The Advertiser reports:
Council and police back under fire over sex abuse scandal
THE Rotherham child sex abuse scandal was back in the spotlight this week as report author Prof Alexis Jay freshly criticised police and council officials – and Ofsted was forced to apologise for failing to expose the issue.
The child protection expert was the keynote speaker at Child Protection 2015, a conference in Scotland, where she branded the police attitude to victims during the period covered by her report “dismissive.”
Child Protection 2015:
Rotherham Politics 
Are there others , like myself, who see no help at all now or in the future for the families and abused children in Rotherham from the current body of well paid ‘professionals. They are proven incapable. They are not up to it now and they won’t be up to it in the future. The only people who can help bring healing , wholeness and true value to these damaged lives are individuals who have heart and compassion. They do it for love and they will be doing it now behind the scenes while the politicians and proffesionals haggle on and on hoping time will make this horror a distant memory……….. To the families concerned I would say don’t despair but it will be well worthwhile to knock on every church door and ask, “is there anyone here who can help me and my children”…. Keep trying until you find someone with love in action….. It still exists…
LikeLike
Do you really think that those within churches did not know – pre Alexis Jay – about this overwhelming horror? Hardly believable.
How many people are currently going through Court over this rotten abuse of 1400 children? It would also be useful to know, how many senior police officers, MPs and senior councillors and council operatives, have yet been prosecuted.? If the answer is ‘none’, why is that?
LikeLike
Hi Official accountability, The answer to your first question I cannot answer fully because I do not live locally. I think you are correct that at least some church folk knew, but whether they covered it up or not I don’t think you or I can answer that. One thing I do know from this blog is that the good people who did their best to raise the subject where cruelly dismissed by the authorities and that includes the desperate parents of the children who were abused.
I think in the second part of your comment we are in agreement that those who were formally responsible to act did not and still are completely impotent to do so. No one looks ahead while guarding their rear….It would help all concerned if they admitted it and stepped aside…. That, I suppose , would be too much to ask from those addicted to power…. As I said, the restoration of these lives comes not from politics but from those with compassion . By all my readings on this deep seated scandal in Rotherham I would say that compassion by those in power is an inch thick and ten miles wide.
LikeLike
For justice and any future trust, we urgently need an external police force to investigate just who knew what, and why they did nothing if they did know. We urgently need those in positions of authority to face adequate justice, rather than this ‘tucking it all under the carpet’.
At the moment the whole idea of ‘justice’ in South Yorkshire is a joke.
LikeLike
Totally agree, the Church was silent throughout this horror and like the Council, social Services, Police, Child protection agencies, Goverment can not be trusted. It’s about time professer Jay tells the whole world what she really thinks instead of these constant snippets attacking certain organisations.
LikeLike
I think the response to your blog Manc01 needs to be answered by those inside the church who are working one by one to help the children and families of Rotherhams child abuse .
Something needs to be said here, It is unhelpful for people who have their prejudices gleaned from media reports commenting on what the church did or did not do. It’s a fact that people who never darken the church door to find out the truth until perhaps they are about to take their last gasp, are the biggest critics.
So I would ask before making uniformed statements re what the church did or did not do please be aware that you may be preventing a child and family from seeking help from individual people within the church to restore healing and wholeness.
I do not intend to turn this into a religious argument on Rothpol. So please don’t try.
My intention is simply to not place a stumbling block to families seeking hope where it may be found.
LikeLike
Please tell one Church Leader in Rotherham , throughout the period from 1997 – 2014 that stood and be counted, ie stood up for the victims of this abuse and challenge the authorities about why they were doing nothing to stop it?
LikeLike
Hi Manc01…. I cannot tell you specifically which church leader stood up to be counted. Maybe Revsimcop can help. I hope it will help to say that ‘church’ is not simply a building or institution but a body of people who sacrifice themselves and wave no flags or want any recognition other than to help people one by one.
That fact I would state my life on…..
Please remember that my blog is not for religious debate or to answer unknown questions , but simply not to place a stumbling block to those seeking help outside the professional camp in Rotherham. As far as I am aware Prof Jay made no comment re the church being part of the problem…
LikeLike
Perhaps they spent too much time in prayer and reflection and not enough in finding out and fighting evil. If they had, they collections would’ve been overflowing with gratitude from a greatful flock?
LikeLike
Hi again officialaccountability… I am in total agreement re justice prevailing and the guilty punished of these appalling crimes and adequate compensation paid for victims. It beggars belief why the process hasn’t already begun and settled for victims…For the affected children and families though, compensation and the guilty punished is only half of the solution. After this degrading abuse a child or woman needs to find dignity again. This , I maintain, is beyond the capability of RMBC, Police and services that were set up to prevent it in the first place.
How do I know?…. Because I work with people who give themselves to faithfully to support victims. Their service is not cheap but it’s free……..
LikeLike
Manc01. Stop making silly comments on what you don’t know. You cannot possibly substantiate your last comments. Your ill informed religious fascination and prejudice may have a negative effect and deter some young people and their families looking for help where it may be found. Perhaps that wouldn’t concern you but it does concern me. It’s best to stick with what you know……. Bucksfor victims and jail for the crims are half the story….
I will say it again….. There are those inside the church who will be giving themselves to help restore dignity to damaged girls and boys. When I say I would state my life on it ( they are not platitudes ) I mean it………………
LikeLike
We live in a world, where failure and ignorance is somehow accepted, but hindsight has now become a common excuse. If the Church and other’s had done their jobs in the first place, would we have had some many victims. You believe what you are offering can in any way repair the damage those girls have gone through and will never forget. We look up to certain people in our community to protect us, the Police, Council, Social Services, Church and Goverment. They afterall present themselves as good at their jobs and are highly rewarded too. When things go wrong, we have enquiries and some soul searching, only to realise they could have done better and stop it. We actually buy the spin that lessons will be learn and things can only get better well what happen in Rotherham and other parts, should’ve never happen and unfortunately will continue to happen until the do Gooders understand that to defeat evil one must understand it and therefore come up with solutions which will beat it. Pious words will. No longer work.
LikeLike
Hi manc01. I am happy to say that I agree with the sentiments of your comments…There is truth in your view here. These are factual issues that we can discus…. May I say that I would never …. ever….say that the ‘Church’ alone can fix what has happened. Having belonged to the Christian church for decades I can say that for a considerable amount of that time I have confronted hypocrisy both in my own life and the corporate life of the church. And I agree that many of folk who are church goers wouldn’t know where to start in addressing the issue of the massive scale of child abuse in Rotherham and elsewhere.
But what I can say confidently is there are some great souls in the church who have experienced every form of abuse and found refuge and help from just a few people in the church who have a better understanding of what it means to be a victim of abuse. These people become the best counsellors….You might say that they are overcomers and they can bring hope to the children and families.
I am no fool to believe that every victim in Rotherham will read my blog and fly to the nearest church, but some just might and each one matters… We are both in agreement that those who could or should have helped , didn’t or wouldn’t. If we are looking for a large scale answer to the CSE issue from the powers that be, I am afraid hell would freeze over first.
LikeLike
It is fair to say that people’s feelings about the church are rightly coloured by what happened within the catholic church and also church of England children’s homes; so attempting to coheres already abused people to trust the church seems some what of an incongruous position to hold. It is down to Government and council to help the victims but as Linda says, if you are protecting your back you are not going to look forward and help these people. The case of one of my local borough and town councillors, Jane Havenhand, epitomizes the lack of action by the council and the Labour party; she was adviser then senior adviser throughout Shaun Wrights tenure as cabinet member for children’s services; she has not been suspended by the Labour party nor has she been pushed into resigning. In fact she is standing in the May election as if nothing has happened. Despite the fact the Lakin admitted that she knew as much as Wright, a fact he later attempted to deny. I also find it strange that neither the government nor the council are questioning why there have been no cases brought against any perpetrators despite all the evidence against them; why is our nice none political pious Police Commissioner not asking this question. Could it be because he is also a Labour man?
Dave Smith
LikeLike
Billings will probably pull the Truth and Reconciliation Committee rabbit out of the hat in the not too distant future
Shed loads of emoting, beating of breasts, weeping and wailing, gnashing of teeth, big hugs.
“We must draw a line under this, however hard we must move on. At all costs we must not allow those who would, seeking political gain, succeed in dividing our communities”
Left liberal middle class dog whistle stuff.
It should naturally be clearly understood that turning a politically correct blind eye to mass rape, trafficking and pimping isn’t seeking immoral political gain, and nor is getting “elected” on an 80% postal vote
LikeLike
Sorry to interrupt here, Rotherham Politics doesn’t cover religion! We deal with matters temporal not spiritual.
The fact that Alexis Jay, is unable to see any change in those who are supposed to protect the victims, is frankly alarming and should alarm Rotherham’s citizens too?
LikeLike
Rothpol, I’ve read the Advertiser article at the top of this thread. I can’t see where Prof Jay says she is unable to see any change in those who are supposed to protect the victims. There’s been a wholesale change in senior figures within the council (officers). Is Jay saying that the new Chief Exec and DCS etc are just the same as the last? Has she even met them? I don’t know.
LikeLike
Is their light at the end of the tunnel or pigs flying. Didn’t the new DCS Ian Thomas say he like Joyce Thacker, what does that tell you. How anyone could compliment the totally useless former DCS beggars belief, then again their all cut from the same cloth.
LikeLike
Manc,
Where and when did Ian Thomas say that ? What precisely did he say? Can you provide a link to anything you are alleging ?
LikeLike
Robin,
I think you are absolutely right in what you say above.
LikeLike
Sorry Rik, We are not talking religion as you suggest… No talk here about the existence of God or theology. I am simply saying there are those within the church community who can and do help restore abused people. Please don’t shut down rashional discussion about helping young people in Rotherham through uninformed prejudice. The children of Rotherham need urgent temporal assistance and according to my reading they received received NONE from the powers that be but rather a double whammy ( You remember a family trying to report a rape to the police and was told she was interrupting and spoiling their lunch.)….
I am advocating immediate temporal help for troubled girls and boys and families IF THEY WANT IT.. It’s a sad world indeed if those who already failed on a massive scale have the gall to silence a working and sincere approach.
LikeLike
The church has given up on religion & its ‘flock’ & is now a voice for the leftist state.
They are now, part of the problem.
Look carefully at Welby & Sentamu’s statements
LikeLike
John, I’m an atheist but from what I’ve read, I would describe Jesus as a socialist.
Linda Wheeler, Manc01 I’m not sure where this criticism of “the church” comes from. I’m not sure to what extent (if any) the victims and their families sought support from “the church”. I’m not saying that they didn’t but I’ve not read anything to suggest that they did. It would seem patently unfair to blame “the church” for failing to act if they were unaware of the problem.
LikeLike
Wasn’t that the excuse the Pakistani community, Rotherham Council, SYP , Social Services, Child Protection agencies, SOCA, NCA, Children Commision, Bernado’s. , The Rotherham Labour Party, Mp’s , cllrs and the Government past and present used for 15 years.
LikeLike
So true!
As everyone knows Welby, Sentamu and Jorge Mario Bergoglio are all members of the Illuminati .
LikeLike
To use your own words RR… Where is the proof that ‘ everyone or anyone knows that Welby, Sentamu and Jorge Mario Bergoglio are members of the illuminati I never heard of two of them….
LikeLike
Hi John, I need to be careful here not to cross the line into church politics on this sight but let me say I agree with you. It is something that can be discussed on other sights suited to the discussion of ‘who are the church’ . Have you heard the saying about chucking the baby out with the bathwater…Very easy to do without thinking of the consequences.
It must be remembered that Islam means politics and religion are one and the same. Christianity still means freedom to choose. ( Hope Rik lets me away with that one…) I am trying to tow the line and answer objections with the view that children can get free help within the church community , mostly from dedicated ladies who have experienced various forms of abuse , overcome it , and are dedicated to help the children in Rotherham and elsewhere.
LikeLike
The new Mother Teressa of Rotherham has spoken lol
LikeLike
Is that the best you can do Manc…..You just disgraced Mother Teresa you fool.
LikeLike
Quite a few people got there first. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Mother_Teresa
LikeLike
I almost regretted calling you a fool on my last post, but it seems an adequate description . Perhaps you have already suffered a cerebral accident in which case it would explain why you choose to change the important theme of this blog referring to helping the abused children of Rotherham into a silly post about Mother Teresa… It explains to me why decades of abuse can go on under someone nose , if there or more people as yourself who are so easily sidetracked from the main subject…
I suppose manc you wouldn’t have dared insult a moslem cleric under your own name….
Now stick to the subject which is restoration and help for abused children if you can….
LikeLike
That’s official is it ?…. Always there with your nit picker eh rr. See my last blog to manc and see if you can stick to the main subject.
LikeLike
Please stop showering me with such compliments, my head might explode!!
LikeLike
Rik ..I got the last post in the wrong order… Hopefully manc and r will be able to sort out the mistake and identify what is directed at them…
LikeLike