Western Isles Social Work Department refuses to investigate complaints

In a letter from the Director of Social Work, Mr Malcolm Smith, it states that "the Social Work Inspection Agency is conducting a detailed review of this case and it would be unhelpful to anyone's interests to conduct a parallel investigation into the specific points raised in your letter, without the benefit of the conclusions of the Inspection Agency report." We received this letter after requesting for confirmation that the complaints we made in a letter dated 23rd August 2005 were being investigated.

As the SWIA report was due for publication, they must have already concluded their investigation into the case. That being the situation, there is nothing to prevent our complaints being investigated unless they do not wish the results of an investigation into our complaints to be released before the SWIA report is publicised.

Our complaints focused on the controversial therapy that NCH worker Valerie Russell conducted over a period of 5 years.

Her involvement has at first been denied, then only marginally acknowledged. Joe Connolly, Director of Children’s Services for NCH Scotland in Glasgow, initially denied that any NCH worker had provided therapy for the alleged victims in this case, and refused to investigate any further until we contacted the Central Office for NCH in London.

We have now received a letter from Mr Connolly stating that our complaints are being investigated, however, no-one from NCH has as yet contacted us for information.

Valerie Russell, who had already trained as a social worker in Aberdeen, gained a Certificate in Child Care and Protection Studies from the University of Dundee. Teaching Fellows and Lecturers in the department of Child Care and Protection at the University of Dundee include Professor Brigid Daniel, Norma Baldwin and Sgt. Douglas Gray.

Sgt. Gray is a member of the Family Protection Unit, Tayside Police, who gained a M.Phil in Child Protection in 2002 and is a self-confessed believer in Ritual Abuse. He is currently on the Steering Committee for the implementation of the Vulnerable Witnesses Act. All three have links with Sarah Nelson and Beatrix Campbell, whose names will be familiar to many.

Because of the efforts so far made by the Social Work Department not to reveal the circumstances surrounding the disclosures allegedly made by the children, to whom and when they were made, it remains to be seen whether this has in fact been fully investigated by the SWIA.