Social services 'over-reacting'
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| Social services 'over-reacting' Musswell Hill and Crouch End Times By Peter Stebbings October 27, 2005 Source: Haringey Independent 'Councillor Wayne Hoban has been in contact with about ten' parents who claim to have been unfairly accused' Haringey Council has been criticised this week for unnecessarily and insensitively investigating cases of abuse among parents of special needs children in an over-zealous response to criticism it received after the death of Victoria Climbie. Liberal Democrat councillors, and Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone, are now collating information on how cases involving special education children have been handled. Councillor Wayne Hoban has been in contact with about ten' parents who claim to have been unfairly accused of abusing their children, in relation to the administrations of drugs, despite those parents merely following the instructions of GPs. Mr Hoban says many of the accused have complained about the nature of the investigation, saying the way they have been carried out is not only without justification, but also often done in a humiliating and insensitive manner. Mr Hoban believes the council's social services department is reacting over-zealously in response to the criticism it received after the death of Victoria Climbie, the eight-year-old girl who died of horrific abuse at the hands of her guardians in February 2000. A subsequent independent review into the circumstances surrounding her death said the council was struggling to meet its responsibilities towards children and their families in Haringey. Mr Hoban said: "The manner and frequency of parents being investigated is seriously flawed. My evidence is that the council is handling many of the cases extremely poorly and insensitively. Many of the accusations are later dropped."  Councillor
George Meehan Read the Statement of Councillor George Meehan in the Climbie report PDF But Councillor George Meehan, cabinet member for children and young people, accused Mr Hoban of playing politics'. "If he has concerns or specific cases he needs to present these to the director of child services so we can establish the facts," said Mr Meehan. "I spoke to the director, who has asked Mr Hoban to supply evidence of these ten cases, but he has failed to supply us with any evidence." Musswell Hill and Crouch End Times By Peter Stebbings |
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