Baroness Walmsley debates her amendment for the introduction of Mandatory Reporting of Child and Vulnerable Adult abuse supported by The Lord Bishop of Durham. The Church of England is defined as a Regulated Activity and supports the introduction of Mandatory Reporting
The amendment can be seen here Word Search ‘40C’ in browser search.
Here are the exchanges to silence.
The NSPCC strapline: Everything we do protects children, prevents abuse and transforms society so it’s safer for all children
Baroness Walmsley secured a debate on Child and Vulnerable Adult abuse the scale of which is understandably causing political anxiety. The Lord Bishop of Durham also spoke indicating his desire for for new legislation.
In the Queens Speech debate Baroness Walmsley (Lib Dem) said “We have recently seen reports in the media of suspicions of sweeping under the carpet and covering up historic child abuse “ Lady Walmsley is the Parliamentary Ambassador of the NSPCC which remains firmly against Mandatory Reporting in Regulated Activities (28.08.14.): http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2014-06-09a.154.0
In the Address debate following the opening of Parliament Cheryl Gillan MP (C) spoke of the need to introduce Mandatory Reporting and the work of MandateNow. “Since 1950, the reporting of suspected and known abuse of a child by a member of staff at a school or location of a similar regulated activity has been entirely discretionary. Despite legislation in 2002, nothing has changed” : http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2014-06-04a.62.0
Having met Mr Gove on 27th February 14 and presented the case for Mandatory Reporting, Tom returned to Portcullis House and met with Tom Watson MP to discuss the importance of this legislation to a functioning child (and vulnerable adult) protection system.
Seven weeks later in topical questions to the Secretary of State for Education, Tom Watson asked about research into mandatory reporting which elicited a very positive reply from Mr Gove about the principle of mandatory reporting in Regulated Activities.
You can see Mr Gove’s reply here and this Times article appeared following their exchange in the House.
Just a few days after the sentencing of Peter Wright, the former Headmaster of Caldicott School, at Amersham Crown Court on 6/2/14, Cheryl Gillan MP secures a meeting between Tom and the Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove. Hansard: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2014-02-10b.555.5#g560.6
Under increasing pressure from our sustained campaign for the introduction of Mandatory Reporting the NSPCC felt the need to clarify its firmly held position against mandatory reporting which you can see here.
CEOP Thematic Assessment The Foundations of Abuse | Paragraph 87 : It may be necessary to ensure those working in any capacity in institutional settings come forward around safeguarding issues via some form of mandatory reporting.
The Home Affairs Committee report: Child Sexual Exploitation and Grooming Report suggested Mandatory Reporting be considered – Paragraph 130:
‘We recommend that the Government commission work to examine the feasibility of introducing a statutory duty to co-operate and share information to tackle child sexual exploitation. We also recommend that the Government examine the Florida Protection of Vulnerable Persons Act passed in 2012 in order to ascertain whether the mandatory reporting of child abuse could, and should, be implemented in England and Wales.’
You can read the full report here.