On 17 March 2020 a report by Clive Sheldon QC was published. He had been appointed by the FA back in December 2016 to carry out an independent review into allegations of sexual abuse by coaches and scouts working in youth football between 1970 and 2005.
On 17 March 2020 a report by Clive Sheldon QC was published.
He had been appointed by the FA back in December 2016 to carry out an independent review into allegations of sexual abuse by coaches and scouts working in youth football between 1970 and 2005. Over 200 individuals gave evidence to the investigation.
It recorded that the vast majority of complainants made no contemporaneous disclosure of the abuse they suffered. The reasons, which would be familiar to many of those dealing with claims for sexual abuse were:
Nevertheless, the report concluded that the abuse was allowed to happen for much of the relevant period because stakeholders were unaware of child protection issues. They had no training and even if they did pick up on the potential signs of abuse they did not examine them with curiosity or suspicion. Staff and officials at clubs were naive about the possibility of abuse. Some clubs allowed youth teams to be run “almost as fiefdoms” meaning that there was no meaningful supervision of the behaviour of those running the youth set up despite people considering their behaviour to be “odd” “weird” or that they had favourites.
People felt that they needed hard evidence and nothing could be done on the basis of rumour alone. We expect that that sentiment will be echoed across sports clubs and social societies all over the United Kingdom and beyond.
The report identified three themes each leading to a number of recommendations. They were:
Detailed recommendations were made under each of these headings.
The report called for well-crafted regularly repeated training at all levels. Clive Sheldon QC recommended:
This sort of training is readily available. All clubs and societies who have children and young people as members should take these recommendations to heart, and act on them. Your insurers may be insisting on it.
Partner
Sarah.Erwin-Jones@brownejacobson.com
+44 (0)115 976 6136
Logistics company Eddie Stobart has been fined £133,000, after a series of failures which took place whilst excavation work was carried out, exposing its staff to asbestos.
This article is the second in a series to help firms take a practical approach to complying with the ‘cross-cutting rules’ within the new ‘Consumer Duty’ (CD) framework. The article summarises what it seems the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking to achieve from the applicable rules (section 2 below) and potential complications arising from legal considerations (section 3).
Across the UK, homelessness is an urgent crisis, and one that is set to grow amid the rising cost of living. Local authorities are at the forefront of responding to this crisis, but with a lack of properties that are suitable for social housing across the UK, vulnerable individuals and families are often housed in temporary accommodation.
Claims arising from interest-only mortgages have been farmed in volume. Many such claims to date have sought to drive a narrative that interest-only mortgages are an inherently toxic product and brokers were negligent simply for suggesting them. Taylor is a helpful recalibration, focussing instead on what the monies raised by the mortgage product were being used for and whether the client understood the inherent risks.
Two directors of a construction company were fined after failing to ensure the safe removal of asbestos from a plot of land. On 14 and 15 November 2021, Directors Anthony Sumner and Neil Brown, of Waterbarn Limited were involved in the uncontrolled removal of asbestos material from a plot of land in Grasscroft, Oldham.
An engineering company in Tyne and Wear was fined £20,000 after a worker fractured his pelvis and suffered internal injuries after falling through a petrol station forecourt canopy, whilst he was replacing the guttering.
The Digital Services Act (the “DSA”) has today (27 October) been given the go-ahead by the EU Council and will enter into force by early 2024.
Created at the end of the Brexit transition period, Retained EU Law is a category of domestic law that consists of EU-derived legislation retained in our domestic legal framework by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. This was never intended to be a permanent arrangement as parliament promised to deal with retained EU law through the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill (the “Bill”).
The majority of people do not feel the need to embellish their CV to get that coveted position and move on up the career ladder. Their worthiness and benefit to the hiring organisation are easily demonstrated through the recruitment process – application, psychometric testing, selection day or interview.
As a result of a recent Charity Commission legal action, the former trustee of a Welsh charity was ordered to pay over £117,000 to Wrexham charities which support cancer patients.
