7:10am Thursday 23rd September 2010 in News by Matt Watts.
A former councillor has called for an independent inquiry
into “serious scandals” that allegedly occurred in a children’s department at
Lambeth Council.
At a town hall committee meeting on Wednesday, September 15,
Graham Pycock claimed the council was more interested in suppressing
information about allegations relating to children and young people’s services
(CYPS) than scrutinising them openly to ensure they could not happen again.
He said he was concerned about a “disastrous” council-run
trip to Birmingham in March 2007 to reconcile gang-leaders – which was
allegedly poorly supervised and led to one youth being beaten up.
Mr Pycock also warned there were shortcomings in Criminal
Records Bureau (CRB) checks relating to convicted paedophile Jason Hoyte, who
groomed young victims on a council-funded project on council grounds in
Nettlefold Hall, West Norwood, between 2004 and 2006.
At the time he was employed directly by the council as a
library worker. Mr Hoyte was able to claim he was checked by the CRB as a youth
worker without being checked by the council.
Mr Pycock, a former Gipsy Hill councillor who lost his seat
at the last election, addressed the CYPS scrutinee committee as he introduced a
report into the department, which he was ordered to carry out after the
allegations emerged last year, when he was sitting on the committee.
Allegations of financial irregularities in CYPS were also
made. Fellow commissioner of the report Councillor Roger Giess said there had
been “a car crash in the management of the service” and “people left under a
cloud”.
However, Mr Pycock said he was not allowed to include the
claims as background to his final report, nor could they form part of the
investigations. He said, while internal investigations had taken place, the
reports had never been released publicly or discussed in a public forum.
He said he was still unconvinced problems with CRB checks
could not recur and demanded an independent inquiry.
Officers said the incidents were left out by other
councillors who authored the report, not council officers.
CYPS divisional director John Readman said: “The allegations
were fully investigated.”
He said Pricewaterhouse Coopers had audited CYPS, and
allegations relating to the Birmingham trip were investigated.
He said police had received no crime reports relating to the
Birmingham trip.
The meeting was told, as a result of Hoyte’s crimes, an
internal review was carried out to ensure its safeguarding procedures were as
robust as possible.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
1) John Readman conducted an Appeal into the unlawful
dismissal of Brian Pead from the pupil referral unit known as the OLCVS
operated by Lambeth Council in 2007. He failed to investigate Mr Pead's claims
against Maryn Murray (an unqualified South African teacher who had not been CRB
checked by Lambeth) which were supported by incontrovertible evidence.
2) Mr Readman is now Corporate Director of Children and
Young People's Services Room 42, Guildhall, Hull, HU1 2AA.
3) What were the findings of the "...internal review
carried out to ensure its safeguarding procedures were as robust as
possible..." ?
4) Were these findings ever published by Lambeth Council?
TAGS
John Readman, Lambeth Council, child abuse, pupil referral
units, Jason Hoyte, West Norwood, West Norwood library, Nettlefold Hall, Maryn
Murray, Brixton police, Roger Geiss, Graham Pycroft
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