Child Abuse: Jason Caesar (Hansard, 19 January 1982)

§ Lord Harris of Greenwich
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Elton)
My Lords, this tragic case and every other like it is a matter of very great concern to the Government. If I say that the welfare of children is the responsibility of local authorities, that in no way diminishes that concern. Clearly every such incident has to he thoroughly investigated in order to see what can be learned from it and whether either professional practice or administrative procedures can be improved as a result. However, such investigation is usually best done locally by the authorities themselves. The Cambridgeshire County Council and Area Health Authority are already conducting such an investigation and its findings will be sent to me.
It is important that the lessons learned by one authority are known to the rest. The department is therefore studying the published reports of inquiries into previous serious incidents in search of any common factors which may help to reinforce the guidance which we already give on these matters. I hope to publish any significant findings later this year. A review has also been instigated of the working of the child abuse registers, on which we issued advice in 1980. I will also make any significant findings of this review available as appropriate.

§ Lord Harris of Greenwich
My Lords, in thanking the noble Lord for that reply which was phrased in an extremely helpful way, I should like to ask him two specific questions. First, is the noble Lord aware that in November 1976 a circular was issued by his own department and by the Home Office specifically suggesting that the police should be invited to case conferences? Is the noble Lord aware that in this particular case the police do not appear to have been invited to the case conference, and is that one of the matters which will be subject to investigation? Secondly, in terms of the local authority inquiries which are taking place, when the noble Lord receives the result of those will he consider placing them in the Library of the House?

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, on the noble Lord's first point, up to the time of this case, police involvement was always considered when an initial case conference was called, but it was not always thought necessary. Following this case the police are invariably informed of every initial case conference with the local authority we are considering. On the second matter, the proper response depends on what emerges from the inquiry which I have at present had made as to whether it is appropriate to place it in the House of Lords Library. If it appears that a narrower circulation is more appropriate, I shall certainly undertake to let the noble Lord know himself.

§ Baroness Trumpington
My Lords, I should like to ask my noble friend two questions. First, what are the Government doing to encourage the work of voluntary bodies as regards child abuse? Secondly, will the forthcoming restructuring of the National Health Service make local collaboration in child abuse cases more difficult?

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, as regards voluntary bodies, the Government support and greatly appreciate the value of the work, and the preventive work, being done by voluntary agencies. In the last few days my right honourable friend the Secretary of State authorised the grant of £450,000 over three years to help the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children out of its financial difficulties. We also help the newly-formed Organisation for Parents under Stress and a number of organisations and projects that provide support for parents. Later this year I plan a series of meetings and visits to voluntary organisations concerned with child abuse as well as to other responsible authorities and I hope that that will help to strengthen links with the department as well as helping us to learn more about their very valuable work.

§ Baroness Faithfull
My Lords, I should like to ask my noble friend the Minister whether, in his inquiries later on, he will look at the circular referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Harris of Greenwich. I should like to suggest to the Minister that that circular does put both the police and the directors of social services, health and education, in extremely awkward positions. If that circular could be looked at and clarified I think that it would be helpful both to the police and to the other social agencies, including the voluntary organisations.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, I shall certainly look at the circular.

§ Lord Harris of Greenwich
My Lords, I should like to put a further question to the noble Lord arising from the question put by the noble Baroness. Is the noble Lord aware that the Association of Chief Police Officers was consulted before the circular was issued in 1976, and that therefore it was done with the full knowledge of the service? Secondly, will the noble Lord particularly direct his attention to why the terms of this circular were not implemented by the authorities in Cambridgeshire?

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, I was aware of the consultation that took place before the issue of the circular. Indeed, it was the subject of a discussion in this House in which I took part. The second matter which the noble Lord raises is, of course, of great interest to me.

§ Lord Wells-Pestell
My Lords, I should like to ask the noble Lord the Minister whether, if his department has any responsibility for this particular inquiry, he will investigate or have investigated the stress and strain under which many of these agencies are working at present because of the increase in this particular type of difficulty in the community? We all know that they are working under great stress and I think that this ought to be examined before we come to some kind of conclusion as to who is at fault and who is not at fault.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, the purpose of the inquiry is to avoid, as far as is humanly possible, a recurrence of the tragic events which we are now discussing. But your Lordships would not expect that whatever the Government do will stop occurrences happening 526 again; we can only strive to reduce them. To remove a child from its mother or its father or both is a matter of traumatic importance to the child and it is a step which can only be taken when it is pretty clear that it is the last step and only remaining step that can be taken. Your Lordships will sympathise with the people who often have to decide whether they have taken the right decision or the wrong decision and will know that your Lordships will only be discussing it if they get it wrong.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware how pleased people are that the Government are helping the NSPCC and how worried they were about their financial position? Would it not be possible, as the noble Lord, Lord Wells-Pestell, has said, to expand the work in the community to bring in aids to help the officers of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children?

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for expressing a feeling—a feeling which I am very glad to hear expressed—of approval for what we have done for the National Society. I did, in fact, spend quite some time with them and also visiting their work in the field before the grant was made. I am glad to see that they are considering very carefully the extent to which their work can he made entirely complementary to the local authorities' and to remove any overlap that there may be.