The link is to a story in the Mail on Sunday about how children have been illegally placed in Jersey and then lost.
The existance of paeodophile networks in Child Protection is not a new story. What needs to be recognised is that the secrecy of the system allowed them and their actions to be kept secret.
There is, as can be seen from Liz Davies' comments, considerably more to be revealed about the links between England and Jersey. However, the government have decided to turn a blind eye to this issue. It is much like the government minister on Thursday being unwilling to say anything about the government's position during a phone call.
What Family Court Secrecy enables is the real threats of imprisonment (and frequent imprisonment) of those people who speak out about injustices and malpractise in child protection. That is how it protects abusers. It does not protect the children.
The aggressive nature of many local authority legal departments feeds this culture. Any criticism is covered up (although Ofsted has been a laudable exception recently).
The reason that the placements in Jersey are illegal is that Jersey is (as everyone including Wendy Alexander probably knows now) is not part of the UK although it is accountable to the Privy Council. Hence to place a child there requires a court order.
Did anyone ever bother to get one. I don't know. Nor does the government. Nor AFAIK have they tried to find out.
The existance of paeodophile networks in Child Protection is not a new story. What needs to be recognised is that the secrecy of the system allowed them and their actions to be kept secret.
There is, as can be seen from Liz Davies' comments, considerably more to be revealed about the links between England and Jersey. However, the government have decided to turn a blind eye to this issue. It is much like the government minister on Thursday being unwilling to say anything about the government's position during a phone call.
What Family Court Secrecy enables is the real threats of imprisonment (and frequent imprisonment) of those people who speak out about injustices and malpractise in child protection. That is how it protects abusers. It does not protect the children.
The aggressive nature of many local authority legal departments feeds this culture. Any criticism is covered up (although Ofsted has been a laudable exception recently).
The reason that the placements in Jersey are illegal is that Jersey is (as everyone including Wendy Alexander probably knows now) is not part of the UK although it is accountable to the Privy Council. Hence to place a child there requires a court order.
Did anyone ever bother to get one. I don't know. Nor does the government. Nor AFAIK have they tried to find out.
Comments
The child is "paramount" line, is only relevant when it suits, the government should also follow the laws of the land, if the child is "paramount" damn well do something.
Who honestly takes anything the government says at face value anymore?
The invasion of Iraq was a farce.