Joint Press Release on behalf of the six North Wales Councils
The Jillings Report
EMBARGO 9am, 8 July 2013
Successor Councils to the former Clwyd County Council have today (8 July) released a redacted copy of the Jillings report into historic child abuse.
Following independent legal advice and discussions with the Police acting on behalf of the Operation Pallial investigation into recent allegations of historic child abuse in North Wales, the report has been redacted, but not abridged, with some names and detail blanked out.
A separate note explaining why the redactions have been made is attached to this news release.
The North Wales Councils recognise that the release of the report may bring distress to those affected by historic abuse and they encourage anyone who is affected by its release to call one of the numbers below if they need support.
All councils have and will continue to support anyone affected by abuse.
In North Wales, the safeguarding of children and young people is a high priority for today’s Councils.
Very few children are now placed in residential care and when they are, safety, quality of care and individual outcomes are carefully reviewed and monitored.
Since the publication of the Waterhouse report, Lost in Care, significant new statutory legislation and guidance has been implemented for Looked after Children.
In particular, within all new legislation and guidance are the rights of the child. This is evident in legislation and guidance around safeguarding, care planning and within the role of the Independent Reviewing Officer.
There has also been the development of the corporate parenting role within all North Wales councils to ensure improved results for Looked after Children.
Some significant areas of performance and protection are:
- Wales has an independent Children’s Commissioner.
- In North Wales we commission advocacy services to ensure children in care have a voice.
- Every Social Services department has an appropriately qualified Children’s Complaints Officer.
- We have clear whistle-blowing procedures in place, enabling members of staff to make complaints and raise matters of concern affecting a Looked After Child.
- Children are regularly visited; they’re also seen alone, at intervals, away from their residential or foster home.
- Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) organise a variety of specialised training for staff working with children.
- Local agencies work closely together on safeguarding issues, particularly in relation to children who are missing from home.
- Rigorous procedures are in place for recruiting foster care and residential staff.
1. The four successor councils (from April 1996) to the former Clwyd County Council are Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire County Council, and Wrexham County Borough Council.
The six North Wales successor councils (from April 1996) to the former Clwyd County Council and Gwynedd County Council are: Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire County Council, Gwynedd Council, Isle of Anglesey County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council.
2. The report is published on
www.wrexham.gov.uk
www.denbighshire.gov.uk
and is available electronically from foi@flintshire.gov.uk.
www.wrexham.gov.uk
www.denbighshire.gov.uk
and is available electronically from foi@flintshire.gov.uk.
3. As this is an historic report, and the Council which commissioned it no longer exists, it is not considered appropriate for any follow-up media interviews to this press release.
4. Media inquiries should be directed to Gill Stevens on 01978 292289.
5. Operation Pallial media enquiries should be directed to the Serious Organised Crime Agency Press Office (SOCA) on 08702 688 100. Operation Pallial is an independent investigation, led by Keith Bristow, Director General of the National Crime Agency, into recent allegations of historical abuse of children in care in North Wales. It is being conducted by officers and staff from SOCA, with assistance from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP) and police officers and staff from forces in England.
Background:
The Jillings report was commissioned by the former Clwyd County Council in 1994. On legal advice, Clwyd County Council did not publish the report and in March 1996 its full Council noted the report and agreed to refer it to the Secretary of State for Wales to assist him in considering whether or not there should be a public inquiry. The Waterhouse Inquiry was subsequently instituted.
In November 2012, following FOI requests, successor Councils to the former Clwyd Council established that copies of the report were held in local authority archives.
The successor Councils took legal advice on whether the report should be disclosed under the Freedom of Information legislation, whether in full or in part.
Following the publication of theOperation Pallial Public Report on Progress on the 29 April 2013, Council representatives have spoken with the investigation to assess the potential impact of releasing the Jillings report on ongoing criminal enquiries.
Councils have reviewed whether or not to release any or all of the Report in light of that discussion and the independent legal advice from Hempsons Solicitors, obtained jointly on behalf of the successor councils.
A decision has now been made to release a redacted version of the Jillings Report today (8 July 2013)
Useful contacts for the public:
Operation Pallial Investigation Team
Email: operationpallial@soca.x.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0800 118 1199
Email: operationpallial@soca.x.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0800 118 1199
Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre
www.ceop.police.uk/contact-us/
Telephone: 0870 000 3344
www.ceop.police.uk/contact-us/
Telephone: 0870 000 3344
Children’s Commissioner for Wales
www.childcomwales.org.uk/en/advicesupport/
Freephone: 0808 801 1000 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri except Bank Holidays)
Text: 80800 starting the message with COM.
www.childcomwales.org.uk/en/advicesupport/
Freephone: 0808 801 1000 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri except Bank Holidays)
Text: 80800 starting the message with COM.
Victim Supportwww.victimsupport.org.uk
Telephone: 0845 303 0900
Telephone: 0845 303 0900
Link to Jillings Report:
- The Jillings Report – Redacted – Part 1 of 2 PDF format 17mb
- The Jillings Report – Redacted – Part 2 of 2 PDF format 14mb
Link to Redaction Statement:
Link to Practice Statement:
A report written 17 years ago, has finally been published, identifying long-term "extensive" abuse at children's homes in north Wales during the 1970s and 1980s.
Abuse allegations at several children's homes, including the former Bryn Estyn home in Wrexham, emerged in the 1990s.
An inquiry by John Jillings was carried out in 1996 but later shelved.
In response, a joint statement from the councils in north Wales said the safety of children was now a high priority.
The report found:
- Extensive abuse of children over a substantial number of years
- Children had been severely disturbed by the abuse
- At least 12 children had died
- Responses to reports children had been abused were "too little and too late"
- Five men working at Bryn Estyn were convicted of serious offences involving 20 boys and five girls aged 10-16
- Investigating panel were hindered by serious constraints
- There was a "lack of clarity" over accessibility of social services files and police material
- Report panel considered abandoning the investigation
- Some staff refused to meet investigating panel
- It was not known how many statements made were handed to CPS
- It was not known how many alleged perpetrators, including police officers, were named in the statements
- An earlier report into abuse at another home was shelved after concerns over prejudicing a prosecution and insurance worries
- The report urged a public judicial inquiry
The 300-page report was initially written in 1996 after it was commissioned by the former Clwyd County Council, which covered the areas now represented by Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham councils.
It had followed North Wales Police's investigation into abuse claims in 1991 and the conviction of seven former care workers.
But as more claims of widespread abuse in almost 40 homes emerged, the former Clwyd County Council commissioned Mr Jillings in March 1994 to investigate.
However, it was never published.
Mr Jillings, a former director of social services for Derbyshire, said the council was worried about costly insurance claims and his report never saw the light of day.
The Jillings inquiry was followed by another investigation by the late Sir Ronald Waterhouse, which took four years to complete.
Sir Ronald found there had been "appalling mistreatment" of children over a period of 20 years.
Sections of the Jillings report were redacted
He had gathered evidence from 650 people, with most allegations focusing on seven homes.
Last year the scandal re-emerged after a victim claimed the Waterhouse report in 2000 had not uncovered the full scale of the abuse.
Home Secretary Theresa May then launched a new police inquiry into the abuse allegations.
Clwyd council's successor authorities such as Flintshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council began searching their archives for a copy of that report.
A redacted [edited] version of the Jillings report was finally made public and published online on Monday following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the BBC.
The report said: "Our investigations have led us to conclude that the abuse of children and young people in Clwyd residential units has been extensive, and has taken place over a substantial number of years."
It added: "It is clear that, in a significant number of cases, the lives of young people who have been through the care system in Clwyd have been severely disrupted and disturbed. At least 12 young people are dead."
The report said of "the many statements" taken, "it is unclear how many were forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service [CPS] for consideration", and "it is also unclear how many other professionals, including police officers, were named in these statements as perpetrators of assaults".
However, the panel concluded they could not hope to address successfully the wider areas of concern, including that public figures had been involved in the abuse.
The report had "frank criticism" for individuals at the council as well as "aspects of policy and practice," but said they "nevertheless respect the authority for its determination to examine what went wrong".
It said that "the most striking fact to emerge is that five men who shared in common their employment as residential care workers at Bryn Estyn were convicted of serious offences involving at least 24 young people."
According to the Jillings report, another inquiry into abuse at the Cartrefle children's home was not published because of CPS concerns it may prejudice a prosecution, as well as concerns over insurance.
'Too little too late'
Summarising, the report said: "Our findings show that time and again the response to indications that children may have been abused has been too little and too late.
"Furthermore the needs and interests of children and young people have tended to be an incidental, rather than a primary concern."
The report urged a public judicial inquiry, and says that the former residents who made complaints "did not appear to be motivated out of a desire for financial recompense" and "the motivation appeared to be a genuine desire to see the situation improved for children in care".
It said Clwyd council was particularly vulnerable to criticism because the local authority was about to cease under a re-structuring of councils.
The report went on to say that other agencies, such as health, education, probation, North Wales Police and the Welsh Office "require similarly careful and detailed scrutiny" to put more effective safeguards in place.
Following the publication of the report, a joint statement from the north Wales councilswas released.
It said: "The North Wales Councils recognise that the release of the report may bring distress to those affected by historic abuse and they encourage anyone who is affected by its release to call one of the numbers below if they need support.
"All councils have and will continue to support anyone affected by abuse.
"In north Wales, the safeguarding of children and young people is a high priority for today's councils."
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