A woman whose adopted son had to have both legs amputated because of abuse by his birth parents says she will meet a British government minister next month to iron out the details of how a child cruelty register would work.
Paula Hudgell, whose adopted son Tony had to have his legs amputated because of injuries inflicted by his birth parents, said a child cruelty register was needed to ensure people like Tony’s birth parents were prevented from having access to other children in the future.
She said Tony’s birth parents were due to be released in August and at present there is little to stop them from changing their names and moving to another part of the country, having a child, and repeating the cycle of abuse.
The child cruelty register is proposed to work in a similar way to the sex offenders’ register—which was set up in 2003—and would require those convicted of the murder or manslaughter of a child, causing or allowing the death of a child, causing or allowing physical harm to a child, cruelty or neglect, to notify the police on their release from prison and whenever they change names or addresses or begin to live in a household with a child.
‘Harrowing’ Recordings Of Abuse
Brown led the prosecution team in the case of Phylesia Shirley and her boyfriend Kemar Brown following the death of two-year-old Kyrell Matthews, who suffered 41 fractured ribs. The jury, who heard “harrowing” audio recordings of the abuse, convicted Shirley of manslaughter and Brown was jailed for life for murder.If a child cruelty register was in existence Shirley, Brown, and Haider would be released from prison but would remain in “reputation jail” for life and would have to notify the police of any change of address, name or relationship.
Brown said: “I would have thought that, with the experience of the sex offenders’ register it could be administered pretty easily. When I heard of the idea I thought it was a very positive move.”
Logan had been on the at-risk register of his local social services department but was taken off it a month before his death. On the day before he died a social worker visited his home but was refused entry and left without seeing him.
National Review Of Child Protection
In December the government commissioned a national review, led by the independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, into child protection systems in the wake of the high-profile deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, who were both abused and murdered by the partners of one of their parents.The panel is set to publish its report by the end of May.
But Paula Hudgell says a child cruelty register is needed to ensure people—like the birth parents of her adopted son Tony—are prevented from having access to other children in the future.
She told The Epoch Times: “I feel it’s vital. This idea has not come from me. It’s come from police officers. They say it’s the one thing they need. Would it have made a difference in Tony’s case? No. But when his birth parents come out of prison in the summer it would prevent them being around children. At the moment they can just change their names, move to another part of the country and get on with their lives.”
Hudgell met Justice Secretary Dominic Raab in November to discuss the possibility of introducing a child cruelty register, which would work in a similar way to the sex offenders’ register and she has lined up a follow-up meeting next month with junior minister Will Quince to discuss the finer details.
Tougher Sentences For Abusers
Hudgell, from Kent, has successfully campaigned for the introduction of tougher sentences for people convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child. Tony’s Law—named after her adopted son—is part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill which is awaiting Royal Assent.After they met in November, Raab wrote to Hudgell and said: “In The National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s review of the deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson provides an opportunity to consider whether the establishment of a child cruelty register would help prevent such horrendous crimes happening again. I am pleased to confirm that the Education Secretary has shared my request with the Panel Chair, Annie Hudson, to consider how the Review can further our thinking in this space.”
Asked whether there was a danger of state overreach, Hudgell said that would not be the case and the only people on the register would be those convicted of child murder, manslaughter, causing or allowing death, or offences involving child cruelty or neglect.
Steve Crocker, President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), told The Epoch Times in an email: “Local authorities are committed to working with our safeguarding partners to protect children from harm. ADCS has not discussed the establishment of a national child cruelty register and would need more detail about this before commenting. The government has initiated an independent review in children’s social care and ADCS looks forward to seeing the outcomes of this.”
In 2011 Professor Eileen Munro published a government-commissioned report on child protection which made a number of recommendations about how social workers could be freed up from paperwork in order to carry out more face-to-face meetings with vulnerable children and their families.
Eleven years later it is unclear how many of the Munro Report’s recommendations were implemented but in several recent cases, social workers have said they were over-stretched by their workload.
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