Wednesday 15 January 2025
Select a region
News

Many safeguarding recommendations "completed", final few "ongoing"

Many safeguarding recommendations

Tuesday 26 September 2023

Many safeguarding recommendations "completed", final few "ongoing"

Tuesday 26 September 2023


Work to implement recommendations made through the Learning Report at the centre of a row over safeguarding measures, has been "progressing well" says HSC.

The report - written by Sue Walters - was commissioned in 2021 following a number of complaints made over the use of safeguarding processes.

The island's most senior doctor - the Responsible Officer - Dr Peter Rabey commissioned the report but it has never been published.

The existence of the report was highlighted when Deputy Gavin St Pier tried to force the States to debate it last April. 

states-chamber.jpg

Pictured: The States of Deliberation.

He had attempted to get other politicians to support a motion to debate an annual document detailing the regulation of doctors, known as the Responsible Officer report. He based this suggestion on his personally held concerns over the safeguarding of children. 

Deputy St Pier named Dr Sandie Bohin, who was the island's Safeguarding lead, during that debate.

Earlier this month he was cleared of abusing his parliamentary privilege in doing so.

In response to Deputy St Pier being cleared of abuse of privilege, the MSG released a statement alongside Dr Bohin – criticising the investigation as a whole. 

Now HSC has also issued a statement, explaining the nature of the learning report and also the work of a 'Task and Finish Group' set up to work through the recommendations of the report.

Screenshot_2023-09-25_at_15.33.34.png

Pictured: Express has a redacted copy of the report.

HSC explained that as a learning report, it is a working document for the professionals and families concerned in the situation and it was never intended to be released publicly. 

HSC says it has no intention of releasing the report for a number of reasons.

It is based on the experiences of a very limited number of families and the confidentiality of the children involved is paramount.

"Patient confidentiality is a fundamental principle in health and social care," HSC said.

"Our position in respect of the rights of the children who cannot consent to the publication, which may impact on them in future years, is unchanged. HSC has a duty to safeguard those interests in a small community and it takes this responsibility very seriously."

While the report has not been published HSC said it has been "shared and discussed with the families and their concerns investigated and acted upon". 

It is a plea for a holistic and compassionate, relational approach. A trauma informed system - quote from the Learning Report into safeguarding concerns.

Express has a redacted copy of the report.

It states that the "investigation highlighted a few key themes" and that health staff should "not forget compassion" or "as one family pointed out ‘the human touch’". 

The report was careful not to suggest that health care professionals should not raise safeguarding concerns but rather that there should be an understanding of responses when working with families where there are complex medical and emotional issues. 

The report raised a number of questions and made a number of recommendations for HSC, the MSG, Primary Care and the Islands Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Child_care_.jpg 

Pictured: The report was instigated following complaints about the safeguarding processes involving the families of children undergoing medical treatment.

A representative of the families has been involved in monitoring the work to meet those recommendations since then.

"...it was agreed that a family representative would be part of a Task and Finish Group established to progress the recommendations of the report, in order for their experiences to inform future practice," said HSC.

"While this work is ongoing, it has been progressing well, with many of the recommendations having been completed and the final few recommendations ongoing."

HSC says that everyone involved has shown a strong commitment to working together to achieve the outcomes and recommendations of the learning report.

A separate statement issued to Express, written by some of the families who made the complaints over safeguarding processes, confirmed that "in the case of all of the families, they were wholly exonerated and the authorities acknowledged no concern other than the fact they were caring for chronically sick children".

READ MORE...

FOCUS: Anonymous letter and leaked report detail island safeguarding concerns

“This was a long and harrowing experience”

Medics slam investigation into Deputy St Pier and question process

Three Code of Conduct complaints lodged against Deputy St Pier 

Bailiff intervenes after confidentiality of St Pier complaint process 

St Pier remains quietly confident over code complaints 

Sign up to newsletter

 

Comments

Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.

You have landed on the Bailiwick Express website, however it appears you are based in . Would you like to stay on the site, or visit the site?