Abuse is Abuse
Abuse is abuse it shouldn’t depend on the number of times it happened
Abuse is abuse
Abuse is abuse no matter where it took place
Absolutely this should not be ignored abuse is abuse
Why not? Abuse is abuse
Why not? Abuse is abuse
Abuse is abuse no matter where you live
Abuse is abuse
Abuse is abuse no matter where or when it took place
Abuse is abuse it doesn’t matter where it happened
Abuse is abuse in any form of disguise
Abuse is abuse
( ISN opinions on the Support Payment scheme proposal)
THE SUPPORT PAYMENT SCHEME HAS ENDED. WE ARE SORRY IF YOU DID NOT HEAR ABOUT THE SCHEME IN TIME TO APPLY. YOU MAY STILL HAVE AN OPTION TO TAKE CIVIL LITIGATION. PLEASE CONSULT ISN FOR ADVICE BY EMAIL Islingtonsn@gmail.com or leave a voice message 0300 302 0930 and we will get back to you . Our lawyers are Leigh Day Solicitors who have a specialist team and represent Islington survivors in compensation cases against Islington Council. The law is complicated but settlements have been achieved. However, not all survivors will have sufficient grounds to make a legal claim. The solicitors do act on the basis of No Win No Fee or you can apply for legal aid.
The history of the scheme is outlined below. We will soon be writing about how the scheme worked for us. We have many criticisms which we hope others may learn from. By the time the scheme closed in May 2024, ISN had assisted over 450 survivors in receiving the payment. This was not without a considerable struggle. At the close of the scheme the council set up an appeal system which over 25 ISN survivors were subjected to – all but 3 did eventually receive the payment. We will write about this in more depth when we have time.
If anyone is considering setting up a similar scheme we invite them to contact us and we can discuss how, although it had benefits, it was a difficult and complex process for us and for individual survivors at times certainly adding to trauma. The scheme was well intentioned and followed on from the council leader’s apology to survivors and whistleblowers in 2018, but it could have worked so much better.
10.03.21: Islington Council announced a proposal for a Non-Recent Child Abuse Support Payment Scheme
The Scheme is for survivors who ‘suffered emotional. physical and sexual abuse whist resident in the council’s children’s homes from 1966-1995. The proposal will enable survivors to receive a financial support payment without having to bring a civil compensation claim. It has been designed to enable eligible applicants to receive a payment more quickly than having to go through the trauma of the lengthy civil compensation claims process’
Islington Council have provided 5 documents relating to this proposed scheme:
Please also refer to:
[The council has not used these definitions in their proposal but ISN will always refer to these statutory definitions of child abuse which are recognised by all involved in the investigation of child abuse (current and non-recent) and which include neglect as a category of abuse.]
Islington Survivors Network received these documents on 10th March, held an initial meeting with council officers and consulted ISN Directors and our legal team at Leigh Day solicitors. The proposed scheme was presented at the Council Executive meeting on 18th March and is now open to consultation over the next 6 weeks. ISN will of course respond in detail to the proposals. This is the first scheme of its kind and is different from the redress scheme which ISN proposed over 3 years ago based on the Lambeth scheme. Since that time ISN has continually campaigned on this issue on behalf of over 200 survivors.
We broadly welcome this new proposal which suggests payments of £8000 as a flat rate payment to survivors of abuse in Islington children’s homes. The proposal gives important recognition to survivors harmed in Islington’s care and restates the council leader’s apology in 2017, when he also admitted the council’s culpability.
In applying for payment, the survivor’s own account will be the key material used to establish that abuse took place – as well as having been a resident in an Islington children’s home. ISN know of 42 children’s homes and now await the publication of the council’s own list.
ISN have a number of key points to make as part of our submission to the consultation. In particular we will argue strongly for the inclusion of neglect as a category of abuse and the inclusion of survivors abused in Islington foster placements. We will also seek to clarify the suggested process of application for the scheme to ensure easy accessibility and sensitivity to all ISN survivors.
When the scheme is finalised, ISN will provide advocacy, at every stage of the process, for survivors wishing to apply for payment.
In 2017 the Islington Council Leader said:
‘This was the darkest chapter in the council’s history.’
‘There was systematic failure all the way through the council through all those years.’
We are desperately sorry – children were subjected to terrible physical and mental abuse.’
Consultation
ISN posted to all survivors a consultation form with a stamped addressed envelope and received over 100 of these as well as email contributions. ISN now have a PO Box address because of not being able to access our office during lockdown. We have also sought the views of former staff who have supported ISN. Since the scheme was announced many more survivors have come forward.
ISN’s detailed 53 page response which includes the views of survivors and some former staff is on this website DOWNLOAD here . The report details how many survivors responded to each topic.
Dr Sarah Nelson OBE wrote a report for the Consultation in support of ISN DOWNLOAD here
14.10.21. Council Executive Meeting
The report approved by Executive is available to read in full.
Agenda item
Non Recent Child Abuse Support Payment Scheme
- Meeting of Executive, Thursday, 14th October, 2021 7.00 pm (Item 834.)
- View the background to item 834.
Decision:
AGREED RECOMMENDATIONS
Reasons for decision – to provide financial support for eligible survivors / victims of non-recent abuse.
suffered when in the council’s children’s homes.
Other options considered – as detailed in the report, the scheme was subject to consultation
Conflicts of interest / dispensations granted – none
Minutes:
The Leader introduced the item by making the following statement:
Tonight’s meeting includes a report about Non-Recent Child Abuse in Islington’s children’s homes. Abuse of children in Islington’s children’s homes was the worst chapter in the council’s history. Children, placed in our care, were subjected to terrible abuse which has had a deeply traumatic effect on their lives.
As Leader of Islington Council, I again want to say we are deeply sorry for the council’s past failure to protect vulnerable children in our care. I offer this heartfelt apology to everyone who suffered abuse, and who continues to suffer because of it. We know that nothing can make amends for the trauma caused, but it is our responsibility as a council to try to address past failings, and to offer support.
Tonight’s report recommends that the Executive approves a Support Payment Scheme for people who suffered abuse in the council’s children’s homes from 1966-1995. The scheme will enable abuse survivors to receive a financial support payment of £10,000, without having to bring a civil compensation claim, and more quickly than having to go through the trauma of the lengthy civil compensation process.
Payments will be made through a process that is as straightforward and quick to access as possible, and that minimises the need to re-live past trauma, or the risk of further trauma or harm. Survivors or care-experienced people who suffered abuse, whether they make an application or receive a payment under the scheme or not, will of course still be able to bring a civil compensation claim.
The scheme will form part of the council’s wider support for survivors which offers trauma counselling, specialist advice, support and assistance for care, housing, appropriate welfare benefits, access to further education and suitable employment, and support to access care records. I’m sure the Executive will strongly support this recommendation.
I’d like to thank all the survivors and care-experienced adults affected by abuse and the organisations supporting them who made very valuable contributions to our consultation on the proposed scheme earlier this year. Thanks to their responses, we have made a significant number of changes to the proposed scheme, including increasing the payment from £8,000 to £10,000, and expanding the categories of abuse.
Islington Council today is a very different organisation, and protecting children from harm is our top priority. But we rightly remain deeply sorry and ashamed of the failings of the past.
The Leader advised that written questions had been received in relation to this item and responded as follows:
I have received a questions relating to how the support payment scheme will work in practice. In the report, we have outlined that there will be a range of support for those applying for payments under this scheme including an independent advocacy service. There will be further details about how the scheme works in practice in due course.
I have also received a question relating to civil compensation and criminal investigations. The Council is committed to supporting victims and survivors, provides a number of support services and will assist any police investigations or prosecutions in any appropriate way that it can. It is not, however, in a position to offer any form of scheme or process beyond the support payment scheme that it is currently working to set up. The Council does not have insurance ‘money’ as such, but rather insurance cover that may respond to civil compensation claims arising out of non-recent abuse. Whilst the Council will continue to support victims or survivors who bring such claims in any way that it can, and in this sense work with them, it will be the party against which such claims are brought and cannot, therefore, work jointly with them within the actual claim process.
I have received a number of questions not related to the support payment scheme but about support for survivors. We will continue to meet with Islington survivors and care-experienced adults so that the support that has been, or may need to be, in place for them including our general services across the council are trauma-informed. Their voices and lived experiences will be central to shaping support that empowers them to live their lives.
We have also received questions in relation to people who will be outside of the scope of the proposed scheme. The dates are based on the management of those care homes, but we can look at this further and if anyone wants to contact me on this matter they should feel free to do so.
We have also been asked questions about how the payment scheme will be publicised and how it will have the furthest reach possible. We want to publicise this as widely as possible and we will work with relevant groups to ensure that happens. We will also set aside an appropriate budget to ensure that the scheme is publicised as widely as possible.
A council officer read out a statement submitted on behalf of the Islington Survivors Network. The full statement is appended to the end of this document.
RESOLVED:
a) That the consultation undertaken on the proposed Support Payment Scheme (SPS) and the responses received from consultees (Appendix A of the report) be noted;
b) That the final SPS (Appendix C1 of the report) and final Scheme Terms and Conditions (Appendix C2 of the report) be approved;
c) That the arrangements for implementation of the SPS (paragraph 4.1 of the report) and the proposals for the appointment of the Independent Service Provider and members of the Independent Review Panel (paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3 of the report) be noted;
d) That the Corporate Director of Resources, following consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to make any further changes to the SPS and Scheme Terms and Conditions considered necessary as a result of the responses from the council’s insurers.
e) That the Chief Executive and Corporate Director of Resources be authorised to take all necessary action to implement the approved SPS; and
f) It be noted that update reports on the operation of the SPS will be submitted to future meetings of the Executive.
Reasons for decision – to provide financial support for eligible survivors / victims of non-recent abuse.
suffered when in the council’s children’s homes.
Other options considered – as detailed in the report, the scheme was subject to consultation
Conflicts of interest / dispensations granted – none
- NRCA – Report to Executive October 2021, item 834. PDF 239 KB
- Appendix A – NRCA SPS Consultation Report (final), item 834. PDF 189 KB
- Appendix B1 – Scheme Proposal (tracked changes), item 834. PDF 150 KB
- Appendix B2 – SPS scheme (tracked changes), item 834. PDF 156 KB
- Appendix C1 – Scheme Proposal (final), item 834. PDF 141 KB
- Appendix C2 – SPS scheme (final), item 834. PDF 159 KB
- Appendix D – SPS Resident Impact Assessment (final), item 834. PDF 222 KB
14.10.21.ISN Statement to Islington Council Executive Meeting
ISLINGTON SURVIVORS NETWORK
Survivors of child abuse in Islington children’s homes and foster placements campaigning for justice
Statement to Islington Council Executive Meeting: October 14th 2021
Islington Survivors Network welcome this opportunity to respond tonight to the proposed Support Payment Scheme for Survivors of Non-recent Child Abuse.
Firstly, we thank all the survivors in our network for waiting so long since hopes were raised for a financial scheme back in 2017. We know how difficult that long wait has been. Secondly, we thank over 100 survivors who provided evidence so that ISN could produce a comprehensive response to the council consultation which has contributed so much to the scheme being presented by the council tonight. We acknowledge that the Council has made some important changes to their first proposal although not all our responses were agreed.
It has been a long journey for us since the Executive meeting in September 2017 when many survivors spoke one by one of their very personal experiences of abuse when they were children in Islington’s care system. In response we received an apology & admission of council culpability from Richard Watts (then council leader) when he acknowledged “it was the darkest chapter in Islington council’s history” and gave a “full commitment to addressing past failings”. Sadly, since this time 8 Islington survivors have died without justice.
Since 2014, ISN have established and co-produced with the council the Islington Non-recent Abuse Team Support Service and the Trauma Service which are highly valued by many of us. ISN are committed to campaigning for the interests of all survivors including those who are excluded from this Scheme such as those who were in Islington Council foster placements. We also reassure survivors that we will advocate for them, when they apply for the payment, drawing on our extensive research, knowledge and expertise. Importantly, alongside the council, we will campaign for the DWP to decide that receipt of the payment will not affect entitlement to or the amount of any UK benefits. It would be devastating for many ISN survivors if the DWP refused to make this dispensation.
ISN broadly welcome this Support Payment Scheme and look forward to contributing to the planning for implemention during the following months. However, there is still much work to be done to make sure that eligible survivors receive this payment as intended by the council objectives of being straightforward, quick to access & avoiding risk of further trauma.
15.10.21. Islington Council Statement about Support Payment Scheme
Islington Council will create Non-Recent Child Abuse Support Payment Scheme for survivors of abuse in children’s homes
Islington Council will set up a support payment scheme for people who suffered abuse while placed in the council’s children’s homes from 1966-1995.
The scheme will enable abuse survivors to receive a financial support payment of £10,000, without having to bring a civil compensation claim, and is designed to enable a payment more quickly than having to go through the trauma of the lengthy civil compensation process.
Payments will be made through a process that is as straightforward and quick to access as possible, and that minimises the need to re-live past trauma, or the risk of further trauma or harm.
The scheme will form part of the council’s wider support scheme which offers trauma counselling, specialist advice, support and assistance for care, housing, appropriate welfare benefits, access to further education and suitable employment, and support to access care records.
Earlier this year, the council consulted on its proposed scheme, and received 43 responses, from survivors, care-experienced adults affected by abuse, and organisations responding on behalf of groups of survivors. The council carefully considered all comments and suggestions, and in response made a number of changes to the scheme.
These include increasing the amount of payment from £8,000 to £10,000; expanding the categories of abuse; and procuring an independent advocacy service to assist an applicant where this is reasonably required.
The support payment scheme is not a compensation or redress scheme; it will sit alongside the existing civil compensation route, not replace it. It has no bearing on any civil compensation claims that abuse survivors may bring, except that, in order to ensure fairness and compliance with constitutional requirements, a scheme payment would be offset against any later civil compensation claim payment, and any previous civil compensation claim payment would be offset against a scheme payment.
The scheme was approved at Islington Council’s Executive meeting last night (14 October).
Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Leader of Islington Council, said last night: “Abuse of children in Islington’s children’s homes was the worst chapter in this council’s history. Children, placed in our care, were subjected to terrible abuse, which has been deeply traumatic and had a devastating effect on their lives.
“As Leader of Islington Council, I again want to say we’re deeply sorry for the council’s past failures to protect vulnerable children in our care. I offer this heartfelt apology to anyone who has suffered abuse, and who continues to suffer because of it.
“We know that there is nothing that we can do to make amends for the trauma caused, but it is our responsibility as a council to address these past failings, and offer support.
“Payments will be made through a process that is straightforward and quick to access, and that minimises the need to re-live past trauma, or the risk of further trauma or harm.
“I’d like to put on record my heartfelt thanks to all the survivors and care-experienced adults affected by abuse, and organisations representing them, who have made a very valuable contribution to our consultation on this proposed scheme earlier this year.
“Thanks to their responses we have made a significant number of changes to the proposed scheme, including increasing the payment from £8,000 to £10,000, and expanding the categories of abuse.
“Islington Council today is a very different organisation, and protecting children from harm is our top priority. We remain rightly deeply sorry and ashamed for the failings of the past.”
The report approved by Executive is available to read in full.
04.11.21. Leigh Day respond to Islington Council’s announcement of its Support Payment Scheme
Lawyers representing Islington Survivors Network (ISN) have given a cautious welcome to Islington Borough Council’s announcement of its Support Payment Scheme (SPS) for survivors of abuse in children’s homes.
The abuse team at law firm Leigh Day also represents a number of people who were abused as children whilst in the care of Islington Council. The SPS was announced in mid-October following a six-month consultation in which ISN was fully involved.
The Leigh Day team is pleased to see that some of ISN’s key proposals have been included following ISN’s input.
It welcomes the increase of the pay award from the £8,000 suggested by Islington Council to the £10,000 proposed by ISN during the consultation.
It is also pleased to see that, in response to ISN’s proposal, the SPS will make payments for cases of peer-on-peer abuse and neglect.
However, the Leigh Day team understands that a number of families will be affected by the fact that there will be no payment made for survivors of abuse who have died in the years since 2017 when the SPS was first proposed.
And it shares ISN’s disappointment that the scheme will still exclude many who were subjected to abuse under Islington’s care, for example, children in foster care and those whose experience occurred outside of the date ranges specified by the council.
ISN was established in 2014 and Alison Millar and Andrew Lord of Leigh Day have represented them since 2017. Campaigning by ISN and their members meant that Islington Council previously admitted culpability for the abuse perpetrated against children in its care by children’s home workers and foster carers, and the SPS was later mooted in 2018.
ISN was therefore disappointed that its significant role in the consultation, in which it submitted the views of 84 survivors of abuse in Islington children’s homes and foster care, was not directly acknowledged by Islington Council. Alison’s team shares ISN’s view that Islington Council should have been proud to pay tribute to its specific input instead of referring to just 43 consultation responses.
Alison Millar, head of the abuse team at law firm Leigh Day said:
“We are pleased that Islington Council is introducing a scheme to provide financial acknowledgment to some survivors of the Islington children’s homes scandal; this complements the existing support and trauma services for survivors funded by the Council.
“This will not prevent survivors who may have civil claims for compensation asserting their rights.
“It is disappointing that the significant number of children who suffered abuse in Islington foster placements in particular are excluded from this Scheme. We also wait to hear from the Council the mechanics of and timescales for implementation of the Scheme and how it will be made accessible to survivors in a way that meets the stated aim of avoiding retraumatisation.”
November/ December 2021
ISN met several times with the council officers responsible for implementation of the Support Payment Scheme, since it was approved by the council on October 14th, to inform the council plan for implementation. It is anticipated that the Scheme will begin in Spring (April).
ISN is assisting many survivors to get their files in readiness for the Scheme. If the council cannot find a survivor’s file then ISN will assist them in evidencing the basis of their claim. ISN will act as advocates for ISN survivors who would like assistance at any stage of the claim. For example, ISN evidence might be through providing witness statements, documentation and even photographs.
2021: MEDIA RESPONSES TO SPS SCHEME
12.03.21. Islington Gazette: Proposed £8,000 payout for Islington care home abuse survivors
Survivors of abuse in Islington care homes are set to receive thousands of pounds as part of a proposed payment scheme. Islington Council has outlined its plan to give the sufferers of emotional, physical or sexual abuse in the authority’s care homes from 1966 to 1995 an £8,000 sum as part of a support payment scheme (SPS).
A 2019 report commissioned by the council – Historical Child Care Data, London Borough of Islington – estimated some 2,000 people were living in Islington’s care homes over the critical 30-year period. A document drafted for a meeting of the council’s executive on March 18 says it would not be a compensation scheme and will not determine fault, negligence, or legal liability in terms of civil claims which the survivors may bring in the future. The payment would, however, be deducted from any final compensation amount potentially awarded by the court.
If the proposals are accepted, they would be subject to a six-week consultation. This comes after council leader Richard Watts admitted the authority’s “culpability” in 2017, apologising for what he called “the darkest chapter in the council’s history”.
Campaign group Islington Survivors Network (ISN) has largely welcomed the proposals, but plans to raise “several issues” in the consultation. These include the exclusion of victims of neglect, people affected by bullying by other residents, those placed in foster homes and the estates of people who have died.
The group wants clarification around a proposed database of previous claimants and applicants, and what confidentiality safeguards will be in place. A spokesperson for ISN said: “We welcome in principle the fact that the proposed SPS is a further acknowledgement by London borough of Islington of the prolific abuse of children in the care of Islington Council.
“The scheme will be a process that will spare survivors of abuse the need to repeat in a legal setting the trauma of what happened to them and we welcome that. “However, there are matters that still need to be worked through, particularly the extension of the scheme to survivors of other categories of abuse, and we will be pressing for these to be addressed.”
These proposals have been in the making since November 2018. The report reads: “Whilst nothing can compensate for the traumatic harm caused to and which still affects survivors/victims of historic abuse, a full remedial support offer which has practical support, a financial element and recognition and acknowledgement by the council of the abuse that they suffered, is important to survivors/victims and can be part of a survivor’s journey that helps them to heal and to move forward from their experiences.”
Two alternative options are put forward in the council paper. The first is to offer no financial payment whatsoever. The other is a “Lambeth-type redress scheme”, which would see all residents of the borough’s care homes in the time period receive a “harm’s way payment” of up to £10,000 and all eligible survivors of abuse receive compensation of up to £125,000. The former was not recommended by officers because the council “will be seen to have ‘failed’ survivors” and the latter because it has “already paid for several tens of millions of pounds of insurance cover to meet the cost of civil compensation abuse claims” and would be “unaffordable”.
Leigh Day partner Alison Millar, who represents ISN with solicitor Andrew Lord, said: “Whilst we and ISN will have points to make on the proposed scheme during the consultation period, it is good that Islington proposes to set up this scheme to make a further public acknowledgement of its past failures, which truly were the “darkest hour” in the council’s history.”
An Islington Council spokesperson said the payment application process would be as “straightforward and quick to access as possible…minimising the need to re-live past trauma”. They said: “The scheme would become part of the council’s existing support offer for survivors which includes trauma counselling, specialist advice support and assistance for care, housing, appropriate welfare benefits, access to further education and employment and support to access care records.”
If the proposals are approved, Islington Council said any comments or suggestions arising from the consultation will be “carefully considered”. The spokesperson continued: “The council today is a very different organisation from in the 1960s-1990s, and today protecting children from harm is its top priority.”
12.03.21. Islington Tribune: ‘Children’s homes scandal; care abuse victims to get payout. Up to 2000 survivors could be eligible for ‘Support Payment Scheme’.
SURVIVORS who suffered sexual, physical and mental abuse while in Islington Council’s care are set to receive a compensation payment more than two decades after the children’s homes scandal was first exposed. It could involve as many as 2,000 individuals who were abused over a 30-year period, according to Town Hall estimates. It is understood to be the first time in British history that such a scheme has been proposed. The payments made will be up to £8,000.
The Islington Survivors Network (ISN), an advocacy group for those who were abused in care, have broadly welcomed the plans but have questioned why the families of abuse victims who have since died will not be allowed to access the payments.
Dr Liz Davies, a former council social worker who blew the whistle on the scandal and helped set up ISN, said: “There are loads of people who have died. There are families out there who should have some route to apply. It’s the least they could get for all their suffering.”
She added: “We welcome in principle the fact that the proposed ‘Support Payment Scheme’ is a further acknowledgement by Islington of the prolific abuse of children in the care of the council.”
Dr Davies and the roughly 200 survivors that ISN represents have campaigned for years to force the council to set up a payment scheme.
It will be considered at an executive meeting next Thursday, and is set to cover children who were in council care homes between 1965 and 1995.
Town Hall leader, Cllr Richard Watts, has previously apologised to the survivors, describing it as “the darkest chapter in the council’s history”, and adding that there was “systematic failure all the way through the council through all those years”.
To access the £8,000 payment, claimants will have to make an application to the council proving that they were placed in a care home and suffered abuse there.
Survivors are still able to pursue the Town Hall through a civil legal claim. Last summer one woman was awarded £35,000 in compensation after she was sexually abused by members of staff and other children at Gisburne House – a large children’s home run by Islington Council in Watford.
The council hope the Support Payment Scheme will allow some victims to get some kind of payment without “the need to relive past trauma” in court. However, ISN is concerned that the council is not covering children who suffered “neglect” or those who were placed in foster homes, boarding schools, secure units and care homes not run by the Town Hall.
Leigh Day Solicitors’ Alison Millar, who is representing ISN, said: “It is good that Islington proposes to set up this scheme to make a further public acknowledgement of its past failures, which truly were the ‘darkest hour’ in the council’s history.”
Apart from the Support Payment Scheme, the Town Hall considered a “full redress scheme” similar to that being implemented in Lambeth where thousands of children were sexually and physically assaulted over a period dating back decades further.
In Lambeth, victims can receive up to £125,000 in compensation. Islington’s council officers have recommended that this idea is rejected as it is “unaffordable”.
The Town Hall also intends to establish a database containing information on “known perpetrators”.
A consultation on the Support Payment Scheme will run for roughly two months, with the final proposals set to be implemented in September.
In a statement, Islington Council said: “The council will consult with survivors, the Islington Survivors Network (ISN) and other key stakeholders on the proposed scheme, and any comments or suggestions will be carefully considered before the scheme is finalised.
“The leader of the council has apologised to victims of child abuse in Islington care homes for the council’s past failings. The council today is a very different organisation from in the 1960s-1990s, and today protecting children from harm is its top priority.”
22.3.21. Islington Gazette. Survivors of abuse in Islington children’s homes to receive support payments
People who suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse in the council’s children’s homes between 1966 and 1995 will be able to access a support payment scheme approved by the Town Hall last week. It will enable abuse survivors to receive financial support without having to bring a claim for compensation, with the aim of avoiding the risk of re-traumatisation because of lengthy processes. Eligible survivors will get £8,000 each, with a consultation on the scheme set to take place with stakeholders including the Islington Survivors Network (ISN).
The plans have been “broadly welcomed” by the ISN, which has long campaigned for justice for survivors of child abuse in the council’s children’s homes and foster placement.
A spokesperson for the network said it would be pressing the council to address the extension of the scheme to include those subjected to neglect, those who suffered harassment or violence from other residents, those placed in non-Islington homes or foster homes, and the families of those who have died while waiting for the scheme to be announced. They added: “The general feeling is that this will get a payment to a lot of survivors who otherwise would have nothing.”
Council leader Cllr Richard Watts was questioned by survivors during the meeting at which the scheme was approved. One attendee spoke on behalf of a survivor who was in a children’s home for a number of years along with two siblings, one of whom has committed suicide. Watts was asked: “Will this scheme include people who have committed suicide, for the family? Because they did not survive, and in some ways they are worse off than the people who did survive.”
He replied: “It is not proposed at the moment that the scheme does cover that. That is an issue that has already been raised with us by the ISN and others as well, so clearly I would urge you to make a submission to the consultation about that.”
The council leader repeated his apology to victims of child abuse in Islington care homes for the past failings of the local authority, calling what had happened the “darkest chapter” in its history. The consultation will run for six weeks until April.
6.04.2021. Islington Gazette: ‘Islington Council consults on £8000 child abuse payment scheme’
Islington Council has launched a consultation on a proposed support payment scheme for survivors of abuse they suffered while placed by the council in one of its children’s homes from 1966 to 1995.
The proposed scheme would enable abuse survivors to receive a financial support payment of £8,000, without having to bring a civil compensation claim.
Payments would be made through a process that is as straightforward and quick to access as possible, and that minimises the need to re-live past trauma, or the risk of further trauma or harm.
The support payment scheme is not a compensation scheme, and is rather designed to sit alongside the existing civil compensation route, rather than to replace it. The scheme would have no bearing on any civil compensation claims that abuse survivors may bring, except that a payment made under the scheme would be deducted from any compensation payment made.
It would become part of the council’s existing support offer for survivors which includes trauma counselling, specialist advice support and assistance for care, housing, appropriate welfare benefits, access to further education and employment and support to access care records.
Carmel Littleton, the council’s corporate director, said: “Abuse of children in Islington’s care homes was the worst chapter in the council’s history, and we are deeply sorry for the council’s past failure to protect vulnerable children.
“The council would especially like to hear from abuse survivors; people who were placed in Islington Council children’s homes between 1966-1995; and support groups for survivors and people who were placed in Islington Council care between 1966-1995.
“All comments or suggestions made during the consultation will be carefully considered before the proposed scheme is finalised.“The council today is a very different organisation from in the 1960s-1990s, and today protecting children from harm is its top priority.”
9th April 202. Islington Tribune: Consultation over £8k payouts to survivors of care home abuse’
A CONSULTATION on the council’s plans to award cash to survivors who were abused in children’s care homes over a 40-year period has been launched this week. Those who suffered sexual, physical and mental abuse while in Islington Council’s care could receive £8,000 in a “Support Payment Scheme”.
The council has emphasised that it is not a “compensation scheme” as victims are still able to take the council to the civil court to get a possible larger financial settlement. However, any final compensation agreed in court would have the £8,000 deducted from it. It is estimated that around 2,000 people who lived in care homes run by the council between 1966 and 1995 could be eligible.
Systemic abuse took place in what Town Hall chiefs have described as the “darkest chapter” in the council’s history. Last summer one woman was awarded £35,000 in compensation after she was sexually abused by members of staff and other children at Gisburne House – a large children’s home run by Islington Council in Watford.
A support group, the Islington Survivors Network (ISN), was set up by Dr Liz Davies, who first blew the whistle on the scandal more than two decades ago when she was employed as a social worker by the Town Hall. She said: “We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation and we will be contacting all the survivors, more than 200 we know of, and we will seek their views to inform the consultation.”
Dr Davies added: “I would have thought by now we would have a list of all the homes. We know of 46 but there could well be more. Having a list of homes would be helpful for the survivors to know. Some of them won’t even know they were in Islington’s care – they were put in private homes, boarding schools and all sorts of places for care.”
The council has said in the past that it intends to establish a database containing information on “known perpetrators”. Carmel Littleton, the Town Hall’s corporate director of people, said: “Abuse of children in Islington’s care homes was the worst chapter in the council’s history, and we are deeply sorry for the council’s past failure to protect vulnerable children.
“Consultation has now begun on the proposed Support Payment Scheme, which would enable abuse survivors to receive a financial support payment without having to bring a civil compensation claim. “The council would especially like to hear from abuse survivors; people who were placed in Islington Council children’s homes between 1966-1995; and support groups for survivors and people who were placed in Islington Council care between 1966-1995.” Comments on the consultation – which was launched on Tuesday – can be submitted until May 18.
25.04.21. Daily Mail. Council will spend up to £16million compensating victims of a child sex abuse scandal in care homes that Scotland Yard refused to investigate
- Islington Council expecting to pay out £16million to victims of child abuse
- Some 2,000 victims were abused in council’s care homes over three decades
- Campaigners welcomed the move but say they were ‘betrayed by the police’
By MICHAEL POWELL and EILEEN FAIRWEATHER FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Published: 00:49, 25 April 2021 | Updated: 02:32, 25 April 2021
A council is to spend millions of pounds to compensate victims of a child sex abuse scandal that Scotland Yard refused to investigate.
Islington Council in London expects to pay out £16 million to those abused by paedophiles in its care homes over almost three decades. As many as 2,000 victims could come forward.
Campaigners have welcomed the move but feel betrayed by the police, who, they say, allowed perverts to escape justice despite dozens of victims coming forward and a damning official report identifying suspects.
Islington Council in London expects to pay out millions to those abused by paedophiles in its care homes over almost three decades
They are particularly critical of Sue Akers, a retired Met Police deputy assistant commissioner in charge of child abuse investigations in Islington in 1995 when the report was published. :Documents submitted to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse show how she rejected calls for a police probe, saying it would be ‘counterproductive’.
Ms Akers dismissed testimony from victims who came forward in the early 1990s and a report in 1995 by child protection expert Ian White, which named 26 men who should be banned from working with children.
Campaigners from the Islington Survivors Network claim all 12 of the council’s children’s homes were infiltrated by paedophiles, pimps and pornographers.
Campaigners are critical of Sue Akers, a retired Met Police deputy assistant commissioner in charge of child abuse investigations in Islington in 1995
Last night, Ms Akers, 65, who was awarded a CBE in 2013, said she did not recall rejecting the council’s request for an investigation, but added: ‘Historic abuse investigations are problematic from an evidence and resources point of view.’
Islington Council’s compensation scheme will pay £8,000 to anyone who suffered abuse while under its care.
Carmel Littleton, one of its corporate directors, said: ‘Abuse of children in Islington’s care homes was the worst chapter in the council’s history and we are deeply sorry for the past failure to protect vulnerable children.’
15.10.21. Islington Tribune. £10,000 payments for the survivors of abuse scandal
SURVIVORS of child abuse in Islington’s care homes will be paid sums of £10,000 as a “support payment”. Cabinet councillors last night (Thursday) agreed to put aside £16million for the scheme with claimants expected from a period of 30 years.
The payments are aimed to help those affected by the scandal – described as the “worst chapter” in Islington’s history – and will be given to people who were abused by paid staff and volunteers in care homes between 1966 and 1995. Victims suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The Tribune reported in July how the Islington Survivors Network (ISN), had concerns the council were not listening to their views on the consultation process for the scheme.
But council said it had taken feedback from survivors before forming the proposals.
Thirty-two survivors responded to the consultation, some of whom had been abused by employees and visitors to the care homes at which they lived in as children. The payment had previously been lined up to be less, with £8,000 the figure in an initial suggestion. It is expected thousands of survivors could come forward.
Dr Liz Davies from the ISN said: “They’ve [the council] listened a lot to what we have said in our response and they made quite a lot of changes. “They are thankfully going to engage with us. The Islington Survivors Network is pleased the council will be working with us in terms of the process. It is nice to acknowledge the good things and move forward.”
The scheme is likely to launch next spring and will be run independently of the council.
Dr Davies said some of the group’s concerns had not been resolved, however, including a decision to exclude children who grew up in foster parent homes. Dr Davies also said since 2017, eight survivors of the abuse have now died. The ISN asked the council if their families could qualify for compensation, but Islington declined to extend its payment programme.
Islington Council leader Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz said: “Abuse of children in Islington’s care homes was the worst chapter in the council’s history, and we are deeply sorry for the council’s past failure to protect vulnerable children.” She added: “We have now consulted on the proposed Support Payment Scheme, which would enable abuse survivors to receive a financial support payment without having to bring a civil compensation claim. “The council is extremely grateful to everyone who has taken part in the consultation, especially abuse survivors, Islington Survivors Network, and other support organisations and advocates.”
05.11.21. Islington Tribune : ‘Abuse is abuse… money should go to the bereaved’
A WOMAN who grew up in an abusive foster care home with her sister says their childhood contributed to her sibling’s death. The council support payment scheme was announced in October following a six-month consultation but does not include the families of survivors who died after 2017 and also excludes those who endured abuse in foster care. Lisa, who did not want to give her surname, said: “I have never been open about my past ever, ever. This is the first time I have ever spoken about it. I am doing it on behalf of my blessed sister.
“She passed away last year but had been severely abused. She ended up with very serious mental health issues and ended up being found on the floor dead last year. Everything about her life, her past, is what contributed to her death. “She now has a child – I have a nephew who is in care – he might now go through what she went through. Hopefully not but he is going to grow up without a mum or a family. Why shouldn’t her money go to him.”
Lisa’s sister died age 49. It would have been her birthday next week. They went into foster care in 1972. Lisa’s sister came out of foster care in 1982. Lisa said: “I just don’t get it – abuse is abuse, it doesn’t matter who by, or if it was foster care, like we were, where we were abused over many years. She died because of a result of her childhood in care. Whether in foster care or residential care, the abuse was rife. My sister refused to speak with me for the best part of seven or eight years because of her own grief. I don’t think she felt worthy of having anyone around her.
“I grew up with my sister. She was not like that, life made her like that. “We lived like slaved black kids in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with what I would describe now as a very abusive family. “I got chucked out at 16 with no family and had to find my own way in life. “I didn’t know about Islington Survivors Network until my sister died. It is something us survivors keep close to our chest. “I heard my sister was found on the floor dead with the papers scattered all over her. She could have been anyone she wanted to be.
“She was the most gorgeous and beautiful person but she was so troubled with her past that she couldn’t move forward ever. Everything about her was stunning. To watch her demise into this person you don’t recognise is worse than anything. That kind of abuse that troubles a human being until you don’t want to be here. You can’t put a date on it. It is insulting.”
She added: “Just because we [survivors of abuse] are up and can talk and can dress, doesn’t mean we are surviving, it means we are following the path of life. You can die slowly and that’s what my sister did.”
05.11.21. Islington Tribune: ‘Care homes abuse scandal: ‘Was my son’s life worthless?’
A MOTHER whose son was abused during the Islington care homes scandal and died last year says the fact his case was excluded from the council’s support payouts for survivors makes lives seem “worthless”.
The Town Hall launched the scheme after apologising for the widescale abuse by staff from 1966 to 1995 – described as the “worst chapter” in the borough’s history. Cash sums are being paid to survivors but no money has been set aside for the families of victims who have died since the discovery of the abuse. The law firm Leigh Day is representing a number of people who were abused as children while in the care of Islington Council and said it welcomes an increase of the pay award from the £8,000 to the £10,000. This had been suggested by the Islington Survivors Network during the consultation. The council also agreed payments for cases of peer-on-peer abuse and neglect.
But no money will go to families of abuse survivors who have died in the years since 2017 when the scheme was first proposed. And it will also exclude many who were subjected to abuse under other sections of Islington’s care, such as children in foster care and those whose experience occurred outside of the date ranges specified by the council.
Jacquie Tyrrell-Holt, mother of abuse survivor Tony who died last year, said: “It is the injustice of not having a voice because obviously they are not around. The small numbers involved, they are not getting any justice. They are left to feel their lives are worthless.”
There are believed to be eight families who have had survivors of abuse die since 2017.
Ms Tyrrell-Holt said: “It is dreadful and they shouldn’t be excluded. My son, his life was ruined. He had one child who is now 36 and Terry’s life was ruined, too, because Tony wasn’t around to bring him up. “He took to drugs, he took to alcohol. He lived a homeless existence for a while and couldn’t make a marriage work. “It was nothing to do with family life because all my other children are settled.”
Ms Tyrrell-Holt said Tony went into care in 1973 when he was seven years old as a temporary measure after two of her children died. She said: “I had a breakdown and needed a bit of help. It was supposed to be a couple of weeks and I was told by the management there he was a disturbed child, he tried to set fire to a dormitory and had to stay there. He stayed there for a year. “The thing about it was Tony – although he wasn’t an angel, he was a disrupted child, these days might be diagnosed with ADHD – he never ever lied and he swore to me that he never tried to set fire to anything. “It was just something I was told and now I wonder – hindsight is a great thing – I wonder if they said it to keep him there because they saw the potential.
“We only spoke about it once because Tony was ashamed because he thought it was his fault. “The reason I contacted the survivors’ network was I told Tony to do it initially but he couldn’t face it, but unfortunately he died in the meantime.
“I feel his son who had just started to build a relationship with him, he should be the person to benefit if there is any benefit of it, because he missed out on so much growing up.”
Tony had started to build a relationship with his son in the past six years but Tony died on March 14 last year at the age of 53. It would have been his birthday today (Friday). A funeral was held during the lockdown with just 10 family members present.Ms Tyrrell-Holt said: “I went to register his death at Wood Green and I did it through a closed door – they were feeding it through a crack through a door.”
Tony lived in Finsbury Park for the past 10 years and enjoyed going on walks in the park with Terry and visiting his grandchildren. Ms Tyrrell-Holt said: “It is not hundreds and hundreds. They are talking about eight families who could be left without feeling their child’s life is not totally worthless.”
Alison Millar and Andrew Lord of Leigh Day have represented the Islington Survivors Network since 2017. Ms Millar, head of the abuse team at Leigh Day, said: “This will not prevent survivors who may have civil claims for compensation asserting their rights.
“It is disappointing that the significant number of children who suffered abuse in Islington foster placements in particular are excluded from this scheme. “We also want to hear from the council the mechanics of and timescales for implementation of the scheme and how it will be made accessible to survivors in a way that meets the stated aim of avoiding re-traumatisation.” She added: “We are pleased that Islington Council is introducing a scheme to provide financial acknowledgment to some survivors of the Islington children’s homes scandal; this complements the existing support and trauma services for survivors funded by the council.”
Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, leader of Islington Council, said: “The length of time it has taken to create this very complex scheme is already too much, and we did not want to delay it further. “I personally have found the delays very frustrating, so I cannot imagine what it is like for people who suffered abuse and have been waiting for the scheme to be created. We wanted to offer a support payment to children’s home survivors as soon as we could.”
05.11.21. Islington Tribune: ‘Relief as survivors are told payment scheme won’t affect their benefits’
Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz: ‘In effect, this safeguards the Support Payment Scheme settlements, so they will not affect entitlement to means-tested benefits for those who apply’
THE government has this week written to the council after months of deliberation, saying benefits claimants will not lose out if they are among the survivors who receive an abuse support scheme payment.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now decided that payments made from the council scheme will be disregarded in their benefits calculations after survivors feared they would have their money cut. Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey wrote to Islington Council this week to inform them of the decision after the Tribune contacted the government office about the ongoing issue. It follows council leader Kaya Comer-Schwartz writing to the government in July urging them to come to a decision on this matter.
Donna, who did not want her surname published as she is a survivor of abuse, said: “After the meeting [in October at the Town Hall] I felt quite positive that it was going to be a better outcome for more people. ”She said she will apply for the scheme even though she is not sure if her claim will be successful as she comes under the category of “neglect”. Donna added: “I will support anybody who needs support, regardless of whether I am successful in my scheme.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We have already made the decision that payments from the Islington scheme will be disregarded in full, and will not affect those receiving Universal Credit or other means-tested benefits because of these payments.”
Islington Survivors Network 