Esther Rantzen Leads Calls for Law to Compel Doctors, Teachers and Social Workers to Report Suspected Cases of Child Abuse

By Paul Cahalan
The Daily Mail
November 3, 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2485825/Esther-Rantzen-leads-calls-law-compel-doctors-teachers-social-workers-report-suspected-cases-child-abuse.html

Mrs Rantzen believes decades of cover-ups and scandal would have been prevented if professionals had been legally obliged to pass on their concerns

The case of tragic 17-month-old boy Peter Connelly, above, who died after enduring eight months of horrific abuse, is one of those MPs say could have been avoided had the law been different

Childline founder Esther Rantzen is leading calls for a law to compel doctors, teachers and social workers to report suspected cases of child abuse – or face imprisonment or a fine.

Ms Rantzen, along with MPs and lawyers representing the victims  of Jimmy Savile, believe decades of cover-ups and scandals – including those involving Baby P, Daniel Pelka and the grooming of children in Rochdale – would have been prevented if professionals had been legally obliged to pass on their concerns.

Similar systems already operate in Australia, the US and Ireland, and campaigners want to add mandatory reporting to the Children and Families Bill currently going through Parliament.

But the NSPCC and Department for Education last night said there were no plans for such a move and warned that making reporting compulsory could ‘make children less safe’.

Although Ms Rantzen argues in favour of compulsory reporting, she believes there would have to be an exemption for ChildLine, which offers anonymity to young victims.

She said: ‘For too long, schools have covered up abuse, and churches too, including the Church of England. It’s a scandal.’

In the year since the revelations about Savile emerged, lawyers and abuse charities have been inundated with calls from people claiming they suffered abuse at schools and care homes – sometimes while authority figures turned a blind eye.

Liz Dux, of law firm Slater and Gordon, which is representing about 60 of Savile’s victims, said: ‘Countless victims suffered sickening attacks in institutions – schools, hospitals, religious organisations – where those in authority had knowledge of the abuse. They were failed by the very people entrusted to keep them safe.’

Inge Beeson was a victim of Anglican priest Canon Gordon Rideout, who was jailed for ten years in May after being found guilty of 34 indecent assaults and two attempted rapes at a children’s home in Crawley, West Sussex.

She said: ‘If mandatory reporting had been in place during the 1960s and 1970s, Canon Rideout may have been prevented from abusing children.’

Mandatory reporting would also have prevented the creation of a child exploitation ring in Rochdale, believes the area’s MP, Simon Danczuk.

In May, nine men were jailed for offences including rape and  conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with girls under the age of 16.

‘Mandatory reporting would have saved many children from horrific misery. It needs serious examination,’ he added.

The issue is the subject of tomorrow’s edition of Panorama on BBC1.