Latest news with #LouiseCasey
Powys County Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Justice Secretary warns of ‘moment of reckoning' for grooming gangs scandal
The grooming gangs scandal faces a 'moment of reckoning,' the Justice Secretary has warned ahead of the publication of a national report on child sexual exploitation. Shabana Mahmood said there was a need for 'truth and reconciliation' for people whose trust in authorities had been 'fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken'. A 'rapid' audit, led by Baroness Louise Casey and looking at the scale of grooming gangs across England and Wales, had been expected to report back after Easter. Downing Street has said the process is concluding this month and the findings will be published in 'due course'. In an interview with the Spectator magazine, Ms Mahmood said that there had been a number of successful prosecutions against criminals involved in the scandal. 'But the way that this scandal has played out asks a bigger question, which is that you might be getting accountability and justice through the criminal justice system, (but) it doesn't feel like proper accountability and justice for all of the victims,' she said. 'And that's because there is still (an) outstanding question of why so many people maybe looked the other way, or why this wasn't picked up and given the prominence that was needed. 'And so that's why justice might technically have been delivered. But there's still a moment of reckoning to come.' She added: 'Whether local authorities, children's services, police officers, all sorts of people you would feel you can trust, and that trust has been fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken, in some of these places.' It comes after a seven-year national inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay, which found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. As well as the national audit, which will look at the scale, nature and profile of group-based abuse, including offender characteristics, the Government has also announced support for five local inquiries in areas like Oldham.
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Justice Secretary warns of ‘moment of reckoning' for grooming gangs scandal
A 'rapid' audit, led by Baroness Louise Casey and looking at the scale of grooming gangs across England and Wales, had been expected to report back after Easter. Baroness Louise Casey is carrying out a 'rapid' national audit on the scandal (James Manning/PA) Downing Street has said the process is concluding this month and the findings will be published in 'due course'. In an interview with the Spectator magazine, Ms Mahmood said that there had been a number of successful prosecutions against criminals involved in the scandal. 'But the way that this scandal has played out asks a bigger question, which is that you might be getting accountability and justice through the criminal justice system, (but) it doesn't feel like proper accountability and justice for all of the victims,' she said. 'And that's because there is still (an) outstanding question of why so many people maybe looked the other way, or why this wasn't picked up and given the prominence that was needed. 'And so that's why justice might technically have been delivered. But there's still a moment of reckoning to come.' She added: 'Whether local authorities, children's services, police officers, all sorts of people you would feel you can trust, and that trust has been fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken, in some of these places.' It comes after a seven-year national inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay, which found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. As well as the national audit, which will look at the scale, nature and profile of group-based abuse, including offender characteristics, the Government has also announced support for five local inquiries in areas like Oldham. But it has resisted calls to commission another full national inquiry, saying its focus is on implementing recommendations made by Prof Jay's 2022 report.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Justice Secretary warns of ‘moment of reckoning' for grooming gangs scandal
The grooming gangs scandal faces a 'moment of reckoning,' the Justice Secretary has warned ahead of the publication of a national report on child sexual exploitation. Shabana Mahmood said there was a need for 'truth and reconciliation' for people whose trust in authorities had been 'fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken'. A 'rapid' audit, led by Baroness Louise Casey and looking at the scale of grooming gangs across England and Wales, had been expected to report back after Easter. Downing Street has said the process is concluding this month and the findings will be published in 'due course'. In an interview with the Spectator magazine, Ms Mahmood said that there had been a number of successful prosecutions against criminals involved in the scandal. 'But the way that this scandal has played out asks a bigger question, which is that you might be getting accountability and justice through the criminal justice system, (but) it doesn't feel like proper accountability and justice for all of the victims,' she said. 'And that's because there is still (an) outstanding question of why so many people maybe looked the other way, or why this wasn't picked up and given the prominence that was needed. 'And so that's why justice might technically have been delivered. But there's still a moment of reckoning to come.' She added: 'Whether local authorities, children's services, police officers, all sorts of people you would feel you can trust, and that trust has been fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken, in some of these places.' It comes after a seven-year national inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay, which found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. As well as the national audit, which will look at the scale, nature and profile of group-based abuse, including offender characteristics, the Government has also announced support for five local inquiries in areas like Oldham. But it has resisted calls to commission another full national inquiry, saying its focus is on implementing recommendations made by Prof Jay's 2022 report.
ITV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Justice Secretary warns of ‘moment of reckoning' for grooming gangs scandal
The grooming gangs scandal faces a 'moment of reckoning,' the Justice Secretary has warned ahead of the publication of a national report on child sexual exploitation. Shabana Mahmood said there was a need for 'truth and reconciliation' for people whose trust in authorities had been 'fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken'. A 'rapid' audit, led by Baroness Louise Casey and looking at the scale of grooming gangs across England and Wales, had been expected to report back after Easter. Downing Street has said the process is concluding this month and the findings will be published in 'due course'. In an interview with the Spectator magazine, Ms Mahmood said that there had been a number of successful prosecutions against criminals involved in the scandal. 'But the way that this scandal has played out asks a bigger question, which is that you might be getting accountability and justice through the criminal justice system, (but) it doesn't feel like proper accountability and justice for all of the victims,' she said. 'And that's because there is still (an) outstanding question of why so many people maybe looked the other way, or why this wasn't picked up and given the prominence that was needed. 'And so that's why justice might technically have been delivered. But there's still a moment of reckoning to come.' She added: 'Whether local authorities, children's services, police officers, all sorts of people you would feel you can trust, and that trust has been fundamentally shaken, if not totally broken, in some of these places.' It comes after a seven-year national inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay, which found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. As well as the national audit, which will look at the scale, nature and profile of group-based abuse, including offender characteristics, the Government has also announced support for five local inquiries in areas like Oldham.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MPs warn social care needs substantial investment to fix ‘broken' system
A cross-party group of MPs has warned attempts to reform adult social care are doomed to fail unless ministers accept major investment is needed to overhaul a 'broken' system that was failing millions of people. Reform of social care was typically seen by governments as a 'burden' on the taxpayer, and a 'drain on resources' rather than a positive boost to people's lives, the NHS and the economy, said the health and social care select committee. 'Time and again, governments have stepped back from reform when faced with the cost. Too much emphasis is put on the cost of change and not enough consideration is given to the human and financial cost of no or incremental change,' it added. While the costs of reforming the system were substantial – up to £17bn according to some estimates cited in the committee's report – this had to be set against the £32bn currently spent every year on a system that was failing. The report said the costs of inaction included 2 million people aged 65 and over and 1.5 million people of working-age not getting get the care they need, millions more getting poor care and huge avoidable financial pressures placed on the NHS and local authorities. Social care was propped up by an army of over 1.5m unpaid carers – 'equivalent to a second NHS' – who provided more than 50 hours of care weekly, often quitting jobs to care for loved ones and who bore the brunt of the system's failures, the report said. It comes just days after the formal launch of a three-year independent commission into adult social care led by Louise Casey aimed at developing plans for a new national care service. Although the commission has been broadly welcomed, there are concerns it will merely rehearse already well-trodden debates and effectively put off for years changes that some experts have argued could happen in a matter of months. The Casey review's terms of reference state its conclusions must be 'affordable' and stay within government spending limits for the remainder of the parliament, triggering fears among reformers any changes will be underpowered. Adult social care reform has been on and off the English policy agenda for more than two decades. Attempts by governments to fix the system have been repeatedly derailed by lack of political consensus, worry over costs and political timidity. The MPs report concludes: 'The moral case for reform has never been stronger, but this must be accompanied by a robust financial case. Without this we fear that the reforms that come out of the Casey commission will be doomed to failure, leaving everyone continuing to suffer under the current unsustainable system.' The chair of the health and social care committee, Layla Moran, said: 'Successive governments have shied away from implementing meaningful reforms to the social care system. But this is an active choice that is no longer tenable. We are living with a broken social care system.' She added: 'It might seem that reforms will be costly and difficult, but continuing with inaction will cost us all more.' The care minister, Stephen Kinnock, said that far from doing nothing the government had 'hit the ground running on social care' having inherited a system in crisis, and had taken a series of measures including a £3.7bn funding boost. He said: 'A lot has been done, but we know there is so much more to do and deep reform is needed. That's why we appointed Baroness Louise Casey to lead the independent commission working to transcend party politics and build consensus on the future of adult social care, with her first report out next year.'
