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PeterCherbi · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 167 Location: Edinburgh

Lydia

You make some excellent points on the care services offered by Councils, and I do agree generally they need an overhaul.

From what I have seen over the years, I don't think Councils are prone to learning from their mistakes, although that depends on the particular administration itself and indeed many of the personalities in it.

I recall a most terrible case of abuse in the Scottish Borders, on a mentally incapacitated adult, by members of her own family which went on for years, just a stone's throw from Council Headquarters. When the story broke in the media, and a Scottish Parliamentary Inquiry was held, the Council instinctively hid the worst of what happened, denied most of the responsibility, and retired off the personalities who should have testified as to the poor state of their department at the time.

I'm not saying the above always happens in such cases, but in that case, and a couple of others I know, it definitely did, and is now a matter of public record.

Much of what happened in that case, known as the Miss X rape scandal, seemed to be down to buck passing within the Social Services department of the Council, and a lack of external, transparent regulation ... things which certainly need to be considered in a fairly wide ranging review of the way in which such cases are dealt with.

On the subject of funding, however ... I did note that in testimony to the Scottish Parliament, the Lord President, Lord Hamilton, stated that if parts of the legal system were found to be underfunded, the judiciary could in effect demand the Government provide the appropriate funding. I see no reason why such a policy could not be applied to funding for social services if a level of care cannot be achieved by a particular authority ... something of course, which would have to be tested out legally.

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My blog on issues of injustice in Scotland A Diary of Injustice in Scotland by Peter Cherbi

Injustice Scotland Campaign website : Injustice Scotland

Lydia · Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 82

I could also tell you about a young boy, just under a year delivered to his grandparents in the dead of night bruised, scared, and very underweight; he had been shut in a cupboard to stop him crying. His mother was a drug addict. For years his grandparents looked after him, he turned into a happy well-adjusted little boy. He was taken screaming from his grandparents arms in nursery with no warning. His mother had moved house and had another baby and a new social worker who seemed very friendly towards Mum. A male social worker who would visit in the evenings to check on the children, and stay to "help" mum. The children were taken shoplifting with Mum to feed her drug habit. Her live in partner had just been released from prison for dealing in drugs.
The grandmother was refused contact; she visited with Easter eggs, which she fed to the child through the letterbox because Mum was “asleep” while the baby screamed very loudly.

I could not count the number of grandparents and fathers who have sold their house and gotten into a great deal of debt trying to get contact to a very loved child or children when they had grave concerns about parents who are addicted to drugs or drink.

A mother who suffered from depression, social work asked her if she would take advantage of the system of respite to give her a weeks rest. Social work refused to return her children. Her doctor told of how she had improved and so did her family and her hospital consultant.
Her children were put out for adoption.

I could go on and on. This system needs fixed.

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We are the parents in Scotland denied justice for our children who had illegal post mortem's or had organs removed illegally at post mortem.