UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet (UK)
04 March 2015 by Danny Sullivan
David Cameron this week announced a consultation that could lead to custodial sentences for those in the public sector who fail to protect vulnerable children and young people. This is one of a number of recent developments in the field of safeguarding that has implications for the Church in England and Wales.
While the government consultation has come in response to recent cases of horrendous trafficking in Oxford and Rochdale, it raises questions. Why has the Government not introduced mandatory reporting of abuse allegations? Since the publication of the Nolan Report in 2001 the Catholic Church has been required to refer any allegation to the statutory services.
A number of reviews into serious abuse or neglect of children, while showing real failings, have also shown serious resource issues with social workers expected to carry unrealistic case loads. That injustice must be addressed – the service must be properly resourced.
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