Mandate Now

More coverage in print media tomorrow.  The damage caused by Bright QC, and his instructing solicitors Blaser Mills who also named in Gillan's speech, was astounding. 

Emily Buchanan tried hard to get answers from Nichols to very simple and sensible questions.  Nichols remained obdurate, but then he's a company man.

Mandate Now is a pressure group. See our CAFC review here : https://bit.ly/2UW8kSw

Please note Mr Pearson says that 'we are expected to refer any allegation of abuse to the statutory authorities.' N.B. he is correct to say it is (professionally) expected but it is certainly not mandatory either by the Catholic Church or in statutory legislation.

Ms Munn's replies to questions about Mandatory Reporting were fantasy rather than fact. Each can be controverted with evidence. Perhaps the addiction to fantasy is why the Church is in such deep safeguarding trouble. With the BBC providing Ms Munn a 'free pass' to speak such nonsense and therefore control the narrative, things will not change any time soon.  Ms Munn's 'understanding' is that the C...

The press report of the case is here : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20267571 The interview that follows Mr Raggett's is with Mr Christopher Pearson of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission. He claims MR already exists within the Church in England and Wales. In almost the next line he says incidents are 'expected' to be reported. Danny Sullivan also claimed the Church had MR...

He describes his dread of going to school and then of returning home. He said he died inside at St Benedict's. In his closing comments he said he wants the introduction of mandatory reporting (As per amendment 43 as drafted by Mandate Now for Baroness Walmsley). In our submission to the inquiry, the draft MR proposal has evolved thanks to empirical evidence and practice in common law jurisdictions...

The safeguarding v. reputation conflict within the Charity Commission is raised. Poor quality inspections by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The DfE has no regulatory powers when faced with an independent school that does not prioritise safeguarding. Lord Carlile's report seen as conflicted with significant public relations component.

Ms Pepinster wills the end without the means. The Church emotes constantly when caught, yet delivers no catalyst for change.

PM suggested there is evidence of 'genuine cases' not being given resources as a result of #MR. Where's that evidence PM? We'll wave you goodbye knowing we will never see you again, it does not exist. Here is evidence from 1989 which shows the opposite : (i) https://bit.ly/2KFx518 (ii) https://bit.ly/2ztNSA1

No institution can be trusted to investigate its whistleblowers. The strong tendency is to ignore disclosures and discredit the whistler. Should a whistleblower then be asked to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), it reveals a hostile culture towards staff who wish to raise concerns.

Tracey Crouch was "struck by how sport felt it needed to do something" about safeguarding. It's notable that Govt doesn't. Functioning safeguarding is disabled by the absence of #MR

Some form of Mandatory Reporting exists in the majority of jurisdictions on all four continents 72% of Asia, 77% of Africa, 86% of Europe, 90% of the Americas. The DfE is still looking for the light switch.

Mr Hill is deeply critical of the British Govt which has not responded to the child migrant recommendations made by IICSA in March. Also critical of the payment dilution and barriers introduced in the Aus financial redress scheme.

#IICSA report is likely to share similarities. This #CSA research https://bit.ly/2OZSMNX shows boys and girls are abused almost equally in childhood.  Dame Laura Cox may be interested in the reasons why because they may also apply to why her review heard from far more women than men.

In her speech the Prime Minister claimed that the courts are incorruptible https://bit.ly/2CdJjMk . It's a bold statement.

Leone Sheedy CEO of CLAN is clear:  'We live in a secular country, it's not run by Catholics, its a secular nation. You don't want to abide by our laws, take your religion and go back to the Vatican where your headquarters are.'    (Care Leavers Australia and New Zealand) http://www.clan.org.au/

A waterfall truncates a seminar that has been allocated a blink in time to discuss a subject that is complex and which needs to be conducted in public. Discussions behind closed doors by those who speak the same language and want the status quo retained, will fail us all.

Leslie Thomas QC at 2'.11". An excellent point made about questioning of witnesses. He cited precedent from multiple public inquiries. The same is needed at IICSA which has seen some lacklustre questioning of witnesses . Increasingly it has the look and feel of a Public Inquiry that may have a pre-defined outcome that's acceptable. The important matter of interim recommendation/s, particularly on...

With the CARoyalComm recommending MR of #CSA disclosed in confession, the subject is discussed in NI which has had a blunt form of #MR since 2005 via Section 5(1) of the Criminal Law Act (1967). It provides a criminal offence of failing to disclose an arrestable offence to the police which de facto includes most offences against children.

@MsDingle seems keen to put #CSA back in the box. She says 'abuse is in the past' and 'figures of abuse are relentlessly exaggerated.' Sexual abuse is an obsession with 'sex.' "Why are you calling them survivors - did they nearly die? No!" 'I'm all for the prosecution of people who are guilty of horrendous sex crimes against young people.'  If they are 'guilty of the crime then a prosecution has a...

Donald ("anything but mandatory reporting") Findlater has been repeating the same ineffective narrative for >15 years and somehow getting paid for it. Retirement beckons.

An intense interview. Where's Welby?

It is now known there are at least 87 victims of Smyth's beatings. The Iwere network could have stopped Smyth anytime in the last 36 years. You can read more here : https://bit.ly/2w5ob6b