Jillings Report Found 'Extensive' Child Abuse

A report written 17 years ago about children's homes in North Wales concluded abuse was "extensive", it has been revealed.

The Jillings Report, which focused on allegations of abuse within the North Wales council care system in the 70s and 80s, was compiled in 1996.

It was never published for fear of compensation claims, but has finally been released with large parts redacted in the wake of fresh investigations.

The report outlined the widespread abuse of children in care years before the tribunal chaired by High Court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse revealed its findings.

It concluded: "Our investigations have led us to conclude that the abuse of children and young people in Clywd residential units has been extensive and has taken place over a substantial number of years."

Allegations about the abuse which centred on the Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham emerged in the early 1990s.

They led to the conviction of seven former care workers after an investigation by North Wales Police in 1991.

Mr Jillings, a former director of social services for Derbyshire, was appointed to lead a full investigation when the scope of the allegations became more widespread.

Further inquiries have been launched more recently.

Operation Pallial, which is looking into 140 allegations relating to 18 care homes between 1963 and 1992, began last November.

A separate review by Mrs Justice Macur is investigating the terms of the Waterhouse abuse inquiry.

The Jillings Report says council employees and even serving police officers from the time could have been named as potential perpetrators of assaults.

North Wales Police described the inquiry as its "largest investigation into child abuse" and said it resulted in 3,755 witness statements being taken with at least 24 victims identified.

The report continues: "It is clear that, in a significant number of cases, the lives of young people who have been through the care system in Clwyd have been severely disrupted and disturbed. At least 12 young people are dead.

"Of the many statements taken, it is unclear how many were forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration. It is also unclear how many other professionals, including police officers, were named in these statements as perpetrators of assaults."

The report, written in 1996, says it does know of "at least three employees" in the social services department who were interviewed as part of the probe but "to our knowledge, none of them were disciplined".

It contains what it calls "frank criticism" of individuals within the local authority but much of that information has now been redacted by the joint North Wales councils due to defamation fears.

The report noted that North Wales Police had only referred five cases to the Police Complaints Authority for supervision in 1994, compared to a national average of 68.19.

It said: "Our findings show that time and again the response to indications that children may have been abused has been too little and too late.

"Furthermore the needs and interests of children and young people have tended to be incidental, rather than a primary concern."

It found that the interests of children were invariably "sacrificed" in favour of safeguarding the professional position of the authorities.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: "While Jillings is concerned with what went on from 1974 to 1993, we have to ensure this kind of abuse does not cast its long shadow over children today.

"We can only prevent it by giving children confidence to speak out, paying attention when they tell us they need protection and moving swiftly to justice - so 40 years down the line we do not find ourselves in this invidious situation again."

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