Re(2): False Allegations -Reply

["Anne E. HOLLOWS" <A.E.Hollows@xxxxxxxxx>]

the Department of Health (England and Wales) study referred to in 1992
would be summarised in the review of the Child Protection Studies series
entitled Child Protection: Messages from Research (1995, :HMSO, London)
and this review in fact covers a number of separate research studies with
a bearing on the question. More recently  (1999) a reveiw of research
specific to child sexual abuse has been produced in the UK: 	Child Sexual
Abuse - Informing practice from research, by Jones, DPH and Ramchandi, P.
Published by the Sationery Office (formerly HMSO).  One of ths issues that
I have found pertinent in recent interviews with practitioners is not so
much ratcheting up, but ratcheting down as social workers are increasingly
concerned at the impact upon children of delays as well as adversarial
practice within the prosecution of abusers. Decisions not to prosecute
technically are made on the basis of the interests of children and the
interests of justice. In reality there is a tendency not to prosecute
where the child's evidence (however much it is believed by prosecutors,
child protection workers etc) is likely to be vulnerable to tactics of
defence lawyers.  It would be dangerous to make assumptions about how much
the 1992 data says about false allegations without a thorough contextual
review.

Anne Hollows
Principal Lecturer in Social Work
School of Health and Community Studies
Sheffield Hallam University
Collgiate Crescent Campus
Sheffield S10 2BA

tel  +44 (0) 114 225 2369
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