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BARNARDOS I would like to contact any one who has approached Barnardos UK for access to either their adoption file or records of their time in Barnardo's care and have found the response that they received unsatisfactory. I would also like to hear of peoples experience with other voluntary sector agencies in order to get a comparison. Barnardos' policy can be seen at : [url]http://info.harritt.net/barnardos[/url]
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The following question has been tabled in the House of Lords. NO DAY NAMED The Baroness BarkerTo ask Her Majestyגs Government what is their policy towards access to personal information relating to individuals who receive, or have received, social care, or who have been adopted; and whether they have any proposals for change. It will be interesting to see what answer Lady Barker receives to this question, and whether or not all the evidence submitted made at the committee stages of the Adoption and Children Bills leading to the new Act have been taken any account of, Certainly the Adoption and Children Act 2002 has failed to do much of what might be hoped of it. Robin Harritt [url]http://harritt.net[/url] .
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If you have adoption records or care records being held by Barnardos in the UK do beware. It really does be beggar belief that a major childrens' charity has so little to say about the fact that it is has committed such a major breach of confidentiality and has been so untruthful about what records it holds. In December of last year I asked my lawyer to ask Barnardo's lawyers, why in 1992/3 or thereabouts when I was searching for my family Barnardos had claimed that it held no information about my sister other than that my mother had had another female child who was adopted? In later Barnardos was able pass on to me completely un-requested and as a part of a bundle of other documents, full details not only of my sister's adoption but also of her paternity and details of the circumstances of her conception. On Friday 25 February 2005, I received in black and white from Barnardo's legal representative a letter via my solicitor outlining amongst much else, why the above had happened. It was because; "at that stage Barnardo's were aware that Mr Harritt had already had a reunion with his sister so this issue had been dealt with". These people really do beggar belief don't they? So there you have it then in black and white, all you need do is to have a "reunion" with one of your relatives long lost to adoption or Barnardo's care and Barnardos will automatically and without further ado, let you have all of your relatives most intimate details. Yet when you are actually searching for your brother or sister or any other loved one, it is perfectly good practice, apparently, for Barnardos to claim that it holds no records at all for the person you seek. Even when in fact they do have all those intimate details as well as the information needed in order to trace. I wonder if Barnardos President Ms Cherie Booth, our current Prime Minister's wife runs her legal office in such a way. Or if her husband runs his country that way? And Barnardos now want me to sign additional waivers before they will show me more of my own records????? Even those mentioned in them have been dead for at least 15 years. If it wasn't clear before, it is now, the terms that Barnardos likes to throw around willy nilly, like "duty of confidentiality" and "duty of care" have little or no real meaning to some of its employees. What matters at the modern Barnardos is individual and corporate backside covering. My search [url]http://robin.robin.org/search[/url] Robin Harritt [url]http://harritt.net[/url] *
Just bringing this back to the top. Some of the links in the posts above might no longer work, you can see my story on the following links. [url]http://barnardos.harritt.net/[/url] [url]http://search.harritt.net[/url] [url]http://barnardos.harritt.net/barnardos[/url] Robin call +44 20 7871 1835 Fax +44 20 7691 9668 *
[FONT=Verdana]. What would you prefer if you were adopted from a Barnardo's orphanage when you were 2 years 8 months old and had to make some serious decisions about contacting your family. Decisions that needed to be informed decisions. Would you prefer the sugar coated ''History'' writen for you by one of Barnardo's postadoption workers. [url]http://robin.robin.org/records/[/url] or would you rather have the real thing (without all the crossing out) and would you have expexted some slightly better copies than these? [url]http://robin.robin.org/records/records[/url] An update on my strugle. 15 years ago The social worker at what was then known as 'Barnardo's Counselling Services Project' apologised profusely explained to me that there were two large files of records she had printed from the micro films. She told me I could ask any questions I wanted and she would try to answer them. She did answer the ones I could think of at the time. Like my father's full name, my mother's last known address. She even gave me some prints of some of the records. The social worker who I saw on my first and second visit to Barkingside was soon to leave Barnardos. When I went back a few months later I was to meet with the manger or 'Project Leader' of 'Barnardo's Counselling Services Project' In fact she is still there as far as I know, but 'Barnardos Counselling Services Project' is now known as 'Barnardo's Family Connections' it handles access to records for anyone who was adopted out of Dr Barnardo's Homes care in years gone by. Mrs 'Project Leader' insisted profusely that the one sheet of typed (on one side) A4 paper represented all of my very sparse records and that she had no further details of my father and no details of my foster family. Eventually she asked me outright "are you accusing me of being a liar" so I had to say yes. And eventually I showed her the papers and info I had been given. I've never seen a social worker shake before, Not sure if that was embarrassment or anger. Since then I've been through every kind of nonsense with Barnardos that you think of. The late Alan Levy QC one of Englands best known lawyers who sadly died last year called it Kafkaesque and like a particularly bad episode of 'Yes Minister'. Since then it's become more like a bad episode of the Laurel and Hardy show with films of records being "lost", and copies of letters disappearing in the post. I now after 15 years have of a file of about 300 items, so yes there were a few very big lies on the way. I know that it is still not the complete file that Banardo's claim it to be. The copies are very very poor compared to those I have seen at Barkingside. And I do KNOW, despite what Barnardos would have me believe, that it is not the whole file. Please please if you are going to Barkingside or anywhere else in the UK for access to Banardos records, don't let them get away with this kind of behaviour with the details of your life, You can see Barnardo's Family Connections publicity at [url]http://www.barnardos.org.uk/familyconnections.htm[/url] Don't let them try to palm you off with one of their " Background Histories", demand the full record and if they won't let you have it, demand to know why. Some of Barnardos past adoption practise is not all as you might hope it to be. I've heard from one guy who claims that he signed an agreement not to show his records to anyone or use them to take any action against Barnardos. He has now received one of their laser scanned set of records that are perfectly legible. Well so he claims and I've no reason to disbelieve him. I've refuse to sign any gagging agreements. I now have copies without all the deletions but they are still really terrible copies. I do now have copies without all the redactions. However as I say I do not believe it is a complete set, as it does not include documents that I had read to me by the first social worker who I saw at Barkingside. My lawyer has written Barnardo's lawer the following, but I don't suppose it'll do any good. [INDENT] Further to our letter of 6 June, we sent the bundle of documents that we received from you to our client, to see whether that assisted him, but he has explained that they are unclear. He cannot compare what is said to be a complete set of documents with a previous set that was not complete. One of the difficulties is that the new set is not numbered in same way as former sets of documents. Our client needs prints made directly from the film, and he proposes to return the set of documents to you in order that you can prepare such a bundle. We should point out that Mr Harritt continues to wait for an apology for the incredible time it has taken your clients to reach this stage in disclosure of documents. He first asked for access to his records in around 1991/2. [/INDENT] Well you have to try don't you Robin Harritt [url]http://harritt.net[/url] If Barnardos has affected your life in any way see [url]http://groups.msn.com/thebarnardofamilygroup/general.msnw?action=get_threads&all_topics=1[/url] * [/FONT]
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