The UK government has been very clear for many years about the need to protect children, both in their home environment and in the care system itself. “Protecting children is everyone's responsibility” remains an important and reiterated reminder by national and local authorities and the child protection system. Sadly, despite the rhetoric around child protection and repeated inquiries and investigations into child abuse, abuse continues.
Recently, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales (IICSA), chaired by Professor Alexis Jay OBE, was reassured to the public that it would be a credible, groundbreaking inquiry to expose and stop child abuse. In reality, hundreds of witnesses, victims, accounts of abuse, and thousands of pages of evidence were skillfully smeared into a bland whitewash of excuses, platitudes, and the need for reform. Many victims of abuse were not given the opportunity to speak out, and perpetrators were rarely prosecuted. The key witness in Nottingham, whose courageous actions broke the case for abuse in one children's home and led to police investigations into many more homes, was never called as a witness by the IICSA, nor was he mentioned in the IICSA's Nottinghamshire report. Traumatized victims were brutally treated in prison, then locked in “secure environments,” gagged, and deprived of their freedom. IICSA clearly had no capacity to deal with “difficult” whistleblowers about child abuse.
Meanwhile, in Lambeth, central London, Poor form Several other municipalities received special comments from the IICSA team for tolerating child abuse. Overview of abuse in Lambeth care homes Alexis Jay's response stated that it was difficult to comprehend the cruelty suffered by children at the borough. Senior staff should have been held accountable. Over 700 victims complained, but only one person in 40 years was disciplined. The carefully crafted language suggests recognition of the cruelty and abuse, balanced with the need for an apology. Overall, Alexis Jay's response is wordy and contains little mention of real action for reform, improving safety for vulnerable children and their parents, or bringing perpetrators to justice through effective police prosecutions.
In this interview with Lambeth Council, another incredibly courageous individual speaks out about the issue of child abuse and what happened to her when she encountered the telltale signs of child abuse occurring in the statutory care system. Importantly, she is not a victim of abuse. She is an experienced and qualified child care professional.
Emma Allan's testimony is extremely thought-provoking and important as it proves once again that despite claims that the children's care system, UK local authorities and police have learned from past “mistakes” and that children are now safe, the opposite is true: children are systematically abused in many different settings and their perpetrators are protected by the same people and institutions that claim to protect them.
As her story unfolds, some viewers and listeners will have a hard time understanding that what she is saying is true. Distrust may creep into their minds because their faith in the integrity and professionalism of British child protection, the police (particularly the Metropolitan Police) and “the system” is so strong. They will probably start thinking, “This can't be real. They don't do that.” In contrast, those who have been abused as children or victimized by the system, or who have had other reasons to experience the true face of the state and its institutions, will see an all too familiar pattern emerge. By the end of this interview, few viewers or listeners will not understand that the familiar pattern is an obvious cover-up, systematically undertaken to protect child abusers from investigation and the law.
Emma Allan calmly, professionally and accurately tells her story of her cruel, horrific and inhumane experiences in Lambeth. She encountered the signs of child abuse and, as a trained social worker, took immediate action to protect children. she They will become defendants and targets of harassment and abuse.
She says the Metropolitan police systematically refused to investigate the abuse itself, or even to follow procedures to interview vulnerable young child abuse victims. As the evidence from the children in question grew stronger, she watched in disbelief as police closed the cases despite telling them they were investigating.
With the police deliberately turning a blind eye, Emma Allan began to be harassed and abused by the main suspect in the case. The unpleasant incidents quickly escalated, from intimidating looks and behaviour at meetings, to damage to her bike, to more overt threats and obvious danger to her life. Her houseboat home was vandalised and flooded. She moved out, but the threats followed her. Emma Allan reported the crime to the police, but they turned her down and no action was taken to investigate or protect her. The police casually told her it would be best for her to contact them. Keep looking over her shoulder When she was out.
Emma Allan, in order to protect the child in question, Lambeth Children's Welfare Centre She later learned that her police records had been falsified to indicate she had a history of severe mental illness, hospitalisations, delusions and fabrications. This false information likely contributed to the perception that she was not a credible witness. She subsequently learned that the falsified records had been shared by the Metropolitan police with child protection services in Christchurch, on the south coast of England, where she had fled for safety. A decision was made to open a child protection investigation into her there, based on the false information shared. Notably, the Metropolitan police refused to reopen the original child abuse case, even though Emma Allan was able to prove the falsification of records to both the police and social services.
Emma Allan's situation was made worse when social service workers turned up on her doorstep asking about the safety and wellbeing of her children. It quickly became clear to her that she and her family were being targeted for speaking out, and that the targeting would continue for many months to come.
Although she was eventually able to receive fruitful legal assistance, the trauma and injustice remained. Social Services told her that even if there was evidence of falsification of records, it didn't matter because the revelations were too extreme to be believed. Emma Allan reiterated that although she clearly provided evidence to the police, the police did not engage with the child. The assessment social worker stated at the beginning of the case that “it has already been determined that you are at fault”. Emma Allan shared solid evidence and relevant social work insights, but the assessment social worker dismissed this and reiterated that she considered the revelations to be delusional.
At the end of the interview, Emma Allan calmly stated that the whole environment of child protection in the UK needs to be improved. She emphasised that despite a lot of reports about changing processes, nothing has really changed. She said that watching Brian Gerrish's interview with social service whistleblower Carol Woods for his UK column (2016) had encouraged her and motivated her to speak out.
It is now brutally clear to Emma Allan that child protection in the UK is a claim, not a reality. Lambeth Council, the Metropolitan police and the Church of England appear to have been involved in covering up the abuse she experienced. She has deep, unanswered questions about the child abuse cases she has encountered, and she knows she is not alone in raising these issues. Emma Allan is a woman of exceptionally indomitable spirit who deserves our support and respect for blowing the whistle and refusing to succumb to systematic intimidation.
