Petition Tag - baby p

Social Services in its present format isn't working its failing families & especially children look at Baby P, one in a long line of errors & mistakes and each time Social Services are given more power, they put in more procedures and more training for Social Workers but the same things happen children die.

If they close a case before anything happens to the child then they aren't responsible (can you see the flaw in this) but at the other end of the scale they are also targeting babies & toddlers for adoption if local councils meet their adoption targets they receive big financial hand outs from the Government (this reward system also extends to individual social workers) this was intended to get older children adopted and out of long term care but babies & toddlers are easier to adopt and these are targeted often even before birth.

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PLEASE NOTE, THIS PETITION HAS NOW BEEN FORWARDED TO ANDREW LANSLEY. WE HAVE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING REPLY ON 12/6/2010 FROM ANNE MILTON MP. I HAVE DECIDED NOT TO CLOSE THE PETITION SINCE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO SIGN TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR DR HOLT.

"Thank you for your letter and petition of 27 May to Andrew Lansley about Dr Kim Holt. I am replying as the Minister responsible for professional regulation policy.

We are aware of Dr Holt's dispute with GOSH and the independent investigation commissioned by NHS London.

Your letter asks the Secretary of State to intervene in an employment dispute between Dr Holt and GOSH. Any sugestion that an NHS body may have victimised a member of staff who was seeking to raise legitimate concerns in the public interest must be taken very seriously indeed. However, the Department has no place to intervene in what is essentially an employment dispute between an employee and her employer.

NHS staf have a basic right and duty to raise concerns about health service issues with their managers and under no circumstances should they be penalised. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 gives full protection of the law to staff who act in the public interest, providing they follow the procedures set out in the Act, and the penalties for those who penalise staff for doing so are potentially very severe. The Act provides protection under law to workers in such circumstances and the appropriate means of redress is through an employment tribunal.

Although the Act itself does not require organisations to set up whistleblowing policies, it provides strong reasons why they should. The Department has, in light of the Act, made it clear that every NHS Trust should have in place local policies and procedures that comply with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. NHS London does have a whistleblowing policy, which I have enclosed for your information.

In order to support NHS staff, the Department has taken out a contract with the independent whistleblowing charity Public Concern at Work. The charity's helpline is staffed by lawyers with expertise on whistleblowing law, and calls are treated in confidence.

More specifically, in regard to Dr Holt. I am afraid that I am unable to comment on indiviual cases. NHS London took Dr Holt's accusations extremely seriously and commissioned Bevan Brittan LLP to undertake an independent review into Dr Holt's complaints. The report and findings were published in December 2009 and are publicly available on the NHS London website. This can be found at www.london.nhs.uk by navigating to the "News & health issues" section and typing "St Ann's Hospital Haringey" into the search bar.

It is for Dr Holt to consider taking legal action if she feels she has suffered detriment on account of having raised legitimate concerns with her employer. The Department could not act on behalf of Dr Holt as it is not party to the contract of employment.

I hope this reply clarifies the government's position on this matter."

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This petition is for NHS staff and patients who want to show their support for consultant paediatrician Dr Kim Holt.

In December 2009, Great Ormond Street promised to reach a "swift and amicable solution" with Dr Holt after a damning NHS London report largely vindicated her criticisms of the child abuse clinic in Haringey, for which Great Ormond Street provided the doctors.

Dr Holt has spent the last three years on "special leave" since warning – more than a year before Baby P came to the clinic – that she and other doctors there were dangerously overworked and a child would die unless action was taken.

Great Ormond Street promised to implement the recommendations of the NHS London report, one of which was that Dr Holt had done nothing wrong and should be reinstated. This has not been done and while Dr Holt remains on "leave" at public expense, the hospital have readvertised her post.

Further information at :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=336534703005&ref=ts

You can read more about the story here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/baby-p/6739202/If-Great-Ormond-Street-had-listened-to-me-Baby-Peter-would-still-be-alive-says-consultant.html

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100019125/baby-p-great-ormond-street-deeply-mired-in-denial/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/baby-p/7280085/Baby-P-whistleblower-being-hounded-out-of-Great-Ormond-Street-Hospital.html

You can see the full report into Dr Holt's allegations of bullying here:

http://www.london.nhs.uk/webfiles/Independent%20inquiries/KHOLT_021209.pdf

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In 2008, Steven Barker, his brother Jason Owen and his partner, Tracy Connolly; were convicted of causing or allowing the death of a two year old boy, Peter Connolly. The details of their crime sickened the nation, causing outrage in parliament and widespread anger amongst the people of Britain.

Causing or allowing the death of a child is a relatively new offence in Britain, introduced to prevent child murderers simply avoiding responsibility for their crimes by blaming each other for laying the final blow. Naturally, Barker, Owen (who changed his name to try and disassociate himself from his brother) and Connolly all blamed each other, meaning that there was no realistic possibility of getting a murder conviction, so they were tried under the new law.

It sounds fairly passive, causing or allowing the death of a child, but their role in Peter's death was anything but. Barker moved in with Connolly, who failed to tell the authorities that he was living with her while Peter was on the child protection register, as she was required to do. Barker and Owen had a violent past, directing their sick fantasies at old and young alike, including torturing their own grandmother to make her change her will. Barker was also convicted of raping a two year old girl after being found guilty of causing or allowing the death of Peter.

From the day Barker and Owen came on the scene, Peter's days were numbered. By the time he died, after 17 months of torture, neglect and abuse, little baby Peter had 50 separate injuries on his body, caused by the animals he lived with.

Not surprisingly, the people of Britain despise these animals for their crimes, which has led to speculation that they will be granted new identities and anonymity on release, to protect them from vigilante attacks. It has been reported in the British press that Steven Barker, the child-raping baby murderer, has his hear set on starting a new life in Canada on his release.

We think that Barker should be barred from being able to settle in Canada or any other country for that matter. His crimes were committed in Britain, he is a British citizen, the Government of Canada has no legal or moral obligation to allow him to come here. Indeed, it would be grossly injurious to the reputation of Canada as a civilized and law-abiding society, and it would place at risk the most vulnerable people in our country, namely the very young and seniors upon whom Barker and his wretched accomplices visited their sick and violent fantasies.

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People who kill children are often released in this country and given new identities and security that cost the tax payer millions of pounds a year. The estimated cost of keeping Tracey Connelly (the mother of Baby P), Steven Barker and Jason Owen safe is £1,000,000 pa after their release.

In the case of Baby P: It is right that they should be named. We cannot have secret justice. But it comes at a price. Such is the notoriety of the three people involved in the abuse of Baby Peter than when they are released from prison new identities will have to be found and they will need protection costing millions of pounds.

There are, understandably, protests at this. Not only has the taxpayer funded the feckless and grotesque lifestyle of Connelly through welfare benefits worth £450 a week and the cost of the social workers who visited her regularly yet failed to spot the abuse of her child; we will all now have to pay for her security and, possibly, her upkeep for the rest of her days.

The same may well apply to the two men in the case. They will almost certainly be granted anonymity orders. The courts have made clear both in the case of the killers of Jamie Bulger and that of Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of the Soham Murderer Ian Huntley, that a ‘real possibility of serious physical harm’ can result in orders banning the publication of any details revealing their new identities or whereabouts.

It is unlikely that their notoriety wil have diminished by the time of their release (which could be within three years in Connelly’s case) for the vigilante threat to have lifted.

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A damning report by Ofsted recently revealed that up to 4 children die every week in England from abuse or neglect. Two thirds of the victims were less than a year old.

Experts say that 1 in 10 UK children suffers abuse or neglect and that most maltreated children are not known to the authorities. In the UK it is estimated that one million children are affected each year.

An average of 57 sexual offences against UK children were recorded DAILY by police in 2008. In more than 800 cases the victim was aged under four.

The current judicial system does not adequately reflect the serious nature of these crimes. The death of a child through abuse or neglect is often punished with a prison sentence ranging from only 1-14 years, most of which are automatically halved with parole. This needs to change now.

WE PETITION THE GOVERNMENT TO:

1. Increase the maximum sentence of 14 years for ‘allowing or causing death of a child’ to a discretionary life sentence, naming this new ruling ‘Peter’s Law’, as it was the murder of Peter Connelly that opened the nations eyes to the injustice of the current tariff.

2. Review sentencing guidelines for ALL crimes relating to child abuse, increasing both minimum and maximum tariffs.

3. Introduce a law concerning fatal abuse without fatal injury where death as a result of complications from failure to seek medical attention; illness in a child whose immune system is impaired by the stress of chronic abuse or neglect; or abuse or neglect of a child already impaired by chronic illness, is labeled murder.

4. Ensure that sentences for child abuse run consecutively.

5. Abolish parole for all crimes against children.

6. Life sentences should mean LIFE.

7. Close the legal loophole which allows abusers to escape jail when the child survives, by blaming each other for the abuse.


Please see the accompanying document for a thorough explanation of our law proposals & examples of the injustice of our current legal system.


In light of the tragic and avoidable death of Baby P and the more recent serious child protection failings in Doncaster and Birmingham, we call for urgent improvements to child protection nationwide to include:

1. The NSPCC say that babies & toddlers are particularly vulnerable to physical abuse. If regular compulsory health checks were introduced, at least 4 times a year for ages 0-2 and three times a year for ages 2-5, they would help to reveal any signs of abuse or neglect. Social Services should be alerted if appointments become overdue.

2. Social workers & health visitors should be allowed to physically examine young 'at risk' children. A child on the 'at risk' register means that child is considered to be at risk of significant harm. Examinations should therefore be compulsory at every visit of an at risk child or when any new child is brought to the attention of the authorities where there are reported concerns of abuse as this is the easiest, quickest & most effective way to determine if a child is being physically abused or not.

In the news recently was a 3 year old Carlisle toddler who was tortured by her father Reuben Williams her entire life. Because a Health Visitor determined after speaking to the mother that there were no child protection concerns without ever seeing the child and because 3 months later, a Social Worker did not examine the child despite renewed allegations of abuse, she was subjected to a further completely avoidable 18 months of being whipped, burned, punched, scratched and bitten. Her body is now permanently disfigured by nearly 200 scars and the emotional harm done is incalculable. Points 1) & 2) should hopefully avoid unnecessary & prolonged suffering of this kind.

3. Social Workers should carry out a task list at every visit which should be adopted nationwide and include:

- check the cleanliness/hygiene of all living quarters
- check for evidence of undisclosed people living at the property & Criminal Record Bureau Check all residents & regular visitors
- check there is sufficient food and other essential supplies
- physically interact with the child
- physically examine the child
- insist children in nappies be changed to reveal any cases of serious nappy rash
- insist any food, ointment, paint etc be removed from the child
- ensure they see the child unrestrained & moving, crawling or walking to assess any difficulty with movement & possible injury
- see children old enough to speak on their own in the presence of another professional, so that the child can talk uninhibited away from its carers
- check for signs of drug use or alcohol abuse as these are often linked to cases of child abuse & neglect
- observe family's interaction with pets as abusive behaviour may be indicative of domestic violence
- check for any other dangers

4. If a social worker strongly suspects physical abuse, they should have the power to remove the child immediately while the matter is investigated, with or without police aid.

5. Social workers must be aware of 'red flags' that could be cause for concern and should check on the child without delay every time one is raised as the child may have already sustained injury or be in poor physical condition. These should include:

- carers failing to attend any appointments
- being denied access to a child or its living quarters
- carers regularly appear not to be at home or who say a child is unavailable (confirm child's whereabouts immediately)
- carers saying that they can't see anyone for a period of time

6. Up to 80% of Social Workers' time is spent on administration. Free up this time to be spent with vulnerable children instead with adequate admin support. Also, main focus needs to be protecting vulnerable children - not meeting targets, budgets or red tape.

7. An urgent review of the criteria required to have a child taken into care. In Baby P's case 2 doctors, the police and a Social Worker stated separately that Baby P should not be returned to his mother and yet lawyers said there was insufficient evidence to start care proceedings.

8. Introduction of the whistleblowers' hotline for the use of all child protection agencies and the public to expose internal bad practice. Better protection for whistleblowers and a ban on gagging orders in such circumstances as they only serve to hush up bad practice and allow it to continue unchecked.

9. Provide a suitable and adequate alternative to the Children's database which must be used and accessed by the NHS, Social Services and the police to help strengthen communication between the agencies. Currently 66% of hospitals fail to check if an injured child is involved with social services and a lack of communication was cited in 75% of child death Serious Case Reviews.

10. to recruit and retain adequate numbers of high quality, well trained Social Workers & Health Visitors.

11. If abusive pet owners can be banned from keeping animals, a similar law should be in place to protect children from abusive carers or carers who allow a child to be abused or neglected. Abusers should forfeit all visitation & parental rights. Why should children have less rights to protection than animals?

12. A child's welfare must always take priority over keeping a family together.

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Jake pierce V's Doncaster,
Baby P England
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5162476.ece

Asking for evidence is not hard to find. Just look around you on the news In The papers You can not not see the Evidence

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In the light of the Baby P Tragedy, please petition 10 Downing Street to better protect vulnerable children and request that the government adopt the following recommendations for the future handling of children 'at risk' cases:

** Represents known areas where Baby P was badly let down

1.** If on 2 occasions the authorities (police/medical) advise against a child being returned to its family, Social Services should not be allowed to overrule this.

2.** Social workers should insist that all clothing be removed & chocolate/paint/ointment etc be cleaned off at every visit as these may hide a multitude of sins. Children old enough to speak may be too afraid to do so.

3.If a social worker strongly suspects physical abuse, they should remove the child immediately, with or without police aid, while the matter is investigated.

4.Social workers must make regular unannounced and out of hours visits.

5.If a social worker is denied access to a child or living quarters by its carers or suspects that a carer is pretending not to be at home, then social workers should call on the police to gain immediate access, as the child may have already sustained serious injuries or be in poor physical condition.

6.If a carer says a child is with someone else, this must be verified immediately.

7.** If the carer fails to attend any appointment set by social services, the child must be seen without delay, as again they may be injured.

8.If abusive pet owners can be banned from keeping animals, a similar law should be in place to protect children from abusive carers or carers who allow a child to be abused or neglected. Why should children have less rights to protection than animals?

9.** If Social Services refer a child for assessment, the doctor must do a full examination.

10.** If someone is assigned by the council to check on or live with the child at risk's family, that person must be monitored to ensure they are performing their duties.

11.** If a carer tells social services or equivalent that they can't see anyone for a period of time, the child must be seen immediately before this is granted, as the child may be injured.

12.** A child's welfare must always take priority over keeping a family together.

13.Carers should be told that they won't be judged if they admit to not loving a child or that they resent looking after a child or that they simply can't cope and that they can choose to have the child put into care, if only temporarily.

14.All the above points must be made known to carers on the social workers first visit to ensure that carers are fully aware that it won't be so easy to hoodwink social workers, to make excuses or to hide signs of physical abuse and that there is only a small, finite number of chances to get it right if they don't want to lose a child.

15.Legal & child care costs may deter councils from taking child abuse cases to court. To stop this happening, there should be a central government fund in place for these expenses.

16. The NSPCC say that babies & toddlers are particularly vulnerable to physical abuse. Babies are at greatest risk of being murdered in their first year of life than any other age. It should therefore be compulsory for babies & toddlers to have health checks at least every 3 months, for the first year or two, to help detect any signs of neglect or physical abuse. If carers fail to attend a health check, social services should be alerted and the child seen without delay. Responsible carers already take their children to health centres regularly, so this system should only serve to highlight any irresponsible, neglectful or abusive carers.

17. Child abusers and those responsible for a child's death through abuse or neglect must be punished with tougher prison sentences and no parole. The current judicial system is far too lenient.

NOTES:

*'Social Worker' can also mean Health Visitor or equivalent.
*Please sign and forward onto friends and family.
*Please note that your email and street address will NOT be displayed on-line.

Thank you.

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This petition was inspired by the recent events of Baby P (Peter), Baby P was a 17 month old child abused by his own parents, the authorities failed to acknowledge the neglect the child had & unfortunately he died at the young age of 17th months due to severe physical injuries including; eight broken ribs, a broken back and the top missing off a finger. How the authorities were unable to notice this shocks me, something needs to be done.

However this isn't the only incident which has shocked me, Baby Nia, a 3 year old toddler in New Zealand sustained injuries over a period of time, by two men, believed to be her father and uncle, she had be placed in a clothes dryer on high heat, beaten, and dropped on her head, she was 3. The men however, unlike in the UK have been found guilty of murder.

And everyone remembers what happened to Holly Wells, Jessica Chapman, Maddie McCann & the intolerable cruelty that Beverely Allitt inflicted on children.
We live in a cruel cruel world and something has to be done to help the children of today's generation.

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BABY P~BEATEN TO DEATH BY THOSE WHO WERE MEANT 2 LOVE HIM. NEGLECTED BY THOSE PAID 2 HELP HIM!

HARINGEY SOCIAL SERVICES HAD NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES 2 TAKE HIM INTO CARE, with over 60 visits 2 the address...AND DIDNT! A REGISTERED DOCTOR, CHECKED BABY P 2DAYS B4 HIS DEATH AND FAILED TO NOTICE HIS BROKEN BACK AND 8 CRACKED RIBS.. ALL IN THE AFTERMATH OF VICTORIA CLIMBIE! NO MORE COVER UPS, NO MORE LIES. WE WANT ANSWERS.

*CHECK THE WEB LINK ABOVE 4 MORE DETAILS*

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When the infant known in court only as Baby P was brought home from hospital days after his birth in March 2006, it was as a bubbly, blue-eyed boy with the first signs of curly blond hair. He was, according to those who came into contact with him, a lively child with a ready smile.

After 17 months enduring abuse of an almost unimaginable cruelty, the boy had been reduced to a nervous wreck, his hair shaved to the scalp and his body covered in bruises and scabs. Physical injuries included eight broken ribs, a broken back and the missing top of a finger, while the emotional damage was almost incalculable. Despite it all, Baby P was said to have still attempted a smile.

He was also paralyesd from the waist down and doctors have found one of his teeth in his stomach where he was punched so hard that he swollowed it.

If the abusers get life they will all be free to live their lives (probably with a new identity) after 20 years.

Because this matter is the subject of a court case I can't go into more details here.

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Baby P had head injuries, a broken back, nine fractured ribs, fingernails and a toenail missing, a severe mouth injury, a ripped ear and extensive bruising on his body. He was found dead in his blood spattered cot.

The child, who was on the child protection register, died in a blood-spattered cot last year after spending much of his short life being used as a punchbag.

Despite 60 visits from Haringey Social Services, this boy still suffered in silence and died in a blood splattered cot.

PLEASE SUPPORT US TODAY!!!!

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