No need to Scale Canterbury Cathedral Roof!

The Archbishop should adopt a multi-faith approach to resolve this fundamental social shortfall!
Click on title for Kent news bulletin.

I was delighted to greet Nigel Ace,Co-ordinater for New Fathers 4 Justice. and sensed an air of optimism, and this was reflected by a lack of superhero's climbing on things and more a sophisticated approach to get this crucial message across to the Archbishop and the wider public.The BBC and other media organisations are quick to ridicule Batman without asking why is he on Harriet Harman's roof! This makes it imperative to show first hand accounts as with Darren Ash on how the appalling Family law courts treat the caring Dads and rely too heavily on the erroneous social services (the same incompetents responsible for Baby Peter, Victoria Climbe, Khyra Ishaq and the many thousands of other children's tragic stories that never reach the headlines till it is too late to help them!)


Could the New Supreme Court hold the key?
We are all aware that miscarriages of justice happen in the best of magistrates courts even under the scrutiny of the press and public, then the process is put in place for appeal and a mechanism exists to put these failures right! In family Law courts the judge is under no such scrutiny and accounts to nobody, so when children are wrongly taken from their parents and may entre the care system they are lost for good and no such course of redress exists.The judges cover their backs by saying they have acted on the ('snapshot') findings of a CAFCASS reporter or the like who in turn will not seek to upset the apple cart as it will, at the very least, mean more administration for them, whilst cloaking an over bureaucratised and equally secretive and unaccountable social service system, with of all people Ed (so what)Balls at the helm!?! (Lets support Nevres Kemel click Baby 'P' picture left)The same rule applies to a caring father as the mother is empowered to prevent the Dad seeing his own children, whilst that child may be raised by a stranger who has not spent 30 seconds in a family court room and will inherit the former family home which could be the culmination of your life's work and what you had intended to serve as a safe and secure home to raise your children! (Lord Justice Ward wrote about this in The Times 1st May 2008 click failing judges in the sidebar for the whole story)
The Good mothers are also penalised by all this as they try to make good a broken relationship and working part time to make things work whilst not putting undue demands on a Dad, via the state sponsored bandits in the form of the CSA (who expect good Dads to pay twice), who shows little interest or support for the mother!
Don't forget also the extended family who also lose out on their most vulnerable family members, such as grandparents these 'bastions of commonsense and stability' who are being snubbed as the logical mediators in all this, or indeed carers whist parents sort out their difficulties rather then the children being forced into care. Why are they punished for their parents mistake when maybe it is the parents that need to be taken to one side and taught some basic but far reaching parental responsibilities? It is also a double whammy for a grandparent as they see the heartbreak of their own children as well as the 'no contact' with their grandchildren.The whole system flies in the face of our given norms of past generations, and with legal professionals earning £200 per hour to advise separating parents and £2000 per court appearance what possible incentive is there for mediation or conciliation when the endless pot of legal aid shows no sign of emptying any time soon!
So I for one will stand firm with the good Dads of F4J and like Nigel it is probably too late for the benefit of our own children as childhood is quite a short span of time, but I will use this opportunity to warn President Obama ,Prime Minister Rudd, Prime Minister Harper and who ever we are going to be endowed with next May that they have till the 1st June 2010 other wise we will come after them on World 4 Justice Day and will not stop till this atrocious law is reformed and the true welfare of the little heard children is made paramount and not the pretence currently dished out in this appalling

Family Law Court System!

Opinion: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement on the closing of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago:
“It has been a pleasure to join Her Majesty The Queen, head of the Commonwealth, and other leaders of Commonwealth countries, to mark the 60th anniversary of this vital world institution. I should like to congratulate The Hon. Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, for his country’s generous hospitality.
“Throughout our meetings I stressed Canada’s strong support for the Commonwealth’s primary focus on its core competency: promoting democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law, principles that are in accord with our own.

Human Rights? PM Harper seems more preoccupied with pet adoption then solving the social ill's often associated with family break-up (Click title for the Premiere's web-site) Davey

“I reiterated the need for all nations to ensure sustainable, balanced growth by continuing stimulus policies, fixing the global financial system, liberalizing trade and resisting protection.
“We had a productive dialogue on climate change. We all recognized the urgency of taking action to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change. In particular, we recognized the threats to small island states, low-lying coastal states and the least-developed countries.
“Those of us going to Copenhagen share a common understanding that we need to act together.
“Canada is seeking a long-term international agreement where we all contribute to the solution. Such an agreement would also encourage the development and use of clean technologies while fostering the economic growth needed to pay for global warming mitigation.
“Throughout the Summit, I had fruitful exchanges with the Prime Ministers of Australia, Denmark, Great Britain and India. I also met with the UN Secretary-General, leaders from the Caribbean community and several other heads of government.”

I wanted to bring my Canadian blog forward to promote not only a review of the Canterbury Cathedral protest but to officially unveil

World4Justice Day :2010

which it is hope will co-incide with Her Majestie's visit to Canada in the Summer of 2010, from all Capitals and Major cities of the world (Click on Her Majesties Photograph to learn more of Her Canadian Visit)


Coming next, Canterbury Cathedral revisited, a review of the Saturday 12th December 2009 protest! F4J offer Archbishop Rowen Williams advice, this will be my difinative and final blog for 2009* Davey

Opinion: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

I found it hard to put into words my findings relating to the Australian Premier Kevin Rudd, on the one hand he seems to share qualities to our current incumbent Brown as one to sit on his hands and oppose public opinion at every turn. My only first hand experience was when he showed compassion to those who had suffered in the Victoria bush fires earlier this year and will leave you to decide the level of sincerity in his words. On our subject the cynic in me suggests as with all Western Governments (Although South Africa is showing flickers of commonsense thanks to F4J) vying for vote they are chasing the many single mother votes whilst ignoring the 'system excluded' Fathers! (I am grateful to my friend from Dadsonair for the link concealed in the title above and the following open letter)

An Open Letter to Australian PM Kevin Rudd

Dear Prime Minister,

I would be delighted if you would please consider the following carefully, in the interest of the many thousands of dispossessed parents and children of Australia.

Sooner or later the tide is going to turn. It took many years for us to recognize the injustices perpetrated against our Indigenous populations, Slavery, Apartheid, Civil Rights etc, etc.

These injustices were ignored for many decades due to community ignorance. Unfortunately we are repeating the same injustices under another name on our own people, due to the same ignorance.

Saying SORRY to one deserving dispossessed group, while at the same time completely ignoring the dispossession taking place right under our noses, smacks of hypocrisy and ignorance.

I fully applaud your part in bringing about a long overdue apology to the stolen generation and the Indigenous population. The fact that it took 200 years for us to realize the damage we inflicted on this vulnerable group and denied them their fundamental human rights for so long, is an indictment of our level of compassion and empathy. Unfortunately during the 200 years of community ignorance, the voices of reason were ridiculed and brushed aside.

I plead with you to please take a look at what is happening today with compassion and empathy.

It is estimated that the stolen generation numbered approximately 50,000 children. We now know the horrendous ramification of this "Best Interest of the Children" policy debacle, ironically administered by someone with the offensive sickening title of "PROTECTOR OF ABORIGINES"

Sadly the figure of 50,000 children representing the Stolen Generation, pales into insignificance when compared with the current figures of forcible separation of children from their parents.

The latest ABS figures show that:

1. There are now almost 700,000 Australian children who no longer have any meaningful contact with their biological non custodial parents.

2. There are now 312,000 biological non custodial parents who no longer have any meaningful contact with their children.

These figures do not include the extended biological family members such as grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins, etc, who are estimated to add a further 1.5 million people, who are also denied their ties of kinship with their much loved members of their families.

This is an estimated total of 2.6 million of the nations citizens now reduced to a "GENERATION OF THE DAMNED". This human horror, is administered by the current so called protector of the Best Interest of the Children, THE FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA.

Contrary to what is promoted by those who wish to continue with the current failed policies, no scientific evidence has ever been produced anywhere, to show that large numbers of non custodial parents are voluntarily abandoning their children. While individual examples can always be found of any reprehensible behaviour, these should never be allowed to be promoted as representing the behaviour of the majority group.

The voices of reason, who are endeavoring to bring these gross violations of human rights to the attention of the community, are again ridiculed and brushed aside.

It comes as no surprise that so many children are neglected and abused in our community. It occurs because checks and balances have been removed by allowing the forced removal of hundreds of thousands of loving parents from their children.

Perhaps you could explain to an anxious community, how responsible parents are supposed to meet their duty of care and responsibility obligations to their children, when the State is permitting the illegal removal of children from their non custodial parents with impunity???

I respectfully ask that you please consider the above together with my previous correspondence, and in the interest of all the disenfranchised members of 'THE GENERATION OF THE DAMNED' of this great country, hope that you are able to help bring about some relief to all those affected.

Our failure to act will undoubtedly produce a similar outcome for our community, as was the fate of the Indigenous community before us.

I very much look forward to a reply of my concerns.

Kind Regards

My Friend again, 2008

It should also be noted Australian Child Support Agency death toll since Kevin Rudd became Prime Minister in November 2007: 8964 clients Davey is so dismayed by this you will find a full account with in the Australian Suplimentry flag in the side-bar along side Simon Anderton's protest!

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

TO AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER, RUDD


My Friend 2009


DEAR MR RUDD,

AS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TUCK INTO THE TURKEY THIS CHRISTMAS AND EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF CELEBRATING THIS SPECIAL TIME WITH THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU, SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THOSE NOT SO LUCKY.

WHILE YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY THOSE WHO ENJOY SHARING THE BOND OF FAMILY KINSHIP WITH YOU, CONSIDER THE DESPERATE PLIGHT OF 2.6 MILLION OF YOUR FELLOW AUSTRALIANS FORCIBLY DENIED THIS PRIVILEGE.

PLEASE LISTEN CLOSELY AND YOU WILL HEAR THE CRIES OF 700,000 AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN AND THE GROANS OF DESPAIR FROM THEIR NON CUSTODIAL PARENTS, AS THEY PINE FOR THE BONDS OF KINSHIP SO CRUELLY DENIED THEM, WITH THE APPROVAL OF YOUR GOVERNMENT.

THESE GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES OCCUR DUE TO BADLY FLAWED FAMILY LAWS, WHICH ARE SET UP TO FAIL, AS THEY ENCOURAGE, RATHER THAN RESOLVE CONFLICT, AND ARE TEARING APART THE NATIONS’ PARENT/CHILD RELATIONSHIPS.
YET YOU REMAIN SILENT!

THE MULTI BILLION DOLLAR DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY LAW INDUSTRY, WHICH IS DRIVEN BY IGNORANCE, GREED AND MALICE, IS ALLOWED TO FLOURISH ON YOUR WATCH, BECAUSE YOU TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE CULTURAL GENOCIDE INFLICTED BY THIS INDUSTRY ON THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY.

THESE LAWS CONTINUE WITH THE BLESSING OF THE STATE, DUE TO THE FAILINGS OF YOUR GOVERNMENT TO CHALLENGE THE EXCESSES OF THIS INDUSTRY, AND HISTORY IS SURE TO JUDGE YOU HARSHLY FOR THESE FAILINGS.

GRANDIOSE POSTURING ON THE WORLD STAGE, WHILE YOUR OWN PEOPLE BLEED AND OUR COMMUNITIES ARE FORCIBLY TORN APART, IS A HOLLOW SYMBOLISM OF WORLDLINESS.

BY IGNORING THE HUMAN MISERY INFLICTED BY THE STATE ON FELLOW AUSTRALIANS THROUGH THE ACTIONS OF THE FAMILY LAW INDUSTRY, YOUR NAME WILL BE ETCHED IN HISTORY, AS NEGLECTING TO PLACE THE WELL-BEING OF YOUR SUFFERING CONSTITUENTS FIRST.

BY DECIDING TO TURN YOUR BACK, YOUR NAME WILL BE CARVED IN HISTORY NOT FOR THE GOOD YOU HAVE DONE, BUT RATHER FOR WHAT YOU FAILED TO DO.

ANY PERCEIVED HISTORICAL STATUS YOU MAY ENVISAGE OBTAINING BECAUSE OF YOUR STAND ON CLIMATE CHANGE OR HOW YOU DEAL WITH THE FINANCIAL CRISIS, WILL BE OVERSHADOWED BY THE WAY YOU HAVE NEGLECTED AND ABANDONED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THE NATIONS CHILDREN AND THEIR NON CUSTODIAL PARENTS.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ENJOY YOUR TURKEY MR RUDD.

See just like Brown as I said! Davey

Next week: I will offer an opinion on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and offer a comprenhensive review of the Canterbury Cathedral Protest: 12th December 2009

Opinion: President Barack Obama.

About 18 months ago I was sitting out side a food processing plant in Greenford, listening to The BBC World Service, waiting to collect ready made meals for a major supermarket! On came an item discussing the Primaries for the next leader of the US Democrats Party and possibly, at the time, the next President. On came Lyse Doucet, the formidable world affairs correspondent who predicted it would be Hilary Clinton who would take the accolade and I said out load though to myself bet you are wrong!!
As time was to prove some 6 months later history was made and I was surprised when the former first lady was not made well, second in command, as with all the controversy surrounding the former President and his wife, I believed there would be a lot of people who would like to have seen her at the top even if, as with Ken Livingstone, it was purely on being a familiar face! Who is Biden after all? click title for Inauguration and Address.
From my North London perspective the predecessor to the President 'of new hope' Obama had not recognised the motive of 9/11 and carried on headlong into foreign countries plundering resources for the domestic market regardless of war or other resistance whilst at the same time failing to recognise the view from those who have sworn allegiance to the almighty flag!
This failure has resulted in a crumbling of society causing many to lead a feral and unregulated life regardless of law, discipline or respect and to date no western country seems to have the where with all to fix the problem, they just tinker round the edge, and silence those who dare question this to the point that here in the UK we now regard the BBC as the state propaganda machine somewhat reminiscent of Soviet Russia and a PM content on sending us on a fantasy route of Orwellian doctrine till we don't even believe ourselves anymore.
Family Law Courts and the failing social services world wide are why our societies have no likeness to what we grew up with even as recently as 25 years ago and I for one have witnessed discrimination that of all people President Obama would be all too familiar with and should stand to oppose such prejudice and until he and his counterparts in the UK, Canada, Oz and S.A do our societies will remain on a course of destruction and what will take a generation to fix, or it could be lost for good!

There will not be a Saturday review next week but the following
Saturday will be a review of events at Canterbury on the 12th !!
Next week I will offer a Sunday Opinion on Australian PM Kevin
Rudd and the following Sunday will be devoted to Canadian PM
Stephen Harper. (My final blog for 2009)

This is Davey's 50th blog on this subject my first milestone.

Saturday World (Parental Alienation) Review!

South Africa: To find out latest on this click on flag in sidebar believe we all have a lot to learn from what is happening in South Africa thanks mainly to F4J who advise their Government on Human Rights issues!! Click on title too for more.




US: << check out Glenn Sacks latest editorial on this subject in the side bar!



Australia:could this be the first case of State sponsored PAS? Shared parenting laws on way outCaroline Overington The Australian19/10/2009Contributed by: admin ( 10 articles in 2009 )THE Rudd government is planning to roll back the controversial shared parenting law passed in the final term of the Howard government, enraging men's groups, which say the laws have finally given them access to their children after separation.
Six inquiries into the shared parenting laws are now under way, which men's groups have interpreted as a sure sign that change is under way, too.
In a message to supporters, Sue Price of the Men's Rights Agency, has described the planned rollback as the "most sustained and concerted attack" on shared parenting that she has seen in 15 years.
Ms Price said the laws did no more than encourage "reasonable contact between perfectly good fathers and their children" and she is urging supporters to "convince the Rudd government that there are a million votes at stake" if they roll back the shared parenting changes.
"War has been declared and now is the time to protest the changes," Ms Price said, adding that planned changes were an attempt to "deny children shared parenting" and "an attack on a child's right to be loved and cared for by a dad on a shared-care, equal basis".
Attorney-General Robert McClelland, in concert with the Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, flagged a change to the law after a small child, Darcey Freeman, died after allegedly being thrown from the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne earlier this year. Her father, Arthur Freeman, has been charged with murder. In a committal hearing, the court heard that the mother had been terrified of her former partner, and told neighbours and others that he was certain to kill one of her children.
Of the six inquiries into the law under way, the Family Court Violence Review, also known as the Chisholm report, for its chairman, former Family Court judge Professor Richard Chisholm, is likely to report to Mr McClelland first.
Submissions to the Chisholm inquiry closed on Friday. In one submission, the National Council for Children Post-Separation, which largely represents the interests of separated mothers, has examples of women forced into contact with violent partners, after those partners won the right to see their children in the Family Court.

The submission says: "Parents are saying they don't want money. They would be happy to forgo maintenance payments if it saves their child from having to spend half the week with a parent who does not really want to parent them, but whose main objective is to avoid child support."
The submission also calls on the Family Court to consider the parenting roles played by each parent before separation, before deciding on shared or equal care after separation.
"Some parents abandon their spouse while pregnant and years later seek shared care when the child does not even know the parent," the submission says.
"One nine-year-old boy who considered he already had a father, since his mother married his stepfather when he was a baby, was told he had to spend every second weekend with his biological father.
"If there is no existing emotional bond between a child and a parent, why should the court force one on a child who may have an emotional bond with a step-parent?"
More than 3500 parents have signed a petition calling for the changes to the shared parenting law.
A submission from men's groups was not immediately available yesterday. The Shared Parenting Council says the six reviews of the law were placing "significant pressure" on the groups, which are "holding the line against a dismantling of the 2006 Family Law changes".
Besides the Chisholm review, the Attorney-General has commissioned the University of South Australia, James Cook University and Monash University to investigate the impact of family violence during and after parental relationship breakdown. This review will be overseen by professor Thea Brown.
The Social Policy Research Centre at the University of NSW is also conducting a review, as are the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the University of Sydney.

Canada:<<See my new Canadian PAS feature in the side bar; Fatherhood; it's the best job on the planet!


UK This week I attended my sons open evening....and for once I was encouraged by the positive attitude I found from the few teachers I confided in to let them know I had not had contact with my children for 2 years! After 6 years of Family Law abuse it is rare to find such understanding you become defensive to the point of paranoia! I was also delighted to know too that they are doing fine at school and decided for now their progress is paramount and there is little point in making any further pursuance of trying to resurrect contact if it is more likely to cause further hostility. It is hard to say that when we approach the 3rd Christmas without seeing them even though they only live 1/2 a mile down the road with their mum and the schools are in between. So I have passed them a card via the schools congratulating them on excellent school reports and saying they know where I am and would be glad to hear from them when it suits them to do so (as opposed to when mother deems it so) Is this not in the TRUE best of the children?

I am proud to offer this video into our debate showing as I often say Family Law penalises the good parents both Mum and dad whilst condoning the actions of vengeful mothers and feckless dads from what I can see equality means there are good and bad in all!(Perminatley in side bar too)

Degree Absolute!

Could Gloria Hunniford do for kids what
Joanna Lumley did for the Gurkha's?

Well I could just have the solution to all this;

Justice! There are two ways to stop the current malaise in society that separates children from the stability of family life and turning many into feral youths. who do not care about tomorrow and as a result fuels the flames that causes a 'Broken Britain!'

Firstly; when a couple separates instead of making for the family lawyer, they should in fact sit in front of a mediator who will assess the situation and generally offer 'both' parties £500 legal aid and a single court appearance, putting the onus on a couple to find a resolution to their difficulty and to agree to a contact and financial contract which is binding in law until the youngest child leaves full time education. This should then make 'both' parents equally responsible for child welfare and maintenance! Should either parent wish to take the matter back to court beyond this, they have to fund this themselves and this should focus their minds on getting it right first time and stop 'fee earning' solicitors exacerbating matter so they can bankrupt Dad, whilst plundering the legal aid purse indefinitely for Mum!

Secondly; No intervention by CAFCASS or other social services at this stage and once a timetable (that may be allowed to vary as the child grows) and finances have been agreed with a judge (not a court reporter) if he still has a concern then the judge should be empowered to contact the family GP and schools for a report on the health and well being of a child who would have a better understanding then a 'snap shot' taken by a social worker. This will then release the social service from a duty they are ill informed to pursue and normally results in them generating future work for themselves, when they should be reformed and working harder to prevent cases such as Baby'P', Victoria Climbe and Khyra Ishaq!
This should be regarded as law and the law is Parental Responsibility which should be enforceable with the prospect of a 6 month jail term minimal for 'either' parent if they break the terms of this contract for life! (Childhood is such a short span of time)
It would also be useful to inform a child at the age of 11 that both parents on the birth certificate are responsible for their children till the age of 18, it may then focus their mind as they entre the peer and social pressures of secondary education that under age sex could have a lasting effect on their lives, not only from a personal health stand point, but also the prospect of 16 to18 years of child care when they are at an age when they probably want to do something else.This should help them wait to become mature enough to take on such an undertaking. Also if a child was to commit a crime between the age of 10 and 16 with the current perceived immunity, their parents would face the court and be prosecuted for dereliction of duty under the care of their children with a fine or if serious enough prison.
The Tory party have also announced that they wish to make Grandparents and extended family the first port of call for child care rather then social services, who should be a last resort after the possibilities have been explored for a grandparents to take charge whilst a parent resolves their difficulties offering continuity and and stability at a fraught stage in a child's life something once again social services will never do so it is better they concentrate on more extreme cases as described recently by the director of Barnardos.
I really hope Gloria Hunniford, in her capacity as patron of the parents organisation, can encourage these bastions of commonsense and stability to consider the welfare of a grandchild , niece or nephew and in turn put right this God awful law that has blighted people for so long and in my view poses a greater risk to normal society then the threat of terrorism!

Saturday World (F4J) Review!

With the prospect of the forth coming protest at Canterbury Cathedral I have considered the role of Fathers 4 Justice and how effective their protests have been and what of the future?

I have made it clear that before I became embroiled in the family Law fiasco I thought the prospect of some guy dressed as a superhero firing fireworks off a crane near Tower Bridge gave off the wrong message and was this a responsible Dad to be demonstrating in such a way?
Sadly this is how the general public perceive such action as most have not endured the closed shop, secret and unaccountable family law court system where very often the father has little, if any, course of redress for major errors that take place every day. All eyes are on The New Supreme Court of appeal to see if they will offer justice where hitherto they have ignored an appeal by a father.
Better still there has to be a total reform of this destructive system which causes such heartache, has caused so many children to go into care and in addition to braking our societies could have such a bearing on cases such as Baby 'P', Khyra Ishaq and Victoria Climbe!

I offer a solution to all this in my Sunday blog see what you think!

In South Africa the government has called upon F4J to advise them on human rights issues I wonder what they have realized that it is sure to take the UK, US and Canadian Governments some years to understand! I am interested in the comment in 'your Canterbury' (left) by
Mark Henricks from Austin, Texas, USA "I am happy to see Fathers 4 Justice taking this direct protest action and wish them every success. United States fathers infrequently engage in public protests, preferring to work through other media, legal and legislative channels. However, the stakes are high enough that any means that helps propel positive change in this area is important and worth trying!". All the best from America, Mark Henricks

This is a stance that seems to be followed in Australia with Michael Knight and his crew at the forefront of many tricky court cases and standing up for rights many assume to be equal between men and women as it is in every other aspect of civilized society, well almost!
To see what the Canadian Contingent have to put up with click on title above and from what I can tell the law is at it's worse here, and the F4J protest is one of an impromptu flash demonstration. I believe a coordinated campaign where action is taken at the same time in London Washington Canberra Johannesburg and Ottawa along the same lines as the Movember campaign of a few weeks ago!


You Had Emily Pankhurst and her Suffragette movement at the turn of the last century, the hippies anti war and freedom movement in the sixties.........
......... could F4J be the social activists of modern times?
Count down to Sunday 29th November 2009,The Solution!

Judgement Day!

The Judge.
Once again a subject you would think would command in depth analysis, but no, it can be summed up very briefly as was the case with our Justice Minister!
What is the point of court orders that are not enforcable?
In fact I will start with Jack Straw's so called 'open court policy'which fell as a damp squib on impact because the judges claimed they would not have the time for the additional administration and claimed it would compromise the security of children involved in these sensitive cases!(Unlike criminal courts they seemed unable to say Child A Child B Family XYZ or put a reference number on a court order for press use!)
Nonsense! "In the child's best interest!" (click title for more)
Unlike criminal court, family courts operate in a shroud of secrecy so do not come under press or public scrutiny as their criminal colleagues,the idea for this was the protection of the child, but in reality it hides a far more sinister reason!
The phrase "In the child's best interest!" is banded about but as with all things Family Law it is 'smoke and mirrors' to protect the judge and the incompetence of the system they operate which results in erroneous judgements based on flawed testimony by CAFCASS (who along with the CSA should be disbanded) or court reporters from social services which are more often then not 'against the best interest of the child!' and often irreversible,(See Jenny's story in side bar) this leaves you wondering why there is a judge involved at all?
As a result these unaccountable judges guided by equally unaccountable court reporters are making failed judgments day in day out in the UK and around the world.It was never my intention to become a campaigner even though I was at the wrong end of such a judgment (or lack of judgement in enforcing it on an self interested mother, see failing judges in side bar left)
So I for one will not rest till this injustice is rectified and don't forget fathers
like me are the ones who stayed to do their best for their kids, did all the judge
asked to the point of ruin, and what was believed to be in the true best interest
of the children when the only ones to benefit are the so call 'fee earners'the
legal professionals whilst the judge and social workers who's incompetence are at the heart of our broken societies!

Count down to Sunday 29th November 2009,The Solution!

Fathers4Christmas to 'visit' Canterbury Cathedral !

A Father is for life not just Christmas,
birthdays+holidays+ treats+ Disneyland+pocket-money+ X-BOX +mobile phones+loss of dignity+ bankruptcy+ irregular access+ worthlessness+ desperation+ defined contact+ ill health+ loss+ alienation+ false promises+ hopelessness+fear+sleepless nights+ anticipated regret+ulcers+breakdown+suicide and generally having the piss taken out of us by this heartless and erroneous
Family Law Court System!

"A Father has a lifetime of worry and heartache for his children, but his love is so easily discarded like last years fashion. There is nothing in this for Dad except to see his child put a mortar board on their head, in the hope that child will do better in life then he!" Davey

A Fathers for Justice group will be demonstrating at Canterbury Cathedral as part of their campaign to change family law.

New Fathers for Justice are urging all dads who will not be able
to see their children this Christmas to join them at 10am on
Saturday, December 12th 2009 to support their campaign.
The group will be dressed in Santa costumes to put pressure on
the church to help them “put the father back into Christmas”.

A spokesman for the group said: “New Fathers for Justice will
yet again attempt to get our message across to the church which, like this arrogant Labour government, had ignored the plight of fathers since they have been in office.

“We are urging the church to support us in our fight to change family law and plug dads back into families in time for Christmas.
(See my 'Lost Faith blog in archive.)

“We see this as a great necessity as we are now potentially only six months away from the general election. We hope that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will help us with the plight of dads in Britain this Christmas.”

The group has urged dads to come along with banners and wearing Father Christmas outfits.

Campaigners from father’s rights groups have made a name for themselves using direct action campaigning methods to fight for better rights for fathers who want to see their children. (As ever click on title for more on this)
If their message had been listened to in
the past 5 or 10 years maybe
BABY PETER
Victoria Climbe and Khyra Ishaq
would still be alive today,Davey

Let's put Father back into Christmas!

Focus on Canada!

My Guest contributor from Canada is my associate Outdoors who has kept me informed of any progress in our cause from the country I have identified as having the hardest time with injustice and prejudice in Family Law and Child Welfare! To illustrate the point the first item here he ponders;
"The CBC spins the news story to make it appear as if this is discrimination based on gender, but it's actually a case where the women of the ski jumping team don't meet the minimum requirements."
Read the whole story by clicking on the title above and you decide! The next item poses a more serious quetion;
A new website hopes to help children prepare to testify in court.(click on this picture on the side bar left)
A new website funded by the Alberta government aims to help abused children prepare for the ordeal of testifying in court.
The Child Witness Court Preparation site, at www.childcourtprep.com, can be accessed by children from all over the world and takes them through what they can expect with the help of interactive games, audio recordings and a video tour of a courtroom.
Lynn Barry, a former social worker and the founder of the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse, said her group received so many requests to work with children scheduled for court that it was impossible to meet the demand.
"Then an epiphany happened," Barry said from Calgary. "We realized through an interactive website we could make our services available to children at no cost. Kids these days are text-based and internet savvy."
'The last thing we want to do is re-traumatize, so if they know what to expect they'll be fine and ready.'
— Lynn Barry, Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child AbuseChildren and teens can be terrified at having to see the accused abuser in court, Barry said.
"The last thing we want to do is re-traumatize, so if they know what to expect they'll be fine and ready. If their story can get out then justice is served."
The website, which will be officially launched in Calgary on Thursday, gives tips to help kids stay calm, such as deep breathing or focusing on a point on a courtroom wall.
Participants never talk specifically about what happened to them, but they can join one-hour sessions with Barry and other kids so they know they're not alone, she said.
The website is funded by the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security Ministry, victims programs, the Bank of Montreal Employees Charitable Foundation, the Calgary Foundation and the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire.
I am grateful to Amfortas for drawing my attention to Jeremy Swanson's comments in Canada: "Oh yeah? They are telling us this now? As if no-one knows? Have we not known this all along in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, South Africa, Europe and the rest of the "west" ? We have known this for years ! And did we not try to tell the media and the politicians how much damage was being done? And now here they are announcing what we all know in a new "study" and a "poll". Good heavens we provided them with concrete evidence. Real life case histories. For Years ! Was no-one listening? Are they still not listening to us? How many of the Fathers on these lists could provide personal witness, evidence and testimony to any "study" wherever it is in the world? And its the *British Media which reveals this to us in North America? Where is OUR own media? Where are OUR politicians? Where are OUR studies? Well we have those alright (ask Dr Ed Kruk for a start) but no-one pays any attention when they come out."JS
Davey says; The *British media least of all the BBC have nothing to crow about, none of them take this issue as seriously as they should!!
Iain Duncan Smith
He said the family court system was 'a mess' with fathers too often shut out!"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/relationships/divorce/6575997/Third-of-family-break-up-children-lose-contact-with-fathers-in-failing-court-system-poll.html
This article refers to the same thing as The Sun Reported in their editorial I highlighted to your left in sidebar "We don't ever see Daddy anymore." Davey say's amen!

A Man of Straw? My shortest Blog!

The Rt. Hon Jack Straw MP and Lord Chancellor, took over from Lord Falconer as Justice Minister.
He is noted for doing just one thing towards the reform of the Family Law Court system as notified to me by Camilla Cavendish of The Times back in April 09 following her conference at the Houses of Parliament with John Hemming MP. and several other noted journalists! This is one more thing then his predecessor ever did and that was to 'Open Family Court' for press and public scrutiny but this fell like a damp squib and to illustrate this click on the word Straw on the heading to hear theToday Programme speak to the Minister for just 2 minuets on this and 4 on prisons in a 6 minuet interview!
(John Hemming M.P and Camilla Cavendish, do they know the answer?)

When will the State and it's propaganda machine ever take this matter seriously?
Countdown to the 'Solution' see blog on 29/11/09

Ed Balls: is he Minister enough?

Click title above.














Let me also refer you to my Education Education Education in blog archive.Davey
The Department for Children Schools and Families is a colossal one and would be a handful for any minister if Children, Schools or Families were 3 separate departments and not only is Mr Balls over all in charge of what happens in schools he is also responsible for social services with OFSTED somewhere in between!
For the benefit of this blog I will divide this department into 2 halves;
Schools:
I have to admit that I find myself in agreement with some of what Ed Balls is saying to Jon Snow in the video (click above), children should be assessed at the age of 11 or year 7 so they are not just thrown to the wolves in secondary education.
I speak from experience as when I attended a school reunion 10 years ago, I asked a former classmate why was it whenever we were out of line we were threatened with expulsion (rather then an alternative)? His answer was telling, as he said as we were in the bottom class there was nowhere else to go! So whatever you arrive with when you get to the summer holiday before moving up to secondary school, maps your life there after, as you stand little or no chance of substantial advancement unless you are a gifted child, which poor results shown previously prove you are not !
Many children end up on the scrap heap before they start and along with the school not able to offer discipline any longer allows some children in the grey area of law from 11 to 16 to just about do as they please, and end up feral teenagers on the streets (a subject that will be extensively covered in forthcoming blogs)
I would also ask what of OFSTED? Are they offering correct and substantial reports that are beneficial to parents seeking placements for their children? Are some erroneous headteachers pulling the wool over many inspectors eyes so they keep their, not always deserved, high accreditation and resulting funding in place? Parents are then fighting for places, often finding themselves braking the law to get their child in a school as they are lead to believe it is better then the next one 3 miles down the road. With the additional bearing of house prices close to a 'better' school!
Is it not incumbent on the education authority that a minimum standard is achieved at ALL schools so this disparity is reduced and rather then credit schools that excel beyond the reach of many children offer similar chances to other nearby schools and even share resources!
Who actually oversees the activities at OFSTED?
Social Services:
Keeping with OFSTED on this one too, did you know that this self regulating body gave Haringay Council a clean bill of health the week Baby 'P' (Peter) was killed then had to scurry back some weeks later to produce a damming report on the same council. How was this possible what did OFSTED see some weeks earlier which could change so very quickly or moreover what did they not see? I believe there should be a whistle blowers amnesty (see my blog of a few days ago titled Grandparents4Justice4Baby'P' on this)
This problem is not confined to Haringay and as my blog in the Birmingham Sunday Mercury reveals there are problems in the Midlands and the question posed was, is Birmingham Council the worse in the country? Then up came Darlington then Cornwall..etc so no it is not confined to a single council it is endemic throughout the land and a tragedy as happened in these councils could happen elsewhere at anytime, and what of Ed Balls reform in the wake of Baby'P', Victoria Climbe and Khyra Ishaq he promised?
Well this has consisted of throwing millions (£830,000 in the case of my local council) of pounds at the problem and all he has asked in return is for them to recruit more social workers! More into an already failing system? Why not fewer and better ones into a reformed Social Services and also why not pull ill equipped court reporters out of the family law court system where all they achieve is to generate future business for themselves from the families they break up! They could concentrate their efforts in preventing more Baby 'P' tragedies even if it means going against the 'book' on occasion or having the courage to speak out when they clearly see there is something wrong, and managers should be able to respond to this with robust support rather then threats of dismissal if they go against council guidelines. Do you not dive in to save a drowning child's life or sit on the sidelines because it tells you to in you handbook? I wish there were more Nevres Kemals and they should be revered not made to flee for their own safety!
I would also ask why does a child such as 'Jenny' end up in irreversible care just because a neighbour complains that a dog is barking in her families kennels suggesting cruelty, even though the case was not up held ( Jenny's story can be seen in the side bar to your left) This industry is in need of root and branch reform, but is Ed Balls Minister enough to do it?
The opposition. Rt Hon Micheal Gove MP.
At a time of the worst Government in living memory we also have the weakest opposition in the form of the Conservative Party who rather then offer some substantive policy or guidance on how schools should be run, such as less bureaucracy more identification of stragglers so they can be brought up to speed (Both poor teachers and pupils),regular in class reviews,and what I have described as a preparation year at age 11, for pupils to be given socially accepted communication skills, sex, drugs, and rock and Roll education and awareness of peer and media pressure in readiness of what is to come!
Instead we see Gove and Balls squabbling like kids in a playground over peripheral issues rather then the crux of the matter.The wife.
The appointment of Yvette Cooper to the Department for Work and Pensions to succeed James Purnell means an uber-Blairite is replaced with an arch-Brownite.
I would imagine the breakfast time conversation in their household would go something like " I wonder how many people's lives (esp children) we can screw up today!" The CSA that falls under Mrs. Balls DWP remit should, along with CAFCASS, Blairs 10 years old failed brain-child, should simply be disbanded as both departments serve the vengeful mothers and feckless Dads whilst penalising the good parents both Mums and Dads!! Davey
Yvette Cooper and her ridiculously named husband Ed Balls must be jumping for joy this evening, for MPs have voted to keep their current expenses system in place. Why don’t we let criminals vote on whether or not burglary should have a prison sentence next time?MPs have voted against thorough audits of their expenses, voted against banning claims for improvements to their furnishing and against not having to show receipts for expenses under £25.This is the system that has allowed CooBalls to state their Yorkshire residence as their main home, while they school their children in London, in order to have parliament pay off their Westminster residence’s mortgage – AND furnish the pad to boot.Furthermore, a reliable Labour Party source informs me that one MP is employing his mother on a salary of £25,000 for basic tea making duties in his office. But not to worry, because this sort of practice is common place and as of this evening democratically voted back in.
A spell based in Arkansas helping out on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 saw her launched on a political career and she joined first Harriet Harman and then Mr Brown as an adviser.
The alternative?
This is the guy I believe is best placed to reform the Department currently the responsibility of Ed Balls (Just wish it was under a Farage leadership, Davey view) he has a raft of experience on this subject so would bring a wider range of pragmatic experience to what I believe is the most crucial of all the domestic Government departments (I would not object to Camilla Cavendish being an advisor)

Parental Alienation. comment.

The emotive subject of Parental Alienation will be raised here frequently, as I too suffer this heartbreak as we approach the 3rd Christmas I will not see my children, through no fault of theirs (save standing up to their mother, but it is hard for them as they live with her everyday) and no fault of mine as I fought long and hard to get and achieve a joint residency order and ample regular contact each week to have the whole process unravelled by the very same system that pretends to have "the children's best interest at heart!" (You have to have a heart in the first place, Judge!) It is like a slow torture as you know you want to be with your child at this crucial time in their lives ( Childhood is relatively short anyway) and what you could prevent now if they wee to get into trouble or the like you may find you are called upon to deal with later in life I call it anticipated regret!
I was also called upon to approve another you tube on this subject which I did before viewing it as I am convinced you would not go the trouble unless you had lived this nightmare and it can now be permanently viewed under my PAS section to your left see Fighter Mommy!
(Play enclosure link below next to comments)

Saturday World Review!

I am delighted to introduce AMFORTAS as feature contributor this week. I am grateful to him for words of encouragement,support and philosaphy that has put me in good stead when compiling information on this theme and producing it for others to follow I am also proud to say I have now joined Amfortas on the board at Dadsonair in Oz so we can chat their too, great stuff from the wise man of family law, I look forward to his future contributions!
The most draconian anti-male legislation in Oz is the 'Safe at Home Act' in Tasmania

(States make many of their own Laws)

It includes aspects that sometimes appear on AM from other places, like mandatory arrest - of men;
no bail;
holding 'accused' until they sign an undertaking not to be violent again, before they are allowed to go before a magistrate - therefore admiting guilt. They are not to be taken before a magistrate until they sign ! This means they can be in jail for months without a trial and can only plead guilty;
arrest on the say so of a Policeman without a complaint being made by a spouse;
inclusion of non-spouses, such as flatmates or lodgers. Men - landlords - have been taken from their homes and the home left with a non-paying tenant!

It was introduced into Parliament here by a feminazi Attorney General, drunkard, who had a grudge against her ex-husband.
Amfortas.
Whilst I agree you have to keep these little Islanders in check, this reminded me of my CAFCASS reporter who's ex-husband was part of the Families need Fathers campaign so some hope of impartiality (See my forst blog the late Ian Mackay was spokesman for FNF and my Mckenzie friend and alerted me to who my reporter was!) Davey
Also in Australia a news item found by Davey;
There is a man in the County Court of Victoria Australia facing rape and abuse charges by two vengeful, scorned and power and money hungry sisters.
It\'s the ultimate revenge after decades of false allegations and being shown up in the Family Court of Australia to be liars.
Civil rights activists have fought and demonstrated for 20+ years against injustice, Family Court, Police, legal system and it\'s abusers.
HE HAS NOW BEEN TARGETED BY THE SYSTEM.
The lack of due process and fairness he has received thus far by the legal system can only be interpreted as PAYBACK!!!!
This man is being prevented from putting evidence to the court by the judge, in addition to repetitive breaches of his civil and constitutional rights.
It\'s a serious WARNING and lesson for all us men that there is little justice, if any, in these courts.
GOD BLESS HIS SOUL and PRAY the real truth is revealed and he does not lose his FREEDOM and LIFE!!
He currently has a loving, gorgeous and caring partner and daughter.
We also pray this mess is over soon and they can be reunited as a proper family, and allowed some peace as God intended.
Please post your comments of support for this man and his family -
We will keep you posted...
My thanks go to frostyboy for this item from Canada Davey
Concordia professor tells men to 'man up'

Concordia University professor Anthony Synnott is concerned
about a human rights issue that’s often scrutinized, but not
often discussed: what about men’s rights?
Synnott spoke at the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton
campus on October 8 to discuss his new book, “Re-Thinking
Men: Heroes, Villains and Victims.” He sat in the hot seat as he
discussed his theories on masculinity and equality for men. He
believes that in the quest for women’s rights, men’s rights have
been either forgotten or ignored.
He claimed that during and since the feminist movement, society has portrayed men as inferior and a social problem.
“Prejudice against ethnic groups is called ‘racism;’ prejudice against women, ‘sexism;’ and prejudice against men is considered really, really funny,” he said.
Continuing to draw attention to society’s apparent prejudice against men, Synnott admitted that men do commit more homicides and crime than women, but men are also killed more than women in homicides.
Why are men killing men, then, and why aren’t we doing something to stop it? Because men are seen as naturally more aggressive and dangerous, he suggested.
Hate literature discusses how men are ‘in fact’ the inferior and more violent sex, proving their point by using the examples of male villains throughout history such as Hitler, Stalin and Hussein. Synnott reminded the audience of some of history’s male heroes, including Gandhi, Churchill, and Mandela – and also touted the reality that the majority of men are not killers and rapists.
Synnott is not only concerned with the negative portrayal of men in society but also the lack of support men receive. He said that while it is true that male-dominated jobs have higher wages and are unionized more than female-dominated jobs, jobs that men are more likely to have have recently suffered more cuts.
He said that there is not nearly the same amount of organizations or support groups out there for men as there are for women, which has led to men making up the majority of the homeless population.
And there are other statistics we are choosing to ignore, he said. There are more females enrolled in post-secondary education than males. He said men usually work in more high risk environments and are more prone to health issues, yet there is a higher percentage of men who do not have healthcare.
Less money, Synnott said, is put into the research of male-specific diseases and there are fewer academic studies done about male problem areas.
Although he talked about heavy subject matter in a roomful of people ready to jump down his throat, Synnott cracked jokes and kept much of his audience smiling. After being interrupted a few times by inquiries about his sources, followed by some debates, questions were taken, putting Synnott’s viewpoint under the microscope.

He said that he often faces hostile and defensive audiences, and that it surprises him how closed-minded people can be toward his unique perspective.
Synnott asked men to “man up,” a term he learned from a female student – though he did not share her definition, which requested that men “Get beer, not white wine. Don’t get the baguette, get the steak. Stop whining, and just do it . . . oh, and hit on us more.”
Instead, he requested that men start organizing and fighting for their rights as women have done – because as everyone learns at some point or other, ignoring problems does not make them go away, and they only come back later to bite you even harder.
“So gentlemen, man up. There are things to do here.”

As I did a mid week special on the US I have just a couple of points to make here. I have offered a supplimentry US item in my International section for an on going case(s) of injustice and I have put a useful New York times item above if you click on the word Saturday! More from the US next Time, Davey.


Fathers-4-Justice nominated for
South African Human Rights Council Award
Dear Sir/ Madam
The South African Human Rights Commission notes that you have been nominated for promoting transparency and the Right to Know. We acknowledge and appreciate your efforts in promoting a culture of information sharing and protecting the fundamental right to know and other human rights.
The Commission works with the Right to Access Information and will be very keen to work with and provide support to your organization. We provide training on the Promotion of Access to Information Act free of charge. We also provide any other assistance that may be required in the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.
We look forward to establishing a fruitful working relationship and advancing a culture of human rights.
For any assistance please do not hesitate to contact our offices.
Warm regards
Nokwanda Molefe
Promotion of Access to Information Unit Can you imagine this in the UK?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good morning

From the nomination form for the GK Awards ,the SAHRC has taken note of the type of work you do and is keen to explore what kind of support interventions we can provide to the organization (training assisting with protocols development etc ).
Please find attached herein an invitation to attend the IO Forum and GKA Ceremony.

Regards
Lwazi Mtshiyo



I am delighted to report my blog and other comments I have appeared on, have arrived at Google under Grandparents4justice and will keep you informed of the progress with this campaign everytime you see the picture of Gloria Hunniford here.I was also pleased to be asked to approve a You Tube on Parental Alienation and this appears here under fighter mommy!I have also just been asked to contribute to another John Hemming MP blog, so hi ho hi ho it's off to blog I go!! Davey.

GRANDPARENTS4JUSTICE4Baby 'P'?

GRANDPARENTS4JUSTICE SPEAK!
Yes they do exist and Sir Bob Geldof is patron, more to the point have many of you considered when a couple separate, it is not only the father that a child may be deprived of but extended family too, is this fair to that child?: Could the fabulous Gloria Hunniford hold the key to all this?
The Hypocrisy of the UK Government.

The Prime Minister is to apologise for forced deporting of children from 1930 to 1970.
They are still at it. Social services are still snatching children and telling them falsely that their families do not want them and also telling grandparents and extended family that the children do not want to see them either. (Parental Alienation) This confuses and demoralises children into accepting forced adoption to complete strangers. An excellent cost cutting business plan! But children are not commodities.
Extract from the ‘Social Work Action Magazine’ Social work conference.
Quote “Social workers said they did not become SW so that they could be ‘case managers or have to make decisions based on money rather on what was needed” End Quote.
He will combine it with an apology to the 7,000 child migrants from Britain who still lives in Australia.
As they were compulsorily shipped out of Britain, many of the children were told - wrongly - their parents were dead, and that a more abundant life awaited them.
Many parents did not know their children, aged as young as three had been sent to Australia. Child care agencies (guess who they are) worked with the government to send disadvantaged children to a rosy future and supply what was deemed "good white stock" to a former colony.
Full story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/uk/8361025.stm
Jimmy Deuchars
Grandparents Apart UK
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk
"Seems to me like the Grandparents,the bastions of commonsense and stability, could be the route of sorting this appalling law!" Comment by Davey


Could Baby P and others have justice at last?
I received an E-mail from Lynne Featherstone LIB-DEM MP for the constituancy that includes Haringay Council;
Here's my latest column - it's about the lessons to learn from the death of Baby Peter. You can comment about it online at http://bit.ly/2jU78L
Best wishes,
Lynne
Member of Parliament for Hornsey & Wood Green (Lib Dem)
www.lynnefeatherstone.org
Serious Case Reviews - Baby Peter and beyond

I have reached the next stage in my quest to get the Serious Case Review into Baby Peter's death published - and beyond Peter - the publication of all Serious Case Reviews. A Serious Case Review (SCR) is produced immediately after any such case by the agencies involved in that child's care. It tells the chronological story of who did what and when. It is an invaluable document - but it is kept secret.
I have been battling to change this. I have asked the Information Commissioner to find in favour of publication in the public interest. I don't believe that the ambition of that over-used phrase 'lessons must be learned' can ever be fully realised if the causes and actions are hidden as they currently are.
The Information Commissioner recently came back to me to ask for more information as to why I thought it would be in the public interest for the SCR to be published. I sent him my reasons (below) and now the Information Commissioner is going back to Haringey Council for further information.
As I await the decision - although I have previously blogged about this - I regard continued public scrutiny as so important that am putting all of this in the public domain again.
This was my email in response to the Information Commissioner's request:
Having been Leader of the Opposition on Haringey Council when Victoria Climbie died and now MP in half of Haringey during the Baby P tragedy - I have come to the conclusion that a contributing factor to cases like these (and others) is the secrecy, the closing ranks culture and the lack of transparency.
The Serious Case Review (version 1) which I was allowed to read virtually under lock and key in the Department of Education (where I could not make notes or record any part of the document) was an eye opener to me. The executive summary of the same document which is published did not reflect the key problems, in my view, that were at least part-causal in the eventual tragedy.
The thing that struck me most was the litany of casualness with which people did their jobs (appointments missed, not followed up; files lost, handovers not done, meetings not attended). There was a litany of failures like these at every level, virtually by every person and every agency. I think that most people would expect that once a child is on the protection register and their case being brought to the Safeguarding Board - that there would be a rigour about all aspects connected with them.
This casualness and lack of care is only really demonstrated if you get to read the whole document. It does not come through in the summary and itself is cumulatively causal in my view.
Literally hundreds of professionals across the country emailed me about their knowledge and experience - as did the general public. I believe that the phrase which is dragged out 'lessons will be learned' won't be fully possible if the facts of the case and the failures in the case are kept hidden. As I say, the Executive Summary does not reveal the extent of the small, but cumulative failures - which I believe many professionals would recognize in their own fields and therefore be able to do something about. Therefore it must be in the public interest to be able to see the whole document.
Simply issuing another 150 Laming-like recommendations every time a tragedy happens simply adds procedures that take professionals away from their work without ever being able to see the why and wherefore of such recommendations - nor to judge or be able to critique the new ways from an informed position. The issues are kept between local authority, the other agencies and the Government - so keeping out those who would, could and should benefit from reading the whole story.
I am not an expert nor a professional - but unless and until we really open out all the issues around cases such as these - there will continue to be an air of defensiveness and self-protection which work against the safety and well-being of children at risk.
Social workers need to work in an atmosphere of support and good management - which can only come from opening up the real events, letting them stand there for all to see - and those in the professions taking those lessons away.
(Click title heading for Nervres Kemel's story!)
Lawyers for Nevres Kemal, a former social worker in Haringey, north London, wrote to the then Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt and three other ministers last year calling for a public inquiry into social services in the borough which she said were "out of control".Davey has long held the view that there should be a Whistleblowers amnesty so those who come forward can sppek in confidence when things go wrong, I would just ask Ed Balls when he is going to get round to the root and branch reform this Deptartment needs NATIONALLY and as he promised in the wake of these horrowing accounts? (Ed Balls will be the subject of my blog this coming Sunday)

The argument Ed Balls makes to me against publishing the Serious Case Review is that staff would not speak freely if they knew that what they said might be published. My view is that anyone working in any field where there is such an event has a duty to speak and say what happened. They would have to if the case goes to public inquiry or hearing. Names and personal information should be anonymized. It was anyway in the SCR I read and social workers were referred to as social worker 1 or social worker 2. It is also the case that quite a lot of time elapses between the event and the publication as the SCR is written immediately (usually) and the case and the trial and exposure comes much later.
OFSTED did an audit of Serious Case Reviews and found that nearly two thirds, I believe, were inadequate. So - additionally - this would not have come to light without OFSTED's exposure. If they were published - these inadequate SCRs would have been exposed much earlier. So - whilst the Serious Case Review I am most concerned about is obviously the Haringey one - it is clear there is a wider issue too.
So - I believe it is totally in the public interest for the Serious Case Review to be published. Secrecy, lack of transparency and openness and closing ranks are at the heart of the problem in Haringey.
I hope you find in favour of publication.
Kind regards
Lynne Featherstone
My thanks go to Lynne Featherstone M.P. and Jimmy Deuchars, Grandparents Campaigner, for bringing these two crucial stories to Davey's newsdesk this week!