THE founder of a North Yorkshire-based charity dedicated to the recovery of children who have been harmed online has given evidence at the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse.
Professor Tink Palmer MBE, CEO of The Marie Collins Foundation (MCF), appeared as a witness at the inquiry which is investigating the extent to which institutions in England and Wales failed to protect children from sexual abuse.
The inquiry is investigating a wide range of institutions including local authorities, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, schools, hospitals, children's homes and churches.
Prof Palmer was called to give evidence based on her two decades’ of experience in supporting child victims of online sexual abuse and many more years’ experience as a social worker before that.
She spoke for an hour covering various aspects of the issue from the response of police when dealing with child victims and their families to the role of industry in tackling the proliferation of sexual images of children online.
She called for more joined-up working between professionals suggesting that a “restructure and rethink” of the large number of police forces across the country would bring increased collaboration and better management of cases.
She also acknowledged the bravery of survivors who had contributed to professionals’ understanding of their experience by sharing their stories.
Describing MCF’s work with victims and their families, she said parents were often at a loss to know what to do and needed more written information and support from professionals.
Prof Palmer also outlined MCF’s Path to Protection training models for frontline professionals, which was recently taken up across the public sector in Bedfordshire, led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Asked finally for her views on what industry could do to help, she said: “They should be working more closely with the police. Things are improving but there are so many skills they can give. The police could even be seconded to them, and why not have industry members working alongside police?”
In 2004, Prof Palmer jointly authored a seminal report entitled ‘Just one click!’ which outlined the ways in which the new technology can act as a conduit for the abuse of children.
She has written and spoken extensively on the subject and sits on numerous government steering groups, committees and boards aimed at raising awareness, improving improve service provision and sharing best practice at national and international levels.
Prof Palmer gave evidence directly after Lorin Lafavre, whose teenage son was murdered by a man who groomed him online and who spoke at MCF’s annual conference in London last year.