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30 March 2021 | Comment | Article by Danielle Vincent

Call for mandatory reporting to be introduced in schools to prevent abuse


Call for mandatory reporting to be introduced in schools to prevent abuse.

Our Specialist Abuse lawyer, Danielle Vincent, said:

“A thorough investigation must be carried out into the recent allegations of sexual abuse within schools. As lawyers, we welcome the fact that this very serious issue is getting the attention it needs.

But while we applaud Ofsted’s response that they will investigate such matters, we have long argued for mandatory reporting to be introduced to prevent abuse happening in the first place.

Thousands of pupils have come forward describing abusive behaviour that has been going on for generations, passing down from year group to year group, almost as a rite of passage for attending schools. Pupils have described how assaults have become ‘normalised’ preventing victims from coming forward to disclose their abuse. This cycle must be broken, and perpetrators brought to account.

Every child should feel safe within their school environment. Every parent should feel confident their child is safe when in the care of their education provider. There should be clear boundaries and processes to report any form of abuse. Every allegation made should be fully investigated, and police involvement instigated.”

The following organisations are available to contact for support:

We encourage anyone who has concerns about sexual abuse to get in touch. You can contact Alan Collins or Danielle Vincent.

Author bio

Danielle Vincent

Senior Associate

Danielle is a Senior Associate in the Abuse Specialist Personal Injury Department. She specialises in representing survivors of abuse and has experience in bringing claims against a number of institutions as well as individual abusers.

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

 

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