Sunday, April 24, 2011

"IF YOU SEE THIS SICKO PLEASE CALL 999" reports Paula Johns


I have been informed that the person pictured below is wanted by the Police for violently attacking his girlfriend. It has been said that he broke her nose while battering her.

Duringthe beating he also allegedly shattered her orbital socket [eye] and proceeded to throttle her; finally he GAUGED OUT ONE OF HER EYES BEFORE LEAVING HER FOR DEAD AS HE FLED THE SCENE.

  ALL OCCURED INFRONT OF HER 13 YR OLD SON. 
2011-04-24 Shane Jenkins [Pictured] wanted following horrific attack on girlfriend


 The victim, hanging on to her life, was found in critical condition, having been violently brutalized

It is alleged that he also removed one of her eyes as he embedded his fingers into it's socket, just prior to leaving her


THE VICTIM'S REMAINING EYE HAD TO BE SURGICALLY REMOVED DUE TO THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE TO HER SOCKET  




Shane Jenkins' from Penzance, Cornwall is believed to have fled the area - where this dispicable  act took place.


HIS WHEREABOUTS REMAINS UNKNOWN & HE MUST BE FOUND AS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY.



Please DO NOT TAKE THE LAW INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. If seen contact the Police IMMEDIATELY.





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Violence against young children rises by 20 per cent | Children & Young People Now

Violence against young children rises by 20 per cent | Children & Young People Now

By Joe Lepper Tuesday, 19 April 2011

The number of children under 11 who are treated in hospital after being assaulted has risen by 20 per cent in the past year, according to latest research.

A rising number of assaults on young children comes in contrast to other age groups, where the number of incidents fell. Image: Morgue File

A rising number of assaults on young children comes in contrast to other age groups, where the number of incidents fell. Image: Morgue File


This follows an increase of eight per cent in violence-related injuries among this age group recorded between 2008 and 2009.

The figures are released annually by Cardiff University’s Violence and Society Research Group and are based on data from 59 emergency departments and minor injury units in England and Wales.

The group’s director Professor Jonathan Shepherd said the latest figures show a "disturbing upward trend in violence against children".

He said: "The figures highlight the need for child safeguarding to remain a national priority."

He also hopes that the Munro Review into child protection ensures action is taken to improve the quality of safeguarding services.

The increase in violence-related injuries against young children comes in contrast to other age groups, where the number of incidents fell.

During 2010, 313,033 people in England and Wales needed treatment following an assault, a 10.8 per cent drop on figures released in 2009. There were particularly large falls among teenagers and young adults, although those in the 18 to 30 age group continue to be the most likely victims.

Violence-related injuries sustained by 11- to 17-year-olds dropped by 16.5 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

Professor Shepherd added that this decrease in violence against teenagers has been happening for several years. More targeted policing and the creation of crime prevention partnerships have been key factors in this decline, he added.

BBC News - Parents 'responsible for children's bad behaviour'

BBC News - Parents 'responsible for children's bad behaviour'

Parents 'responsible for children's bad behaviour'

Teachers say that parents cannot "abandon responsibility" for their children's behaviour at school.

Parent and child
Teachers say that the support of parents is important for good behaviour

The NASUWT teachers' union says a lack of parental support is a major problem behind pupils' lack of discipline.

A survey from the union also claims that pupils turn up at school with iPods and phones, but without basic equipment such as pens.

"Teachers are not receiving the support they need from parents," said NASUWT leader, Chris Keates.

Parents can't simply abandon their responsibilities at the school gate”

says Chris Keates NASUWT general secretary

Lack of support

The teachers' union, meeting for its annual conference in Glasgow, has published the results of a survey of more than 8,000 members and found many teachers feel let down by the lack of support from parents over behaviour.

More than two in three teachers identified a lack of back-up from parents as the most common underlying factor for pupils misbehaving.

"Parents can't simply abandon their responsibilities at the school gate," said union leader, Ms Keates.

"Teachers are not receiving the support they need from parents, school leaders or government to assist them in maintaining high standards of pupil behaviour."

More than half of teachers in the survey also complained that too many parents were failing to send their children to school with the right equipment.

"Too many pupils arrive at school with mobile phones, iPods and MP3 players when teachers just wish they would bring a pen," said Ms Keates.

Mobile phones and electronic gadgets were also identified as a cause of distraction and disruption in the classroom.

Teachers in the survey identified other causes of poor pupil behaviour, including a lack of support from their own senior management in schools

'Blight' on system

The negative influences of television and media were also blamed by teachers.

The union's conference will debate a resolution about poor behaviour, warning that indiscipline "continues to blight our educational system".

Last month teachers at Darwen Vale High School in Lancashire went on strike over pupil behaviour, claiming they were not given support by senior staff when they confronted pupils.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "Teachers can't teach effectively and pupils can't learn if schools are unable to keep order in the classroom.

"New guidance makes clear what powers teachers have and will give them confidence that they can remove disruptive pupils and search children where necessary."




Related Stories


Thursday, April 21, 2011

Nassau County Crime Lab Shut Down

The Nassau County crime lab recently became the only police lab in the nation to completely close its doors due to its inability to follow procedures.


Link

Nassau County Crime Lab Shut Down April 21, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Prosecutors trust that the information they receive from crime labs is correct and accurate. The results from tests run at the lab are used to help build cases against those accused of crimes. When this information is inaccurate it can lead to questions for both past and future cases, and in some instances, lead to innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit. The Nassau County crime lab recently became the only police lab in the nation to completely close its doors due to its inability to follow procedures.Officials are now faced with the prospect of retesting several samples in drug and DWI matters. Information surfaced that showed that the lab equipment used to measure a driver's blood-alcohol content had not been properly calibrated for many years which led to questions about its accuracy. The lab also had problems keeping track of which evidence belonged to which case, as at least nine test results were found to have been stapled to the wrong defendants. The issues for those convicted of drug crimes are even more concerning. Officials do not know if the scales measuring the amount of drugs were properly calibrated, as technicians did not include this information in reports. Also, the scales were not adequately cleared after each test, meaning that residue may not have been removed for tests in other cases. Accurate measurements are crucial in drug cases, as the amount of drugs seized can mean the difference between a felony or misdemeanor charge. Heroin and cocaine charges rely heavily on these measuring devices. According to prosecutors, these two drugs made up nearly half of the drug arrests in the county, which could mean that several cases were based upon inaccurate evidence. All felony drug convictions since 2007 will be reviewed to determine if lab procedure resulted in faulty convictions, adding up to more than 3,000 drug cases alone. The review of blood-alcohol test results is expected to go back to 2006. The county has recently sent out letters to at least 300 prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted due to the problems at the lab. If you or someone you know was charged with a crime in Nassau County, consult an experienced attorney to understand the options that may be available to you.Article provided by Grunwald & Seman, P.C. Visit us at www.gslawyers.com

Monday, April 18, 2011

Minister decries adoption 'age bar'
 


Tim Loughton says few children taken in care at five or older are placed with a family, due to 'informal age limit' by local authorities,  reports Ben Quinn [The Guardian] Monday April 18, 2011

    The minister responsible for fostering and adoption has registered concern that some local authorities operate "an informal age limit" whereby children were not considered for adoption if aged five or over when taken into care. Tim Loughton was commenting on analysis of previously published figures which show the proportion drops from one in three at four or younger to one in 15 at five. Among children aged 12 or older, only one in 100 is adopted after being taken into care, according to the Department for Education. Prospective adopters are sometimes thought to be reluctant to take on older children, who may have developmental or emotional problems as a result of more years of abuse or neglect. However, Loughton told the Times that older children should not be denied the possibility of adoption. "For kids who've had a pretty traumatic childhood, getting them into a safe, stable, loving family placement is of the utmost priority, and every day that we fail to achieve that puts them at even more of a disadvantage. "While many babies are being adopted, as children get to school age the chances of getting adopted fall off dramatically. We need urgently to redouble our efforts to show these children are even more needing and deserving of a long-term placement and should not be written off simply because they are not babies or toddlers. I want to make sure local authorities are not operating some sort of informal age limit." New guidelines already drawn up by the government state that older children and those from ethnic minorities should all be considered for adoption by suitable families of any background, regardless of their racial background or social status. Ministers are eager to see an increase in adoption levels after the number of children placed for adoption fell by 15% between March 2009 and 2010, while more children are also waiting longer to be adopted. Loughton is on record as saying previously that it was "disappointing" that some councils placed only two% of the children in their care for adoption, while the rate was eight times higher in other areas.

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Saturday, April 09, 2011

Minister accepts resignation of Ofsted chief inspector

Reports Ruth Smith, head of content - Community Care's The Children's Serivces Blog, on April 7, 2011 10:51a [click on the link below for access to the article directly from the blog site]
Wikio

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/childrens-services-blog/


OFSTED's Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert

Education secretary Michael Gove has formally accepted the resignation of Christine Gilbert, Ofsted's chief inspector, who will leave her post on 30 June.

Gilbert, who has been Ofsted's chief inspector since 2006, announced in June last year that she would be resigning from the post when her five-year contract expires at the end of October. She was rumoured to have come under pressure from ministers who were keen to replace her.

She was reportedly interviewing for the job of group chief executive of the United Learning Trust (ULT) but Ofsted has never confirmed this.

Gove today thanked Gilbert for her years of dedicated service, and in a letter to Gilbert in March wrote: "During your term of office you have overseen an expansion of Ofsted's remit to cover the inspection and regulation of childcare, children's social care, education and adult learning. That has been a large and complex task and it is to your credit and a great reflection on your significant personal skills and experience that you accomplished all of it so smoothly.

 "I have appreciated particularly the way you have led Ofsted's response to current public spending challenges. You have undertaken this difficult task by ensuring that, while Ofsted will continue to reduce overall the amount it spends on inspection and regulation, available resources will be focused where they make the most difference to driving improvement." 
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Friday, April 08, 2011

DFE: Safeguarding Children - Children in care

Wikio
Children in care - The Department for Education.

About children in care

Children in the care of local authorities are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. The majority of children in care are there because they have suffered abuse or neglect. At any one time around 60,000 children are looked after in England (of whom some 59 per cent are subject to care orders). Some 90,000 children are looked after at some point in any one year.
The Government wants every child in care to grow up safe, happy, healthy, secure and loved. This is the only way they will be able to fulfill their potential.
The term 'looked after children' includes:
  • Those children who are in care through a care order under section 31 of the Children Act 1989
  • Those accommodated on a voluntary basis through an agreement with their parents under section 20 of that Act, or agreement with of the child if they are over 16.
  • Children placed away from home under an emergency protection order
  • Children on police protection/remand/detention (section 21 of the Children Act)

How are they cared for?

  • Most looked after children are in foster care (73 per cent)
  • Some 10 per cent are in children's homes
  • The rest are cared for in a number of different settings including residential schools and placement with parents.

Young Person’s Guide to Being in Care

The Who Cares? Trust, working with the Department, has produced a guide for young people on being in care.
This is available as a series of pages on Who Cares? Trust, a website for young people

General article Updated: 22 March 2011     [click on title above for direct link to article]          
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:
  • protecting children from maltreatment
  • preventing impairment of children’s health or development
  • ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
Effective child protection is essential as part of wider work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. However, all agencies and individuals should aim to proactively safeguard and promote the welfare of children so that the need for action to protect children from harm is reduced.

Child protection: Role of LA Children's Social Care

[click on title above for direct link]
The Director of Children’s Services, under section 18 of the Children Act 2004 has responsibility for ensuring that a local authority meets their specific duties to organise and plan services and to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Each local authority is responsible for establishing a Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) in their area and ensuring it is run effectively. An LSCB can cover more than one local authority area.
Social workers take a lead role in:
  • responding to children and families in need of support and help
  • undertaking enquiries following allegations or suspicion of abuse
  • undertaking initial assessments and core assessments as part of the Assessment Framework
  • convening strategy meetings and initial and subsequent child-protection conferences
  • court action to safeguard and protect children
  • coordinating the implementation of the child protection plan for children on the child protection register
  • looking after and planning for children in the care of the council
  • ensuring that looked-after children are safeguarded in a foster family, children's home or other placement.

You may also be interested in

[Click on title for link to to article]
 
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Thursday, April 07, 2011

ECHR BLOG: New Case Law Fact Sheets

ECHR BLOG: New Case Law Fact Sheets

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European Court of Human Rights posted Fact Sheets for Case Law in regards to Child Proctection and Data Protection

Available online to view and /or download.

Listed in BlogCatalog

This is part of the GUARDIAN LEGAL NETWORK



Intoduction to Human Rights


Human Rights are not a privelege but infact an intitlement by the virtues of humanity!


What are human rights.pdf

ECHR BLOG: New Case Law Fact Sheets

Link
As reported here in October last year, the Court is increasingly making it's case-law accessible by putting thematic electronic factsheets online which summarise the jurisprudence on a particular topic. In 2011 almost twenty new factsheets have been added to the Court's website:

New Case Law Fact Sheets with regards to:
Child Protection
Data Protection

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Home at last: The twins snatched by the state | Mail Online

Home at last: The twins snatched by the state | Mail Online

Home after a YEAR in care: The twins snatched by the state after mother's innocuous remark sparked a social services witch hunt

By Vanessa Allen
Last updated at 1:26 PM on 2nd April 2011


Leaning over the hospital incubator, Tara Norman smiled proudly down at her tiny newborn twins and whispered: ‘You should see what you have done to your Mummy’s body.’

It was the kind of rueful joke that any exhausted new mother might make after a traumatic emergency Caesarean section.

Implicit, of course, was the emphatic message that she would do it all again in a heartbeat, for the sake of knowing the joy of motherhood.

Tara and Adrian Norman were reunited with their twins Ashley and Olivia, above, after winning a battle against social services

Tara and Adrian Norman were reunited with their twins Ashley and Olivia, above, after winning a battle against social services

Throughout her pregnancy she had dreamed of the day she and husband Adrian would leave hospital as a family. She couldn’t wait to take their son and daughter, Ashley and Olivia home, and settle them into their nursery. But she had no idea that this passing remark about her figure — lovingly spoken, in a private moment — was being secretly documented by a nearby nurse or that it would set in motion a Kafkaesque nightmare which would tear her family apart.

Observing that Tara appeared ‘bitter’ towards her twins, the nurse updated the babies’ daily diary — a set of notes that are kept as standard practice on neonatal wards to help staff keep track of each premature baby’s progress.

The incident — if one can call it that — was never mentioned to Tara or Adrian. And if there were any other signs that something was amiss, the Normans, as new parents to two premature babies, were understandably too preoccupied to notice.

In fact, they knew nothing of the problem until days later, when a woman from Havering Social Services arrived at their home in Hornchurch, Essex, and announced: ‘I’m here because we want to take your children into care and we want you to agree to it.'

Tara and Adrian Norman from Hornchurch in Essex nearly lost their twins for good

Tara and Adrian Norman from Hornchurch in Essex nearly lost their twins for good

The Normans, whose twins were yet to leave hospital, were left bewildered and the woman made no mention of the comment Tara had made about her body.

Speaking exclusively to the Mail, Tara says: ‘We couldn’t believe what was happening. I made a silly joke and suddenly they were ripping our family apart. We told her we’d never agree to our children being taken away. So she said: “Then we will see you in court.”’

Any loving parent would have been panic-stricken by such a threat — but for the Normans it was even worse. This threatened their only chance of having a family. Owing to a rare hormone disorder, Tara is unable to conceive naturally.

The couple had endured five gruelling rounds of IVF and suffered a miscarriage before she eventually fell pregnant with twins.

There could be no doubt of their desire to become parents or their commitment to care for their children, yet social workers claimed that Tara had made ‘emotionally abusive’ comments towards the twins.

In their professional opinion, Tara and Adrian could not cope with the demands of first-time parenthood with two premature babies.

Havering Borough Council, acting on information supplied by Whipps Cross Hospital in East London,warned that Ashley and Olivia were at risk of ‘significant harm’ and launched court proceedings to take the six-week-old twins into care. According to the hospital, the Normans were struggling to care for the twins, born six weeks early and weighing only 3lb each.

As evidence of their ‘inadequate parenting skills’ and failure to bond with the twins, nurses cited Tara’s comments and occasions when the couple had not fed the children the recommended amount of milk or changed their nappies properly.

‘No one is born with parenting skills, but we were learning as we went along, just like anyone else,’ says Adrian, a 43-year-old former Post Office worker. ‘If we had been given some help we would have been fine. But they only seemed interested in taking the children away.’

Whatever the fears of the nursing staff, who no doubt felt they were acting in the best interests of the children, what happened next seems to be a gross overreaction. Within days a protection order was granted at a secret Family Court hearing and the six-week-old twins were discharged from hospital and placed in a series temporary foster homes.

Tara and Adrian were never allowed to leave hospital with the babies, as a family. ‘We will never have that experience now,’ says Tara. ‘We can never get that moment back.’

The pain of returning home without their children was almost unbearable. They had spent months preparing their four-bedroom, semi-detached home for the twins and had decorated a Winnie The Pooh-themed nursery.

baby p

There was nationwide fury over the death of 17-month old Peter Connelly in Haringey, North London in 2007

Two identical cribs stood empty, toys lay untouched and rows of baby clothes hung unworn in the wardrobe, still with their tags and wrapping. ‘I felt completely empty. I couldn’t even cry,’ says Tara. ‘I had been given these two miracles, two gorgeous healthy babies, only for someone to take them away. It honestly felt like they had ripped my heart out.’

The twins were placed in a foster home, but moved within 24 hours to a placement with a foster family near Southend, Essex, an hour’s drive from the Normans’ home in Hornchurch. Tara and Adrian were allowed just five hours’ supervised contact a week.

Recalling their first visit, Tara says: ‘We walked in and I saw our tiny eight-week-old twins propped up on the sofa between the foster carers’ two children, who were just nine and five.

‘I started screaming. My children had been taken away because I was supposed to be a risk, so why was it OK for a five-year-old to hold them?’

Tara’s infertility was caused by a childhood infection, which resulted in a hormone disorder. She and Adrian, who met in 2003 and married a year later, always knew fertility treatment was their only hope of conceiving.

Former head of children's services at Haringey Council Sharon Shoesmith was sacked over the 'Baby P' case. She became the focus of public anger after initially defending her department over failings that led to the death of Peter Connelly

Former head of children's services at Haringey Council Sharon Shoesmith was sacked over the 'Baby P' case. She became the focus of public anger after initially defending her department over failings that led to the death of Peter Connelly

In May 2005, their GP referred them for IVF and the couple sought private treatment, to avoid NHS waiting lists.Over three years, they spent an estimated £38,000 on IVF treatment, paid for from a £1 million compensation fund, which Tara received after being hit by a car on a zebra crossing at the age of 19.

Fifth time around, the treatment worked; the twins were successfully implanted in May 2008 and the couple made arrangements for the twins to be delivered at a private maternity hospital, The Portland, in Central London.

But two months before her due date, Tara developed the potentially fatal condition pre-eclampsia, and she was rushed to Whipps Cross for an emergency Caesarean section. Early hospital notes praise the Normans for their efforts, as well as indicating their need for ‘help, encouragement and constant supervision’.

But on January 29, 2009, a month after their birth, a senior nurse referred the family to social services, stating: ‘I feel that babies’ health and safety needs will be compromised if babies are discharged home to parents without social services’ input.’

Adrian and Tara acknowledge their inexperience and insist they would have welcomed support from social workers. But instead, Havering began care proceedings.

It was ten agonising months before Tara and Adrian were allowed to see and hold their own children unsupervised. During that time they were warned during court hearings that their desperately longed-for twins could be put up for adoption. Who could blame the Normans for believing they were on the verge of losing their children for good?

Under the social workers’ diktats, Tara was told she should stay at the foster home in Southend for five nights a week, to gain some hands-on experience of caring for her twins.

'We'll never get the first year of their lives back.'

The foster couple’s home was officially designated as a ‘mother and baby unit’, so Adrian was still limited to seeing the children for only an hour a day, five days a week.

The arrangement was intended to bring them closer to taking the twins back. But to witness another couple acting as parents to their children was excruciating.

Tara says: ‘The smallest things were unbearable. One day they had put dummies in the babies’ mouths to stop them crying. That should be my decision. I’m their mother. Whenever our contact hours were over, I would beg them just to leave us for a minute longer. Letting them go broke my heart every time.’

They were told to get separate solicitors and warned that it was possible custody would be awarded to just one of them, meaning they would have to live apart after five years of marriage.

It was, without doubt, an extraordinarily cruel punishment for a non-existent crime. Without evidence that any violence or abuse had ever taken place, huge decisions were made in haste. As a result, the twins spent their first precious year in the arms of strangers.

But why did it happen? Tara and Adrian have a theory. The twins were born in December 2008, at the peak of nationwide fury over the death of Baby P — Peter Connelly — in Haringey, North London.

The Normans think they were victims of political panic as their twins were born during the nationwide fury over Peter Connelly's death

The Normans think they were victims of political panic as their twins were born during the nationwide fury over Peter Connelly's death

As details of the case emerged, social services came under fire for failing to stop the abuse that led to the toddler’s death. Campaigner Alison Stevens, of Parents Against Injustice, says the number of care proceedings launched by councils has increased by up to 75 per cent since then: ‘We’ve been flooded with calls from parents who fear they may never get their children back. Families have been ripped apart.’

The Normans believe they were victims of the ensuing political panic. And even when, in March 2009, the twins’ court-appointed guardian formally recommended they be returned to their parents as soon as a parenting assessment was completed, nothing could halt the wheels of officialdom. When Tara protested, social workers noted that she had ‘anger problems’. She admits she once threw her handbag at a wall in fury, and it hit a social worker on the arm — she accepted a police caution over the incident.

Two social workers also claim she threw her mobile phone at them. Her understandable frustration was regarded as proof of the risk she presented to her children.

‘They had taken my children away from me. How was I supposed to react?’ she says.

In January 2010, more than a year after their birth, the twins were allowed to go home with their parents under a court supervision order. Key to this was Adrian’s decision to take voluntary redundancy to help Tara to care for the twins.

Health visitors and social workers visited the family’s house at least once a fortnight and consistently reported that Ashley and Olivia were ‘happy and content children’.

'They ripped our family apart for a silly joke'

Tara said: ‘I had imagined taking two tiny babies home from hospital, but by the time they were finally allowed to come home they were one-year-olds. ‘The first minutes on our own in the house were almost unbelievable — it had taken a year to get to a point where we were finally alone with our own children.’

Now toddlers, Ashley and Olivia cling to their parents and demand constant attention, but the Normans hope they will not remember their separation as they grow up. No further concerns were raised and the court supervision order expired in February this year.

The Normans, who are considering taking legal action against the council, have received no formal notification from the court or the council, although Family Court officials have confirmed to the Mail that the case has been closed.

But they cannot shake the fear that officials will find a pretext to take their children again.

A spokeswoman for Havering Borough Council said: ‘We have worked hard with the family and are pleased that after a year of supervision and Mr Norman’s decision to be at home during the day, we have closed our orders.’

It may be over as far as the council is concerned, but Tara, Adrian, Ashley and Olivia continue to live with the impact of their decisions.

‘I find excuses just to be near the children now. I’ll tickle Olivia’s face or pat Ashley’s tummy,’ says Tara. ‘And when I do, they look up at me and say “Mum”.’

Their ordeal may finally be over, but for years to come, precious moments like these will serve as a reminder of all that she and Adrian so nearly lost.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372497/Home-The-twins-snatched-state.html#ixzz1IQYBH5kQ

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