The NSPCC has described a report detailing failings into child protection investigations at North Yorkshire Police as “concerning”.
The highly critical report published this week by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.
It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.
The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.
Now, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said the force should “act quickly” to address the recommendations in the report.
An NSPCC spokesperson said:
“Protecting children must be of utmost priority for law enforcement agencies, and so it is concerning that HMICFRS found this was not the case for North Yorkshire Police.
“The inspection’s findings included an inconsistent approach by the force to the risk of those suspected of sexually exploiting children and officers not always understanding their primary role was to protect children.
“Putting children at the heart of these investigations is paramount, and it is promising that the force recognises it needs to do more to safeguard children and is committed to providing better outcomes for them. To do this, it is crucial that it acts quickly to implement the Inspectorates recommendations.”
Critical report
The report was particularly critical of the force’s approach to children considered to be at risk.
Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:
“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”
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Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.
HMIC made a number of recommendations, which included:
- speaking to children, recording their behaviour and demeanour, listening to their concerns and views, and using that information to make decisions about their welfare;
- supervising investigations to make sure the force pursues opportunities and avoids delaying cases unnecessarily; and
- promptly sharing information with safeguarding partners.
Chief constable apology
Following the report’s publication, Lisa Winward, chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, apologised and said the force “fully accepted” the inspector’s findings.
She said:
Ripon abuse survivor writes book to help others“It is extremely disappointing that while the Inspectorate found examples of good practice during their inspection in November 2021, they also found a lack of consistency in our treatment of children across the cases that they examined.
“We fully accept the findings of the Inspectorate and I offer my deepest apologies to any child that we have let down or could have protected more effectively. We haven’t always got it right and we know that is not good enough for the children of North Yorkshire.
“We have been working at a pace to address the issues that were identified in the Inspectorate’s report. Our plan for improvement in our performance has already been submitted to the Inspectorate. We are tracking our plan and will publicly report on our progress.
“We welcome the recognition by the Inspectorate that our officers and staff, who manage child abuse investigations, are committed and dedicated despite working in difficult circumstances.
“I can assure all our communities that we absolutely recognise that protecting children is one of the most important things that we do. We are working to ensure that we have the right systems and processes in place to support our officers and staff to protect and safeguard every child.”
Jade Kelly’s book ‘The Bad Room’ is a true story of survival.
In it, she shares details of the emotional, physical and mental abuse she suffered as a child.
Jade, is an ambassador for the Maggie Oliver Foundation, which supports survivors of abuse.
The foundation was set up by the police detective turned whistleblower, Margaret Oliver who resigned from Greater Manchester Police and exposed the now infamous Rochdale grooming scandal.
Jade, has rebuilt her life and has been manager of The Navigation pub since moving to Ripon in 2019.
Author Jade Kelly hopes that experiences shared in her book will help others
Following publication of her debut book, she has been invited to speak with professionals across the UK involved in child safeguarding and protection issues.
Jade told the Stray Ferret:
“I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help them identify tell-tale signs of emotional, physical and mental abuse.”
She added:
“Now that the covid lockdown is lifting, I will be allowed to visit academies and other organisations to talk with them and answer questions.”
For Jade and three other young girls placed in the ‘care’ of a foster mother in Lancashire, the abuse suffered was relentless.
Over six years, their shared bedroom became ‘The Bad Room’ where they were shut up for 16 hours at a time.
They were not allowed to speak and beaten if they made a sound.
The children were banned from using the toilet and often wet the bed, going to school the next day stinking of urine.
They were starved and had to get by on titbits of stolen food.
For Jade, who had previously suffered abuse at the hands of her birth mother and stepfather, the move to foster care when she was ten, should have brought salvation.
However, after a year of being well-treated, the abuse began as soon as the visits of social workers became less frequent.
She said:
“The foster mother was very calculating and would find ways of making it look as though everything was fine for me and the other girls.
“We were too frightened to say anything to the social workers, because we knew it would result in more beatings.”
Jade was kicked, punched, and had hair pulled out.
But there was always a plausible reason given for bruises, cuts and other injuries suffered.
During her GCSE year, the foster mother destroyed all her artwork and English coursework.
Jade, pointed out:
“I had eight weeks to replace a year’s worth of work, but I did it.
“She could destroy my work, but I wasn’t going to let her destroy me.”
When the authorities eventually realised what had been going on, Jade was placed with a caring family and subsequently found justice.
The Bad Room, published by Harper Collins, is available at The Little Ripon Bookshop, Waterstones and WH Smith.
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Ripon grandma ‘rattling and crackling’ on charity 30km run
A Ripon grandma with no running experience and severe health conditions has embarked on a mission to run 30 kilometres to raise money for a children’s charity.
Joy Kalus, 75, suffers from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes breathing difficulties, disabling osteoarthritis and is recovering from viral heart failure.
Despite all these ailments, the former British Rail worker is determined to complete her challenge within 30 days.
She aims to do so by running laps of Ripon rugby field. Money raised will go to the NSPCC.
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In just one day, Joy has already beaten her £120 target. So far she has raised £245. Click or tap here to donate on JustGiving.
The cause is close to Joy’s heart. Ten years ago she flew to Brazil to help children on the streets and orphanages.
Joy, who has two daughters and is a grandmother to three boys, said:
“I am just an old lady rattling on to do her best. I can only trot about 25 steps at a time at a time before I start flapping my arms so I look like I am taking off.
“Osteoarthritis has made most of my joints swell. So everything is rattling and crackling as I move.
“I’ve never run before but that isn’t going to stop me. It’s more of a trot because I can’t breathe well.
“But I always tell my daughters they can do anything if they are determined enough. So can I.
“I don’t care how old I am, or what illnesses I am suffering from. Even if it takes me all year I’ll get there.”
Daughter Lisa Bradley, 43, said:
”Both my sister Suzanne and I are so unbelievably proud. Our mum has always been a force to be reckoned with.
“When she first told me I thought she was mad, but she laced up her trainers and off she went. She really is our inspiration.”