VIDEO: Care Inquiry: serious criticism of high-profile figures

Monday 03 July 2017

The Independent Care Inquiry report makes very uncomfortable reading for some of the Island’s most prominent figures.

Amongst those highlighted are former Bailiff Sir Philip Bailhache; former Education bosses Tom McKeon and Mario Lundy; and former head of Children’s Services, Anton Skinner.

Sir Philip is singled out for seemingly putting the Island’s reputation ahead of conducting an inquiry into historic abuse. In a public speech on Liberation Day 2008, he told the gathered audience ““All child abuse, wherever it happens, is scandalous, but it is the unjustified and remorseless denigration of Jersey and her people that is the real scandal.”

The panel says: “We have considered whether Sir Philip’s words indicated a belief on his part that the reputation of Jersey was of more importance than the child abuse investigation. We cannot accept that a politician and lawyer of his experience would inadvertently have made what he told the Inquiry was an “unfortunate juxtaposition” of words. We are sure that the way in which Jersey is perceived internationally matters greatly to him. His linking of Jersey’s reputation to the child abuse investigation was, we are satisfied, a grave political error, rather than a considered attempt to influence the course of the police investigation.”

But the greatest criticism is levelled against Tom McKeon, Mario Lundy and Anton Skinner, for failing to protect children. 

“We noted, for example, that during Mario Lundy’s term of office at Les Chenes, a policy was adopted that allowed a child to be admitted for long-term stay on the imposition of a probation order with a condition of residence at Les Chenes. We found this approach to be seriously flawed and a distortion of the purpose of a probation order, which is to assist and support young people in the community. We also found that the Education Committee did not exercise proper oversight with regard to such placements.”

“We conclude that under both Tom McKeon and Mario Lundy, Les Chenes was managed in a strict and physically dominant way. The culture and ethos of Les Chenes were akin to the outdated model of an Approved School. Much of the culture of Les Chenes was determined by the presence of Mario Lundy: his was a physical and robust approach informed by his own vision of how the school should function and what its goals should be, rather than recognised best practice in care. We also note the number of allegations of physical abuse that relate to this period.”

“We consider that the heavily structured and physical regimes of Les Chenes combined with a staff group unequipped to provide social care and untrained in the use of physical restraint, gave rise to inconsistent and at times excessive use of force by adults towards children. We find this to be a failure of management by Mr McKeon and Mr Lundy.”

The report says the former head of Children’s Services, Anton Skinner, was told by a leading lawyer – a crown advocate – to investigate allegations of abuse in more depth:

“Mr Skinner failed to follow up on this advice; neither did he follow up on his stated intention to prepare an in-depth report into what had happened. We find this inexplicable and inexcusable. The Education Department’s failure to take any action against the staff member was, in our opinion, another failure to acknowledge and tackle failures in responding to disclosure of abuse.”

The report also notes when the Head of Mental Services, Dylan Southern, alerted the authorities about his concerns, no action was taken: “Despite Mr Southern’s identification of failings on the part of Children’s Services, and in particular Anton Skinner, no action was taken by the States’ Chief Executive Officer in response. In our opinion, Anton Skinner’s conduct, which is detailed in the Report, should have been subject to formal investigation.”

“We concur with the view of SOJP that the failure of Anton Skinner to report to the Police in 1990 allegations of abuse by Jane and Alan Maguire was inexcusable.”