§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has estimated how many children have been disabled as a result of violence during pregnancy; and if he will order the publication of these and any future statistics.
§ Sir K. JosephI am afraid that information on which such an estimate could be based is not available.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consult the appropriate authorities about the best methods of ensuring that battered wives and children receive all the medical, legal, social and educational services they require.
§ Sir K. JosephI am co-operating with my colleagues in considering all aspects of this problem, and will consult other outside bodies as necessary.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to encourage local authorities to provide sanctuary for wives and children who are victims of domestic violence.
§ Sir K. JosephWhen I have received all the facts and views I need I will consider whether there is any guidance I can usefully give to local authorities on this issue.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why no figures are available of the number of battered wives seeking help; and if he will now arrange for these figures to be kept and published.
§ Sir K. JosephThere would be formidable difficulties, practical and possibly ethical, over the reporting of such cases, and hitherto I have seen no justification for requiring it. If good reasons emerge from my current study of the problem I will certainly consider whether an effort should be made to collect information from health and social services authorities.
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§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will arrange for hospitals to keep a record of all battered wives and children who need treatment and medical assistance in them;
(2) if he will arrange for doctors to keep a record of all battered wives and children who need treatment.
§ Sir K. JosephDoctors and hospitals are already expected to keep adequate records of the illnesses and treatment of their patients.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will request all doctors and hospitals to report to the police all cases of battered wives and children they are aware of.
§ Sir K. JosephNo. This is a matter for the judgment of individual doctors in the circumstances of any particular case.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what medical treatment is available for children who have been affected by physical violence in their homes.
§ Sir K. JosephFor these children, as for others, the general and specialist services of the National Health Service are available as needed in any particular case.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has now collected evidence about wives and children subjected to violence; and if he intends to publish it.
§ Sir K. JosephConsideration of this complex problem is proceeding, but will necessarily take some time.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to encourage and assist voluntary societies which help battered wives.
§ Sir K. JosephI am aware of the work of one group and would be glad to hear164W from other organisations in this field, especially if they have experience of particular aspects of this problem on which I should consider giving guidance.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will encourage social workers to report all cases of wives and children who are victims of domestic violence.
§ Sir K. JosephA social worker's knowledge of such cases will generally be acquired in professional confidence and his use of it will be governed by his professional ethic, but I would certainly expect him to consider very carefully whether such a report might best serve his client's interests.