[Robin Harritt]

Has anyone else out there had problems obtaining access to records of their time in care, or pre-adoption records, from Barnardos UK, despite Barnardo's declared change in their policy on access to records and openness ?

Barnardo's Policy and Practice Guidelines on adoptee's access to its records
may be viewed at :-

http://info.harritt.net/Barnardos.html

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

[Robin Harritt]

The following question has been tabled in the House of Lords. NO DAY NAMED

The Baroness Barker—To ask Her Majesty’s 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

http://harritt.net

.

[Robin Harritt]

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 http://robin.robin.org/search

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

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[Elly-adoptee]

Robin

Sounds like you've really been given the run around here. I would have thought Barnardo's would have been more helpful than social services, sad to see thats not the case.

Good luck with your search
Elly

[Robin Harritt]

Originally Posted by Elly-adoptee

Robin
Sounds like you've really been given the run around here. I would have thought Barnardo's would have been more helpful than social services, sad to see thats not the case.

Hi Elly

The one thing that Barnardos is very good at is creating its own properganda.

When comes to the needs of those who were adopted or in care many years ago, Barnardos is by far and away the worst of the non-Catholic charities at giving access to records, but then it probably has just as much to hide as many of the old Catholic agencies do.

I work as a volunteer for one the charities that deal with adult post adoption issues, most social services departments are better than Barnardos are when it comes to dealing with its own adoptions.

Barnardos in Scotland and Ireland (and Aus and NZ probabley) are a very different matter to Barnardos London and its "Family Connections" project. Barnardos Ireland certainly is dealing mostly with adoptions that were arranged by other agencies and does not therefore need to hide its own past bad practice in the way that Barnardos does here.

One day I'll have to list all the things that have happened since I first contacted Barnardos in 1991. The late Alan Levy QC described it as Kafkaesque and like bad episode of 'Yes Minister'. Recently it's looking more like a bad laurel and Hardy script.

I have had problems with Essex and Southend-on-Sea Social Services departments but nothing like as bad as Barnardos. When I first got my records from Essex, Barnardos were desperate to know what Essex had shown to me, because it wanted to try and take legal action against Essex Social Services for showing me documents that Banardos would not. Some of the people at Barnardos London (HQ) really are that pathetic.

Robin

[Robin Harritt]

.

I would have liked to have been able to add to this by now, but for the fourth time in the last few years letters and documents seem to have gone missing in the post or DX or faxes have apparently failed to arrive. Just a coincidence I hope.

Robin Harritt

http://robin.robin.org/search

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[Robin Harritt]

Another week and still no progress, is anyone else out there having these problems?

Robin

http://www.robin.robin.org/blog

http://www.robin.robin.org/search

[Robin Harritt]

I've just updated the story so far.

http://barnardos.harritt.net/barnard...ords/barnardos

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

[Robin Harritt]

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.


http://barnardos.harritt.net/

http://search.harritt.net

http://barnardos.harritt.net/barnardos


Robin

call +44 20 7871 1835 Fax +44 20 7691 9668

[Robin Harritt]

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.

http://barnardos.harritt.net/

http://search.harritt.net

Of interest to anyone who was involved with Barnardos (Barnardo's) in the past.

http://groups.msn.com/thebarnardofam...w?all_topics=1


Robin

call +44 20 7871 1835 Fax +44 20 7691 9668

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[Robin Harritt]

.
Just wanted to bring this back to the top yet again as I still feel that it raises issues of importance to anyone cared for by or adopted through Barnardos (Dr Barnardo's) in the past. Even perhaps now.

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

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[Robin Harritt]

.
I've added another page to the website on this

http://robin.robin.org/records

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

*

[Robin Harritt]

.

This letter just dropped through my door


http://harritt.net/barnardoletter



Considering the main document that they are still withholding contains information about my long dead putative father and my mother's relationship with him and that I currently finding my patrilineal family they are acting very unprofessionally. Just one little twit trying to protect his own backside I guess


But that's how Barnardos at Barkingside operate, always have always will I suppose.


Robin

http://harritt.eu

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[Robin Harritt]

`

I received another weaselly letter from Campbell Hooper, Barnardo's lawyers, on Thursday


They object to my use of the word veracity (as in lack of)


Perhaps someone can help me out with another term to use when one social worker within an organisation tells you one thing and then another social worker from the same organisation tell you something completely different? What's the polite way of questioning that?


Well at least Barnardo's seem to be refusing to comment at all on what I have said in a letter to its solicitor, re my father's family. Usually if Barnardo's know nothing on a particular issue there is a swift denial of all knowledge, I have to take that as affirmative, along with its offer to cooperate with an ASA of my choice. In making that offer it implicitly acknowledges that the file that it last year claimed to be complete, can not possibly be so if it has other information.


Why do people who would like to claim that they are 'professionals' have to play these stupid games?


Prior to the coming in to force of the Legitimacy Act 1959, Affiliation proceedings were heard in open court and reported by newspapers, so it is hardly that Barnardos are protecting some great secret. Particularly given the speculation that I have already passed on via Campbell Hooper its solicitors. All they would be doing is saving me some research at Colindale or the top floor of Romford library, where appropriate newspapers still exist. And perhaps they could then see that the whole thing is handled with some care and sensitivity. But in my experience Barnardo's Family Connections Project Barnardo's Family Connections is much more in the business of protecting the Barnardo's corporate backside.


As for those already found, apart from my alleged father's family from his his later marriage and the family of my brother who died, the rest all keep in touch at least. We tend to see each other at least once a year. The Germans, I keep in touch with via the internet. So I guess I can't have done all that much wrong so far.


Robin


harritt.eu


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[Jannyroo]

Originally Posted by Robin Harritt

Has anyone else out there had problems obtaining access to records of their time in care, or pre-adoption records, from Barnardos UK, despite Barnardo's declared change in their policy on access to records and openness ?

Barnardo's Policy and Practice Guidelines on adoptee's access to its records
may be viewed at :-

http://info.harritt.net/Barnardos.html

Robin Harritt

How to contact Robin Harritt

I was interested from a curiosity point of view re: Barnadoes policy and practice guidelines on adoptees access to its records and got the following page on the internet, has the page changed at all??? Thanks

Welcome to http://www.netidentity.com/app_theme.../logosmall.gifWhoops!!!


The page you are looking for on robin.robin.org might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.If you are a Netidentity customer and have a support issue please email -- contactus@netidentity.comPlease try the following:If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly.Open the robin.robin.org home page, and then look for links to the information you want.Click the "BACK BUTTON" to try another link.HTTP 404 - File not found