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Last week's discussion centred on the issue of investigations into care workers being accused of abusing children. We asked if care workers are always treated fairly, or are people accused of crimes they did not commit?

These are the responses we received:

"To whom it may concern. And it concerns all who work with children.

I was dismissed from my post as service manager in June 2000 after allegations of sexual abuse were made against me by a man in his mid-20s. The offences were said to have taken place in the early 80s when I was the family's field social worker. The allegations are untrue. But I would say that.However, an employment tribunal has recently found in my favour, awarding the maximum compensation, which my ex-employer did not seek to mitigate. Astonishingly, and outrageously, the officer who dismissed me said under oath at the tribunal that she did not believe that I was guilty of the alleged offences. However, I could not be re-engaged, she said, because my name is on the Poca list. She, of course, caused it to be so. The tribunal, with some reluctance, I felt, accepted that for this reason alone (my being Poca listed) it could not order re-engagement. It went further, expressing the view that I am virtually unemployable.

The tribunal panel took the view, amongst other things, that I had been the "victim of gross incompetence and wrongdoing", that "no reasonable employer" could have found me guilty of the allegations, and that the investigation was deeply flawed. Despite this, I remain unemployable and am obliged in effect to prove myself innocent in order that my name be removed from the Poca list. Not that I would ever want to work in childcare again.

The central point is that child sexual abuse is a hugely fraught area of work in which there are few certainties. Those who undertake work in this field must have a rock solid value base to draw from, as well as proper training , experience, supervision and support. It is simply not adequate to engage the first outside consultant who happens to be available - in my case it would seem that this person, though managerially qualified, had not conducted an investigation herself since the early 80s. She was assisted by a personnel officer.

Only by getting the principles, process and personnel right will egregious wrongs be minimised. Child sexual abuse is of course obscene. But so too is a system which attempts to deal with it in a prejudiced, incompetent and dishonest manner, driven by moral panic. The outcomes are similar - both result in misery and despair for the innocent involved.

I am pleased to have had this opportunity to share some of my thoughts on the matter. There's much much more I could say but perhaps there will be further opportunities."

Pete Morch

"Are you aware that the general point of your argument - historical abuse in residential homes may or may not have occurred, but needs to be investigated has important implications? If you have been rightfully convicted and imprisoned, then good that is justice. If you have been wrongly convicted, or had your career ruined by vague allegations dating back over 20 years which were solicited but not followed up by the police, well that's a price worth paying.

If this philosophy which reverses natural justice prevails then every male worker who works as a social worker, teacher or foster carer is gambling their professional future on the honesty and integrity of the young people with whom they have contact - a frightening thought and one of the main reasons for shortages of male staff in those areas."

Michael Simpson

"Although there are number of high profile cases where mistakes have been made by investigators in various types of cases of child abuse, these are small in number compared to those which are carried out properly. I have 30 years experience in child care, and I have had extensive experience of investigations work and liaison with police during this time. The vast majority of this experience tells me that I can have confidence in the activities of the police in this matter.

Short of direct involvement in specific investigations it is impossible to form a view other than on this basis. Reports in the media do not give sufficient detail upon which to form a judgement, and if they did, would I have the time to read them all? What my actual experience tells me is that allegations are usually made with sufficient detail as to be convincing (or not), and that such detail makes it very difficult to persist in a lie over time and under cross-examination. When numerous people, individually give evidence of similar experiences, I find such evidence quite compelling.

In recent years residential childcare has done much to protect children through robust complaints systems, independent inspections, independent visitors, listening to children, improved training, rigorous recruitment and selection systems etc. If compensation was the motivation for people making allegations why are current children in the care system, or recently discharged, not making allegations in the same numbers as in earlier decades? It has never been easier to get someone to take up a case, with solicitors advertising 'no win no fee' all around the place. I conclude that our efforts have been effective and that residential child care is no longer the safe haven for child abusers that it once was.

I am a manager of a residential children's home and if these 'innocent' convicted people are right I should be concerned about the future explosion of false allegations. Personally I do not think this is likely. False allegations of any sort, let alone against staff are few and far between.

We need to be very careful that the efforts of a few articulate convicted criminals do not have a negative effect on our ability to investigate these matters in the future, it's already heavily weighted on the side of the abuser.

No doubt prison corridors ring with pleas of innocence and injustice in relation to the full range of crimes. We know that there have been cases of miscarriage of justice in other criminal cases, what is it that is so special about sexual offenders and those who are violent towards children that warrants the setting up of a select committee? If there is a problem with the way the judiciary is being run, surely it needs investigating for all and not just those who hurt children."

Steve Bateman

Lincolnshire

"At last someone has spoken! I work in a children's home in Surrey and last month a member of staff was arrested. A child made an allegation, which it later withdrew. But it did not help the feelings of the member of staff involved. This month, another member of staff was suspended due to an allegation made by a child who had already received compensation for another allegation she made. A meeting was held and there was no truth in the allegation, but we are awaiting the crown prosecution service to close the case. The child was allowed to go to school and tell everyone about it. Why is it the child is believed and the member of staff guilty till proven innocent? These situations are destroying good workers. It's no wonder people are not coming into the caring profession because no one cares for them!!"

Anonymous