When is Social Services going to do their job and intervene in this McCann Fiasco?

Answer 1

Always assuming that SS ever DO take a peep at the case, exactly WHAT do you think they would do? The only thing I can see any of the official departments in this country doing is for the taxman to ask for his 40% of the charity takings ! ! !

Answer 2

British Social Services wont (cant) do anything whilst the family are out of the country.
the CPS has already said that they cant consider either an investigation or a prosecution into the family due to it being outside their jurisdiction.
Remember that when Social Services work with families, they investigate what risks are present and what social services should do about this within their role, a social work role. Social Services do not prosecute parents or families, prosecutions in the UK are down to the police after there is evidence enough to charge someone and after the CPS decides that the police can prosecute.
Social Services may decide to remove children if they think that there is risk of significant harm to the child in the family. This work takes place in private law, family law. Social Services apply for an order from a magistrate. It is the court which makes the decision about whether the local authortity can take a child into care and decides what conditions would be connected to this. Social Services do not have any independent power, our work is within the legal context of children's law.

Answer 3

If, as seems likely (unfortunately), there will be no official investigation in the UK, is it at likely that the McCann's will at least be investigated by the BMA? The guidelines on the BMA site regarding "Doctor's Official Responsibilities in Child Protection Cases" clearly states:

"In child protection cases, a doctor’s chief responsibility is to the well being of the child or children concerned, therefore where a child is at risk of serious harm, the interests of the child override those of parents or carers."

http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/childprotection

Plus a page on Statuatory Child Care proceedings which states:

The Children Act 1989 introduced the concept of ‘significant harm’ as the threshold for compulsory intervention in child protection cases. As discussed above, where local authorities have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm they are under a duty to investigate the claim. Furthermore, courts can only make a care or supervision order if they are satisfied that:
The child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm; and
That the harm or likelihood of harm is attributable to a lack of adequate parental care or control

http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/childprotection~Statutory

There was more than one Doctor in their holiday group, right? Surely then, those Doctors have ignored official guidelines and should be investigated?

I know it's not much, but it's something.

Answer 4

Sooner rather than later I hope. If they turn a blind eye to this then surely that means they are giving the green light to others to follow suit.

Right in the first week of all this I contacted the charity Children 1st with a complaint. A representative from the charity had been on Tonight with big Trev and in the 5 minutes they were on screen they did not ONCE say that leaving three babies alone was wrong. This infuriated me, as if no one was even noticing the fact that what had happened was nothing short of ABUSE. The charity got back in touch really quick to say they HAD condemned the actions of the McCanns in the interview but it was edited out.

And the cover up and ignoring of facts has continued from then from all parts of the media and authorities.

Thanks goodness for places like this - I really thought I was alone in being able to see their actions for what they were until I found like minded people!

Answer 5

I don't think any organisation has made any firm concrete decisions yet on what they are going to do as no one seems to know what an earth has happened to the little girl. Is she dead or alive, (I hope alive) has she been sold or is her body lying out there somewhere (I hope not) but until they know what happened to her how can the CPS decide not to prosecute. Who knows who is responsible. It could be her own parents. Who knows. I believe the tide is turning and if you want to do some good lobby the organisations such as Childline/NSPCC Kidscape. Tell them you will not donate support them until they intervene. I did and I run a large company with huge donations to the NSPCC and I told them I will not fund an organisation that supports leaving young children alone. The NSPCC cannot condemn single mothers and turn its back on professionals.

Answer 6

There won't be any intervention. If there was any, it would be in Portugal, but the Portuguese are under too much political pressure to leave it alone. When there was an almost identical incident in the U.S. a few years back (where a British couple left their babies alone in a hotel room), the British press and government made it into an international incident, even going so far as to propose new laws for the treatment of American tourists and a "hate campaign" against the state of Florida, advising British tourists it was no longer a friendly destination!!! Unbelievable but true.

It might seem rather perverse how the British press and government stick up for people who commit crimes on foreign soil to that degree, but we always seem to blame the host country!

Anyway, what the McCanns did is against the law in Portugal, but they are flexible on sentencing. Also, remember that if you are "temporarily resident" (legal speak for "on holiday") in Portugal for less than 90 days, Portuguese law seems to revert to the laws of the country of permanent residency (UK, in the case of the McCanns) and in the UK there is no law against leaving your children alone - only "guidelines".

Answer 7

i beleive they should intervene in this case

i had some doubts at first but this is clearly a case for social services and the police

suzie b has the best idea if people were to pressure and stop donations , they may think again drastic measures i know but something needs to be done about this

Answer 8

since when did Social Services do anything constructive

without making a complete ballsup

Answer 9

The TV, the papers, the UK police ,the Social services...... none of them want to be the first to break ranks and turn against the McCanns. I think once one finds concrete evidence against them then the tide will turn and engulf Gerry. Very soon I hope. Some reporter somewhere must be beavering away in the background at this very moment.

Answer 10

They can't act until the parents return to Britain - which probably wont be for a long time considering they can live off the donations to their charity (wait a minute, it isnt even a charity its a business).