Lewisham Leeways Report and Social Services Minutes July 1985

Lewisham Borough Council have finally released the minutes of the Social Services Committee from 2 July 1985 [1], in response to a Freedom of Information request [2]. The major relevant part about Leeways is Item J, two pages at the end of the minutes.

Released also as part of this request is a full copy of the Leeways Inquiry Report [3] as a previous copy given in response to a previous FOI request [4] was missing several pages.

A previous blog post [5] has covered the release of the Lewisham Council response [6] to the Leeways Report.

The Leeways Inquiry Report is a strange one, notable by its unfinished character and many errors. I will be coming back to this in the future, where it will be part of the series of posts on Paedophilia around Piccadilly [8] . Ronald Cooper was perpetrator of abuse and the focus of this Leeways Report, being Head of Leeways School for Disturbed Children [9]. He was caught as an offshoot of the police Operation Circus to investigate male teenage prostitution and many other vice related enquiries in the Piccadilly Circus area [10], [11] .

[12]

A Cathy Fox previous post on the Leeways Report publication. [7]

Please note that victims of abuse may be triggered by reading this information. The Sanctuary for the Abused [A] has advice on how to prevent triggers. National Association for People Abused in Childhood [B] has a freephone helpline and has links to local support groups. Other useful sites are One in Four [C] and Havoca [D]. Useful post on triggers [E] from SurvivorsJustice [F] blog.

Links

[1] 1985 Jul 2 Social Services Committee Minutes download 10M https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/226159/response/587780/attach/3/Social%20Services%20Comittee%20Minutes%20July%201985.pdf

[2] 2014 Aug 20 Cathy Fox FOI Request for Social Services Committee Minutes 1985 July 2 and complete copy of Leeways Report https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/lawson_report_1985_leeways_child_2#incoming-587780

[3] 2014 Leeways Inquiry Report by Elizabeth Lawson, Kenneth Ambrose and Richard Clough download 5M https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/226159/response/563208/attach/3/The%20Leeways%20Inquiry%20Report.pdf

[4] 2013 ?? First FOI request for Leeways Report which gave a faulty report with missing pages https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/lawson_report_1985_leeways_child#incoming-445323

[5] 2014 Jan 21 Cathy Fox blog post Council Response to Leeways Report https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/council-response-to-leeways-report/

[6] Council response to Leeways Report https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/184669/response/473239/attach/3/Leeways%20response%2010%2012%2085.pdf

[7] 2013 Nov 12 Cathy Fox Blog Leeways Inquiry Report into Sexual Abuse https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/the-leeways-inquiry-report-into-sexual-abuse/

[8] Cathy Fox Paedophilia around Piccadilly category https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/category/paedophilia-around-piccadilly/

[9] 1985 Jun 4 Guardian Child care officer gaoled for indecency. Spotlight on Abuse http://spotlightonabuse.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/child-care-officer-gaoled-for-indecency-4-6-85/

[10] Spotlight on Abuse Lewisham Category http://spotlightonabuse.wordpress.com/category/lewisham/

[11] Spotlight on abuse Operation Circus Category http://spotlightonabuse.wordpress.com/category/operation-circus/