Mandate Now is the pressure group that leads the agenda for the introduction of law requiring staff who work in ‘Regulated Activities’ to report suspected or even known sexual abuse of children to the Local Authority. Mandatory reporting is a vital component of functioning safeguarding in complex and strategically important institutional settings.
Mandate Now has many supportive individuals who coalesce around the campaign. These include: social workers, local authority employees who are involved in children’s services and child protection, academics, teachers, Designated Child Protection Officers in Regulated Activities, safeguarding in sport specialists, early years staff, NHS personnel, barristers, parents, politicians from both Houses and importantly, adults who experienced sexual abuse in childhood for whom Mandate Now employs the neutral noun ‘abusees.’
On 19.12.23 Jonathan West was appointed Director of Mandate Now following the retirement of founder Director Tom Perry on a milestone birthday. Jonathan was largely responsible for bringing the abuse scandal at St Benedict’s School in Ealing to public attention. He worked closely with Mandate Now for some years before it became publicly visible in December 2013.
Tom was the first complainant in the Caldicott School child sexual abuse scandal. He was also the founding contributor of the 2008 BAFTA award winning documentary Chosen that first revealed the non-existence of law to protect children and staff in Regulated Activities.
This unacceptable legal position was again brought to public attention during the BAFTA awards ceremony featured below, by co-contributor Alastair – take time bar to 5.40.
It was in 2005 that Tom, and another former pupil of Caldicott, started lobbying for changes to ‘statutory guidance’ which still fails children and staff in all Regulated Activities.
Well-designed mandatory reporting is a vital component of functioning safeguarding