Abstract
This chapter assesses the efficacy of professional interventions (predominantly police and children’s social care [CSC]) when HBA against children is reported. CSC employ mediation, working agreements and section 20 voluntary arrangements. Moreover, officials attest to making decisions out of deference to victims’ wishes and suggest that perpetrators cooperate with advice imparted during mediation. Yet, these stratagems serve to justify professional decision-making. The impact is that children’s wishes are often overridden; the care system is circumvented; victims are retained with abusers and internal organisational demands are prioritised above children’s best interests. Consequently, despite 64% (14/22) of children being put in police protection (PPP), CSC retained/returned children to risk in 73% (16/22) of cases. The cost of care and extant workloads affect the selective preferences of some professionals.
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Notes
- 1.
Predominantly local authority CSC social workers and police officers, and to a lesser extent, housing officers, teachers and healthcare workers.
- 2.
A PPP is a power exercisable by a police officer under section 46 of the Children Act 1989 to remove a child to a place of safety for a period of 72 hours if the child is considered to be at risk of significant harm.
- 3.
Under a section 20 Children Act 1989 arrangement those with parental responsibility voluntarily consent for their child to be accommodated elsewhere for a short period.
- 4.
The 1988 inquiry remit by Butler-Sloss was not set up to establish whether the 121 children had in fact been abused, but to examine how the cases were managed (Channel 4 1997; Richardson and Bacon 2018). However, independent experts have since concluded that at least 70% (93/121) of the original diagnoses were correct (Channel 4 1997).
- 5.
A civil protection order to protect people at risk of being forced into a marriage is made under the Forced Marriage (Civil protection) Act 2007. Breach of a FMPO is now a criminal offence under s120 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
- 6.
Exceptions are cases 36 and 74.
- 7.
Cases 13, 18, 20, 26, 32, 43, 44, 45, 50, 74, 93, 94 and 96.
- 8.
Cases 10, 18, 20, 22, 26, 32, 39, 43, 50, 57, 64, 84, 94 and case 44, in which an EPO was instigated by officers on attendance.
- 9.
A court will only make the order if they are satisfied there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is likely to suffer significant harm if the child is not removed to accommodation provided by the local authority, or the child does not remain in the place where he is currently being accommodated, for example, in hospital (Children Act 1989 s.44).
- 10.
Cases 20, 22, 26, 81, 96 and 74.
- 11.
Cases 10, 18, 26, 32, 39, 43, 44, 50, 64, 74, 93, 94 and 96.
- 12.
Evident in only one adult case (case 47).
- 13.
- 14.
One could argue that DASH has precipitated a similar approach.
- 15.
Police interviews took place in 2016.
- 16.
Cases 69, 70, 74, 43, police officers o, k, h and m.
- 17.
A Domestic Violence Protection Notice (Crime and Security Act 2010) requires the authority of a superintendent. These are useful to apply if the perpetrator is free to return to an address and could put the victim at further risk of harm. This notice, followed by an order made by the magistrate’s court (DVPO), provides the victim with time (14–28 days) to make decisions to consider victim safety such as a restraining order or non-molestation order.
- 18.
This is a quick meeting conducted between agencies, either over the phone or face to face, with little time to schedule a meeting due to the urgency.
- 19.
Before or at the time the order was served by a bailiff, a safety plan and/or PPP should have been considered. The police were only informed when the child had already suffered abuse.
- 20.
Police officers g, j, e, i and p.
- 21.
Police officers b, c, d, e, h, j, k, p.
- 22.
Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH ) Risk Identification and Assessment and Management Model (2009).
- 23.
Police officers c, g, m; cases 32, 41, 43, 44, 29, 93, 94, 96.
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Sincere thanks go to Emeritus Professor Terry Thomas for providing helpful insights on an earlier draft of this chapter.
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Aplin, R. (2019). HBA Child Protection and Partnership Working. In: Policing UK Honour-Based Abuse Crime . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18430-8_7
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