 and
more years ago. Volume of evidence replacing the veracity of evidence.
In Shieldfield Nursery Newcastle, two young carers were pilloried
for years and their lives and their careers ruined by false accusations
of abusing over 60 children in a Day Nursery until they were finally
exonerated by a Civil Court many years later and awarded a large
compensation against their `professional' accusers.
There can be little doubt or argument that the Child Protection
system is in absolute chaos and is causing immense harm every
year to thousands of children, parents, and other caring adults
- over 150,000 reports of child abuse are found to have "NO
Substantive Basis" i.e. False Accusations for mistaken, mischievous,
malicious, or monetary reasons.
Reports from parents with disabled children and their representative
organisations provide compelling evidence that the governments
policy of integrating disabled children into mainstream schools
is resulting in Education Authorities denying disabled children
a proper assessment of their educational needs and making appropriate
provision and if the parents protest, the family are referred
into the Child Protection system where they are stigmatised and
persecuted by the CP system and its composite agencies.
The governments target-settng for adoption numbers by local authorities
has undoubtedly resulted in legalised abductions of children into
local authority care and very quickly thereafter into adoption,
with no pretence of attempts at preventative work with the family
or rehabilitation and re-unification of the child with the family
by social work agencies.
In conclusion, I would suggest to you all that there needs to
be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the entire Child Protection
system and the associated Courts and legal systems and a concerted
effort by us all to bring this about. If such a Rotal Commission
were to take place, then precedence in giving evidence to the
Commission should be given to children, parents, and adults who
have suffered the injustices of the system rather than the agencies
which provide these services and who have constantly monopolised
previous Public Inquiries and protected, promoted, and expanded
their own self-interests.
I would suggest that there should be two forms of approach to
obtaining such a Royal Commission :
a) that each group/organisation organise a petition to demand
such a Royal Commission; and
b) that each group request its members, associates and supporters
to lobby their Member of Parliament to support a call for such
a Royal Commission.
I would very much welcome your views, advice, and suggestions
on this proposal,
Kind regards,
Charles Pragnell
Expert Defence Witness - Child Protection and Child/Family Advocate
