Social Work Children's Services instruction to terminate Child Contact Centre arrangements (by year)
Dear Midlothian Council,
Background to this FOISA 2002 request
A Data Protection Act 2018 Subject Access Request to Police Scotland to identify information recorded on a Data Subject on the interim Vulnerable Persons Database (iVPD) detailed the following information had been recorded by a Police Scotland officer (VPD Ref: 1004286; Police Scotland officer Ref: PC 144295):
“There was previously an arrangement in place that [Data Subject’s first name] sees the children every second Saturday at the contact centre. This arrangement stopped at the end of July 2018 on the instruction of staff at the contact centre/social work due to concerns regarding [Data Subject's first name’s] mental health.”
These bi-weekly contact arrangements had been substantially reduced over a period of two years (including a move to monthly contact) and that the Service Manager of the contact centre (Kathleen Frew; Family Mediation Central Scotland) gave evidence at Stirling Sheriff Court to give the accurate reasons for the termination of child contact arrangements.
Further information recorded on the iVPD (VPD Ref: 1013988; Police Scotland officer Ref: PC 1652122) included:
[Data Subject’s first name] lost his job and he then apparently suffered psychotic depression and took medication for this.
This information demonstrates that false police reports have been filed and that Police Scotland officers have not checked the accuracy of information that they record on the iVPD which then gets transferred across to the Children's Services – Children & Families Social Work systems
Cross referencing with a heavily redacted Data Protection Act 2018 Subject Access Request from Stirling Council (part of which became a Defence Production in a “Section 39” prosecution) shows that the false police reports were made at a MARAC.
Whilst the false police reports and fiction recorded at MARACs may be commonplace there exists the possibility that some truth is recorded and that Children’s Services Social Work employees are recommending the termination of child contact at the unregulated Child Contact Centres (funded by the Scottish Government) at MARACs. Were this Children’s Services Social Work recommendation of child contact termination to be occurring then this would be a demonstration of the break down of civil society with the central tenants of the law of due process and the presumption of innocence being removed (i.e. an assumption that there is a “victim" and a “perpetrator").
FOISA 2002 Request
Under the FOISA 2002 please provide me with the information contained in your records as follows:
The number of Children's Services Social Work instructions of termination of child contact at Child Contact Centres in the year 2018.
The number of Children's Services Social Work instructions of termination of child contact at Child Contact Centres in the year 2019.
The number of Children's Services Social Work instructions of termination of child contact at Child Contact Centres in the year 2020 (up to the date of this request).
Yours faithfully,
SJA Grove
Thank you for your enquiry regarding 'Freedom of Information request -
Social Work Children's Services instruction to terminate Child Contact
Centre arrangements (by year)'.
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Regards,
Lorraine O’Malley
Personal Assistant to Chief Officer
Children’s Services, Partnerships and Communities
Fairfield House
8 Lothian Road
Dalkeith
Midlothian
EH22 3ZG
Telephone Office: 0131 271 3721
Mobile: 07788 328446
Please note I do not work Wednesdays.
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