Safeguarding girls and protecting women post Jimmy Saville & #metoo

[SpareRibFem]

I don't understand, there was a lot of hand wringing after the revelations about Jimmy Saville became widely accepted. #metoo there was more handwringing about the need to listen to women when they are telling you something that makes you uncomfortable.

Saville was allowed to get away with what he didn't because he created an aura of fear and people would afraid of the backlash if they spoke up. Those that did suffered.

We were promised something like that could never happen again...

And yet now despite many women and girls saying they feel afraid and uncomfortable sharing single sex spaces with someone with a penis weren't told we're bigoted and verbally abused for saying that. Our employers are contacted and told we're bigots, we're doxxed.

And organisations like girl guides are going still further in saying it must be kept a secret when girls are being forced to sleep and change with a male bodied teen with a penis (& teen levels of hormones) and I'm not even allowed to identify what sex that male bodied teen with a penis is on a public forum

Girl Guides are taking that approach despite the knowledge that abusers use secrecy and shame to their advantage.

Just like with Saville anyone who excesses concerns is shouted down and accused of being the person in the wrong by the powerful. There is a culture of fear now. Celebrity voices in particular (thinking people like Munroe Bergdorf, Stephen Fry and long list of others) are given more weight to shout down women's concerns. Male bodied people feelings are paramount despite almost all sexual abusers being male bodied (and most of the tiny tiny number of female bodied sexual abusers working with and being in thrall to a male bodied abuser)

Did we as a society learn nothing from Saville & the multitude of other abuse scandals that women and children/girls should be listened to, that celebrities voices help hide abusers, that telling girls to keep secrets from their parents about the presence of penises in their bedrooms and changing rooms and showing them they will be blamed and abused if they transgress and tell someone creates an environment where abuse can flourish.

The BBC, it seems, has learned nothing.

A timely bump for this thread

Who trained the BBC on trans issues?

current relevent thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3344556-Let-s-talk-about-how-safeguarding-is-being-disregarded

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/children-care-councils-social-services-15083287
Children in care crisis: Councils are struggling to cope with huge rise in number of youngsters needing support

SPECIAL REPORT: More and more children are being referred into the care system, while the cost of accommodating them goes through the roof

Extracts:

The number of vulnerable children needing support from Greater Manchester’s social services departments is soaring, an M.E.N. investigation has found, leaving town halls facing a growing financial black hole.

and

Councils in other parts of the country, including Northamptonshire, Torbay and East Sussex, have all hit the national headlines recently after cutting their services to the bare minimum due to extreme funding pressures.

But an M.E.N. analysis of children’s services budgets across Greater Manchester shows most are now also unable to balance the books, between them facing a shortfall of at least £25m a year due to soaring pressures.

and

Official government figures for the numbers of children in care only run up to March 2017, but in Manchester, Tameside and Oldham alone - where all three councils are struggling to recover from damning Ofsted inspections and all are under particular financial pressure - there has been a 13pc increase since then, with around 2,500 children now in the system across the three boroughs.

During the year to March 2018, Stockport saw a 23pc rise and Wigan a 7pc increase, while Bolton saw a 9pc rise in the year to last December.

In Oldham, the number of children being flagged as potentially at harm DOUBLED last year.

and

Oldham - which we revealed earlier this month is now facing an ‘intolerable risk’ due to rising demand and lack of experienced social workers - is £3.4m overspent, Tameside by £8m, Salford and Bolton by £6m, Bury £3.2m and Stockport £4.5m.

and

A major driver for its overspend - as in other parts of the region - is the placing of children outside the city due to a lack of homes. Accommodating children far away from their hometown has been linked to a greater likelihood of them running away.

and

In Oldham, a leaked report revealed by the M.E.N. earlier this month referred to ‘unsustainable levels of increasing demand’ and high social worker caseloads. Referrals to the department have almost doubled since March 2016, at the same time as the council struggles to improve in the wake of a damning Ofsted inspection.

The town hall is running a £3.4m overspend and has taken a further £8m out of reserves to plough into the service. Oldham also has the highest national average figure for children going missing from care.

and

Changes to legislation have also seen an increase in the duty placed on councils to look after children with special educational needs and disabilities, care that is often particularly expensive but, again, has come with no extra government money.

and

But the children’s commissioner believes many of children who are just starting to become at risk do not get the support from social services many people might imagine, because there simply isn’t enough money in the system.

“Actually the reality is often they don’t get that help,” she said.

“I think the general public makes an assumption that if there’s severe mental health issues or addiction or even abuse, that social services will be stepping in to help but the reality is that increasingly they won’t.

“I think if the general public knew that, they’d be quite shocked by it and would want it to change.

“It can’t be children that carry the brunt and the risk.”

This is the background on the ground. How much time and effort and money is being invested into raising awareness of trans issues, when there is also this shit going on, and there are comments openly saying that kids are knowingly are being left in abusive situations because the bottomline is that Social Services don't have the money to help?

Much of this stems from the problems related to austerity and living on the bread line. Poorer working class kids are totally invisible to politicians who are too busy prattling on about it being 'abusive' to misgender.

Just how far detatched from reality are politicians. THIS should be grabbing all the bloody headlines if they want 'woke' points.

And this is why I'm often tempted to respond to cries of misgendering and so on with #middleclassproblems. Our social services framework is falling apart at the seams and this is what people are worried about?

All this squabbling about who's a woman and who's a fascist and so on is brilliant displacement activity for a left that has been so thoroughly captured by privilege that it is oblivious to the power differentials it's supposed to be addressing

Angry, I think there is an argument to push the point hard. The one trick ponies trying to centre themselves against that aren't going to reflect well. Making it about a British issue rather than an international issue, plays better to the audiences this needs to drop into, to get attention and political strategists panicking. Plus it gets the story that REALLY needs to be told out there.

I agree. Class is always, always a factor in British politics, and there are a lot of people who're angry about the failure of the left to do its job.

Me. I'm angry. I'm very angry.

Mumsnet are doing a Facebook live with NSPCC re safeguarding tomorrow

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_facebook_live/3343961-Facebook-Live-about-talking-to-kids-about-staying-safe-from-abuse-with-NSPCC-Thursday-30-August-12-30pm?pg=1&order=

Or not - if you follow LemonJello's link you'll find out why

Mumsnet post following decision not to go ahead with the NSPCC live chat linked above:
(extract)
"However, in view of the questions asked in this thread, we asked the NSPCC for a statement:

The NSPCC doesn’t consider there to be specific child protection concerns in relation to trans-inclusive policies. Any space and activity involving children should have strong safeguarding policies in place, with a proper risk assessment to minimise the risks to all children involved. And every adult working with children should undergo rigorous safety checks and vetting procedures to ensure that young people are safe in their care.

Trans young people are at particular risk of physical, sexual and emotional abuse from peers. This can heighten the risk of abuse by adults as children turn online for support and access to networks of those sharing similar views and feelings. There should be high-quality, statutory relationships and sex education, alongside strong school safeguarding policies, to ensure that all children are kept safe in schools."

There should be high-quality, statutory relationships and sex education, alongside strong school safeguarding policies, to ensure that all children are kept safe in schools.

If this is truly their belief, why are they effectively allowing current safeguarding measures to be disregarded and dismantled?

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/01/children-social-care-services-councils-austerity
Revealed: cash crisis pushing child services to tipping point
Fears of new case like Baby P’s as ministers told emergency funds are needed to protect thousands of vulnerable children

The Observer understands that the Treasury was repeatedly approached for more funding by concerned ministers before the last budget, but the requests were turned down. Theresa May has also been warned by MPs that unless action is taken the funding crisis could cause another tragedy like the Baby P scandal of 2007.

And

According to the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 370 councils, there is now real pressure on attempts by councils to keep children safe from harm.

The annual number of referrals to children’s social care has increased by 100,000 children in a decade. The number of child protection plans, which assess their risk of harm and find ways to ensure their safety, is up by 23,000. The number of children in care is up 12,000 in a decade.

The government has been handed an internal report into the causes of the increasing numbers, but ministers have refused demands to publish its findings.

While some believe the increase is a sign of better reporting and more willingness by councils to intervene, councillors and social workers say the axing of early intervention services, such as family centres and parenting help, has fuelled the problem.

and

Conservative MP Tim Loughton, the former children’s minister, said: “It is really worrying that the pressure on children’s social care has not received the attention that it really deserves. For years, local authorities have tried to protect spending on vulnerable children, only too mindful of tragic cases like Baby P, but finances are so stretched that in many authorities it is hard to see how that will continue.

“There is a very real worry that it is only a matter of time before vulnerable children hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again and we have echoes of some of the really tragic cases of the past.”

Roy Perry, the Conservative leader of Hampshire county council and vice-chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “These figures clearly show the huge and increasing financial pressures children’s services are under, with many councils being pushed to the brink by unprecedented demand. It is not just increased pressure for care for the elderly causing the problem for local authority budgets.

There is a fascinating thing about this article. Whether it's deliberate /conscious I don't know but it's only conservatives who have been quoted in this article.

That of course could be accidental, just that these people were easier to get a quote from or reflect that Conservative councils are having more financial issues with social care. Or it could me that Labour are more preoccupied with other things and it's not as high on their agenda.

In the recent announcement of pay increase for public sector workers (health, education etc). Social Workers did not receive increase.

Whilst newly qualified SW are coming into the profession, a very high number of thos with experience have left / intending to leave at a time when their skills and capability will be desparately needed.

Additional NSPCC thread includes responses from the charity over a long period time to detailed Safeguarding concerns:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3350778-My-letter-to-NSPCC

from Sunday Telegraph today, article:
'My husband's a paedophile – but I still love him'
(Extract)
The national picture is obviously murky, but by any available measure, this is one of Britain’s fastest-growing crimes. Government figures released late last year revealed a 700 per cent increase in the number of indecent images referred to law enforcement agencies since 2013.

Police now arrest an average of 400 people every month for viewing child abuse material. Most are men, but confound other stereotypes.

“We see men of all ages and backgrounds, family men and respectable professionals,” said West Yorkshire police assistant chief constable, Catherine Hankinson. The 149 adults they arrested last year included four company directors, two solicitors and four tech professionals." (continues)
www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/husbands-paedophile-still-love/?li_source=LI&li_medium=li-recommendation-widget

Current thread, OP bd67th wrote:
"DQ by association requirements now scrapped for schools, already.
hub.unlock.org.uk/scrapping-of-disqualification-by-association-requirement-in-schools/

Because no male teacher would ever dream of using coercive control to get his wife to take the rap for his child porn abuse images so that he could carry on teaching and having access to vulnerable children.

Never mind a bus, you could drive a cruise liner through that loophole. And it's already in effect. And where are the Press on this?

I am increasingly sure that there is a deliberate and very quiet removal of safeguarding across the board going on. The TRA/self-id aspect is just the most visible."
thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3360238-DBS-DQ-by-association-now-SCRAPPED-for-schools

From the Sunday Times article on "Karen White, formerly known as David Thompson and Stephen Wood"

It is now becoming clear that White is a dangerous repeat offender against women and children. White has committed crimes in prisons, probation hostels and psychiatric wards.

There must now be a serious case review and investigation given the numbers of Safeguarding failures against children and vunerable adults.

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/why-was-convicted-paedophile-allowed-to-move-to-a-female-jail-nmpbfm272

Significant points made by Melissa Briscoe on The Victoria Derbyshire Show yesterday who was quoted in the Sunday Times article above. She explained Wood's long history (20 years) of violent offences against women and children was known. Dr Nicola Williams (Fairplay for Women) outlined the serious Safeguarding issues for protecting vulnerable female prisoners.

(extract from Sunday Times)
"Briscoe, who also knew Wood and had access to his record, said there was “no sign at all that he was trans”, describing him as a “very manipulative” person who would “develop relationships with vulnerable residents in the hostel and befriend them”. He repeatedly breached his probation conditions, she said, and was not recalled to prison after the rape.

Briscoe, now a senior therapist at a charity, said Wood had a history of seeking access to mixed and women’s institutions to find and abuse vulnerable people. As well as the bail hostel and the prison, she said, police told her Wood had gained admission to a mixed psychiatric ward, where he had repeatedly raped a young woman patient suffering from Asperger’s syndrome." (continues)

Segment in full here:

(Also now on BBC Iplayer which was taken down and I understand now edited to remove Tara Hudson's middle finger and expletive at the end)

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3361150-Dr-Nicola-Williams-on-BBC2-at-10-15-Victoria-Live

www.independent.co.uk/voices/mental-health-nhs-psychiatric-wards-sexual-abuse-rape-assault-misogyny-a8533931.html
The uncomfortable truth is that many psychiatric wards have a culture of sexual assault

The idea that people, predominantly girls and women, are too mad, too bad and too sad to be believed has been used to silence people since time immemorial

www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20180911c_sexualsafetymh_report.pdf
Original report here.

Two quotes for you:
However, we do know that in two-thirds of cases where the report indicated that a female was the person affected, a man was alleged to be the person who carried out the incident.

and

Healthcare professionals and representatives of arms-length bodies that we consulted with agreed that CQC should not simply recommend that all mental health wards become single-sex.

^As well as the cost and potential impact on out-of-area placements, this would not affect the significant proportion of incidents that involve people of the same gender or a staff member as
the person who was affected by the unwanted behaviour.^

Translation:
Despite knowing that we could stop 2/3 of incidents against women carried out by men instantly by going single sex, we have concluded this is not worth the cost because of the other 16% (carried out by women) and 18% (carried out by sex unknown).

Yes. That's mighty fine logic there.

The mothers of two girls raped at school talk about the difficulties they've had getting an adequate response from DfE and Ofsted

www.tes.com/news/our-kids-were-raped-classmates-dfe-wont-listen

Bump.

Great thread to bump

'Influential criminal justice charity campaigning for removal of minor 'gender specific' offences from DBS checks'

Unlock are calling for further evidence to support the case:

"The current criminal record disclosure rules are unnecessarily harsh and disproportionate – they mean that standard and enhanced DBS checks continue to disclose old, minor and irrelevant offences that often happened decades ago. This means people can feel like they are effectively serving a life sentence for minor offences that they committed in their youth."

As part of our work on this, we’ve become aware of Helen’s* story, and we want to see if Helen’s problem is shared by others.

This is Helen’s story:
“I am a trans woman. I have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), by which I am recognised in law as female, “for all purposes”.

“In the late seventies, around 1979 to be precise, I was working at a club in Soho called The Golden Girl Club, also known as a ‘clip joint’, as a means to fund gender reassignment surgery which was not readily available on the NHS at the time. There was little tolerance for LGBT people among police officers working at West End Central who made it their mission to arrest and humiliate trans women. During this time, I was arrested on a couple of occasions for ‘importuning as a man’ – this essentially means ‘offering services as a prostitute’

“In 1980, I completed my gender reassignment survey and moved to America where I went back to university and lived there until the late 90s. In 2004, I completed a master’s degree in psychotherapy and counselling and up until 2011, worked in both a corporate environment as a HR professional and a small private practice. In 2012, I left the corporate world completely and moved my career into the clinical field.

“Given the nature of my work, I am required to provide an enhanced DBS certificate that discloses my spent convictions for historical gender specific offences which I am required to disclose under the legislation due to the type of work I do which discloses my birth gender and my trans status. Because I do not wish my gender history to be more widely known (and do not wish to disclose my trans status to employers), this has prevented me from applying for many roles and has forced me to stay in organisations that haven’t been in my best professional interest.”

www.unlock.org.uk/call-for-evidence-dbs-checks-transgender/

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3370916-influential-criminal-justice-charity-campaigning-for-removal-of-minor-gender-specific-offences-from-dbs-checks