HP and the system

Stonewall Infant and Primary School

It was the forth time she had seen bruises on the boy and this was only the third week of school. She had been taught to recognise the symptoms of abuse and this undersized, badly dressed and malnourished looking child was making all her alarms in her head work overtime. It was however his dead looking eyes that held no expectation of anything better pushed her into action sooner rather than later.

Her fears would not have been so pronounced had she not been told by his cousin when she pulled him up for calling the chills 'Freak' '' Why Not? It is his name at home.'' That was the final push she needed to go to the Headmaster, Mr Backier, with her report.

The headmaster read her report and sighed. The legal process of obligatory reporting a suspected abuse case had begun. He hated it when he had to do this but when a child was at risk he would do all in his power to deal with it whether he was legally obliged to or not. He picked up the phone and dialled Social Services and asked for the duty social worker. The lives of two small boys would be changed forever.

Surrey Social Services: Child Protection Department:

'' Okay welcome to the multi disciplinary meeting September 28th 1995,

our main case today is the Dursley/Potter with follow ups on the Johnson child.'' He picked up the file in front of him and turned to the doctor to his right, '' Rupert I have a large report on the Dursley boy but nothing on the Potter one?''

¨Yes John I see Dudley regularly but until I got the request from you I did not know Harry even existed. I have no records for him and he has never to my knowledge been a patient at our practice. I don't know who gave him his immunisations because we did not.''

¨I think the report from Jessie Meadows his teacher shows the response of the family. She did her communications lesson on 'my bedroom' and when Harry was called he talked about his new bedroom but Dudley shouted out that it was not his new room he had only been allowed to use it till the social worker lost interest and then he would be back in the Freak cupboard again and he knew it was so as he heard his dad say so.¨ He sighed and looked around the room. ¨So do we have a unanimous decision that both boys are at risk and need removing from the family home at least for the short term?

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