Research

Child protection complaints investigated

A report investigating the impact of complaints made against paediatricians involved in child protection has found that more training, resources and support could help reduce the number of unfounded complaints made by families.

‘An investigation into the nature and impact of complaints made against paediatricians involved in child protection procedures,’ commissioned by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), was conducted by Dr Jackie Turton of the Department of Sociology.

Dr Turton interviewed a representative sample of over 70 paediatricians. She identified common themes in relation to complaints and considered ways in which they could be reduced. Her report also highlights general concerns expressed by paediatricians such as support, resources and training needs.

Dr Turton explained: ‘Paediatricians accept that some complaints are a risk of the job. They are aware that the evidence-base behind some physical signs of abuse is weak, making them vulnerable to complaints. However, unfounded complaints can take an immense personal toll on paediatricians with many having been threatened, stalked and even attacked.
‘More effective communication with parents, along with improved resources and support, are key to reducing unfounded complaints and the negative impact such incidents have on both paediatricians and families.’

In response to the report, the RCPCH has made a number of recommendations including improving training packages, identifying workload pressures, providing better support and mentoring, and working with appropriate bodies to improve the complaints procedure. Further research is being undertaken to ensure RCPCH recommendations include parental perspectives.
For further information and a copy of the report, see www.rcpch.ac.uk/news/index.html.

Royal hair to confirm research findings

A doctoral student in History, who is researching royal genealogy and traced a descendent of Richard III, is awaiting two royal locks of hair.

John Ashdown-Hill will use hair from Edward IV - King of England from 1461 to 1483 - and Henry VIII’s sister, Mary Tudor to help confirm his findings.

John hopes that DNA analysis of Edward IV’s hair - which was removed from his tomb in the 1780s - will determine the accuracy of the DNA sequence revealed when he tracked down Joy Ibsen, a Canadian all-female-line descendant of Edward IV’s elder sister, last year.

He said: ‘On paper, Joy’s genealogy is perfect but scientifically speaking it’s always good to confirm your results, and a test of Edward IV’s hair should achieve this.’

The sample cut from the head of Mary Tudor, Queen of France, could prove more exciting, as it should have identical mitochondrial DNA to that of Mary’s uncles, the ‘Princes in the Tower’, whose disappearance in the 1480s has never been resolved.

John said: ‘There is just one problem; at the moment the locket which has held this lock of hair since at least the 1840s, refuses to open! Hopefully conservation staff from the Colchester Museums Service will be able to unseal it for me.’

Immigration investigation

Socio-economic factors, not ethnicity, determine whether passengers are stopped at UK border controls, according to a new report co-authored by Fernne Brennan, from the Department of Law, in collaboration with the National Centre for Social Research.

The report, commissioned by the Home Office, explores the process by which Immigration Officers (IOs) decide whether to hold passengers arriving with non-EEA passports for further questioning, and the possibility of the passenger’s ethnicity influencing this decision.

The research highlighted how IOs did not identify ethnicity as being relevent in their decision-making process but that there was a relationship between ethnicity and economic status.
The report emphasised how there are economic differences between countries and individuals in different economic groups. The distribution of wealth means that non-white ethnic groups are often amongst the poorest people and consequently fall into the group of passengers likely to attract greater scrutiny from IOs. This could result in disproportionate stopping of non-white passengers in the absence of a specifically ethnic bias. Futhermore, non-white passengers are also more likely to be from countries identified as greater risks for immigration breaches and security.

The report was commissioned in response to the Race Equality Duty, brought in as an amendment to the Race Relations Act 1976 following the recommendations of the Macpherson Report on institutional racism. Fernne was selected to provide legal input because of her expertise in race relations law. This research has already been highlighted by the Independent Race Monitor in a report to Parliament.

Also in the printed February edition of Wyvern:

• Student receives wireless transceivers
• The smell of the sea
• Art historians receive AHRC funding