Queensland child safety IT bungle worsens:

A senior Queensland bureaucrat has stood down amid growing embarrassment over the IT glitch that resulted in the mishandling of hundreds of cases of suspected child abuse in public schools.

Last week, it was revealed that 644 cases of suspected abuse were not passed on to police because a new reporting system, introduced in January, was not tested properly before it went live.

A political blame has game ensued, with the Labor government accusing the Liberal National Party of bungling the system's introduction during caretaker provisions before the January election.

The opposition, however, says Education Minister Kate Jones should have requested regular updates about the malfunctioning system's progress during the subsequent six-month period.

The Education Department's acting deputy director-general of corporate services has voluntarily stood down as investigations continue, Ms Jones has revealed.

In a separate error, a further 27 reports of suspected abuse have not been forwarded to authorities, she says.

"I have directed the director-general of the department to broaden Deloitte's independent investigation to examine all issues relating to the online student protection reporting system since its introduction in September 2013," Ms Jones said in a statement on Thursday.

The latest revelations came after a manual check of all 3822 cases of suspected abuse.

The Queensland Police Service has scrambled to follow up each of the reports and officers are conducting welfare checks in the most serious of cases.

The revelations showed the bungle was far from fixed, opposition education spokesman Tim Mander said.

"Given the new figures she (Ms Jones) has released, it raises more questions than answers," he said.

"The minister needs to be upfront and tell Queenslanders exactly what's happening."

Source: http://goo.gl/FLiMQk

Trinity Mount Ministries Website

Operation Muskan: Mumbai police trace 247 missing children in July

As many as 247 minors were rescued from Mumbai by the city police as part of the drive carried out under ‘Operation Muskan’ in July.

The police said the highest number – 154 –were those who had fled their homes over petty reasons.

Following directions by the central government, the police began the drive as part of Operation Muskan to rescue juveniles found either in child labour, begging or abandoned on the streets.

The drive was carried out between July 1 and 31.

“As part of the drive, the Juvenile Aid and Protection Unit (JAPU) and the police stations traced 247 children. Of them, 61 were found begging and 32 were working as child labourers. These children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and they will be reunited with their parents,” said Pravinkumar Patil, deputy commissioner (enforcement).

The police have also started seeking a daily report from CWC officials in a bid to ascertain the actual figure of the underage children handed over to them.

“There are instances when common citizens find lost children on the streets and directly take them to the children’s home. A daily report from CWC officials will help us get clarity on their actual numbers,” Patil said.

In all, 416 underage beggars were rescued by the police in 2015 till August and as many as 198 were arrested for pushing them into begging, the police said.

In most cases, family members or guardians were accused of pushing children into begging. These people live on the earnings of the juveniles.

As prosecuting those accused under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act was not acting as a deterrent, the police have now begun filing cases under the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Source: http://goo.gl/d58kQL

Trinity Mount Ministries Website

Windows 10 wipes your child safety settings if you upgrade from 7 or 8:

Are you a Windows 10 converts responsible for young computer users? Be on your guard. Child-friendly Family Features from Windows 7 and 8 won’t be recognized or accepted in the new operating system.

Rather, children using Windows 10 PCs are seen as standard users; no dedicated child-user account exists.

That means any existing age-related website controls, app and game restrictions, PC time limits, plus your ability to view recent activity, won’t work on Windows 10.

Adults must now create a completely new set of family settings through a long-winded procedure in Windows 10 that requires the child’s participation.

Microsoft had explained the new controls, here, but the details will be lost on many millions following Microsoft’s advice to run Windows 10 on existing PCs.

Even those getting early builds of Windows 10 got caught out. Those unaware their old settings won’t work now risk exposing children on Windows 10 to porn, violence and other online dangers once they’ve upgraded.

A Microsoft spokesperson pointed out you should receive – when you upgrade – a Check Family Safety tip with a link to how to create fresh settings.

But Reg reader Paul Dove, who conducted an experimental upgrade, has blasted Microsoft for putting children at risk with Windows 10. Dove also criticised Microsoft’s process for creating a new child’s account in the OS.

That process involves sending the child or children in your family in invitation via email that they must then accept. Dove, however, reckoned the savvy young user is able to turn off the new security settings in Windows 10.

He was able to change the new child account to a local account and effectively remove protections simply by clicking on the Windows 10 start button, then on the name at the top, and then on Change Account Settings.

“Microsoft should be ashamed of itself,” Dove told The Reg. “Not making sure that this was fixed before releasing Windows 10 it has put many children at risk."

"I might not have realized that after upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10 the Family Safety needs to be re-done," he added.

Dove recommended three steps Microsoft should now take to help Windows 10 converts.

These are: checking for previous use of Windows Live Family Safety and to automatically disable children's accounts until the Windows 10 machine has been properly set up; scrapping the whole invitations process for set-up via a PC administrator; and offering a wizard that guides people through the set-up.

Defending Windows 10 and Microsoft, a spokesperson told us: “We will continue to roll out new Windows 10 Family features over time. We designed Windows 10 as a service, and we’ll keep listening to our customers. If there are ways to make improvements, we will do so.”

By Gavin Clarke 

Trinity Mount Ministries Website

Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) - REPORT ABUSE

VGT REPORT ABUSE

Report Abuse

The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) is actively involved in investigating suspicious behaviour online with or towards a child.
The Report Abuse button is an effective mechanism for reporting suspected sexual predator behaviour.
Sexual predator behaviour includes:

• making and downloading images of children being sexually abused
• approaching a child online for sex (e.g. sexual activity via text or webcam)
• grooming – this is the deliberate actions taken by an adult to form a trusting relationship with a child online, with the intent of later facilitating sexual contact. This can take place in chat rooms, instant messaging, social networking sites and email
• contact offending – once contact has been made with a child online, child sex offenders then move towards meeting up in person for sexual purposes.

If you or a child is in immediate danger, contact your local police.
If there is no immediate danger to you or a child, you can report directly to the VGT:

• Australia
• Canada
• Italy
• Republic of Korea
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

Example reports are available on the case studies page.

Raimondo to overhaul 'dysfunctional' R.I. Dept. of Children, Youth and Families

Among the problems: high rates of out-of-home placement, excessively long waits for children to be permanently placed, lack of support for family guardians, over-reliance on group homes.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Saying she “inherited an agency in crisis… an extremely dysfunctional system,” Governor Raimondo on Thursday outlined a plan to radically reform the state’s troubled Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Steps already have been taken, Raimondo said, to “stabilize” a situation she described as demoralizing to line staff and a disservice, at best, to children and families involved with the agency.

“This is an overhaul; it’s not a tinkering,” the governor said. “This is a complete, fundamental restructuring and turnaround of DCYF.”

Among the myriad problems that need addressing, according to the governor: high rates of out-of-home placement, excessively long waits for children to be permanently placed, lack of support for family guardians, over-reliance on group homes, and poor morale among overburdened front-line staff, mostly social workers. Raimondo praised their work amidst trying circumstances.

Financially, DCYF also has failed, according to the governor.

“The state has been spending tens of millions of dollars on service contracts without any performance metrics in them,” she said. “No performance management.”

A state audit due to be released later on Thursday is expected to provide more detail on the agency’s dim financial picture.

“It’s just not right,” the governor said. “Every kid deserves a chance. These families and kids are facing unbelievable struggles. The way we’ve been delivering services – we’ve just been letting them down.”

Raimondo was accompanied by Elizabeth Roberts, secretary of the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), and Jamia R. McDonald, EOHHS chief strategy officer who has been assigned to the DCYF since early this year and who serves as the agency’s de-facto head.

McDonald has been leading an analysis and planning process that also involves the Government Performance Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Deloitte Consulting, Casey Family Programs and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, all of which have offered their services to the state for free.

Two weeks ago, the governor announced a similar reform effort for the state Eleanor Slater Hospital, operated by the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, which, like DCYF, is a division of EOHHS.

The reforms were hailed by Benedict F. Lessing, Jr., president and CEO of Woonsocket-based Community Care Alliance, which provides an array of services to children and adults. 

“We have not seen this level of transparency or acknowledgement that the manner in which the department does business must change in 25 years,” said Lessing, who is also acting head of the newly organized Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families, an advocacy group which represents nearly 30 organizations around the state. 

G. Wayne Miller  

• • Read governor's summary of plan to overhaul DCYF

Source: http://goo.gl/0rF2Y1

Trinity Mount Ministries Website

3,889 kids went missing in Delhi from January 1 and June 30 this year:

• Delhi Police have launched project 'SNEH' to tackle the problem of missing children. Representational Image

An average of 21 children went missing daily in the first six months this year from the national capital, according to a government data. 

A total of 3,889 children including 1,715 boys and 2,174 girls went missing in theNCT of Delhi between January 1 and June 30 this year, of which over 1,500 children are yet to be traced by the police, Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. While 2,337 of the missing children were traced, 610 boys and 942 girls remained untraced, he said in reply to a question by Motilal Vora (Congress).

The minister, however, said that no data was maintained centrally about children missing from the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi outside the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, he said. Delhi Police have launched project 'SNEH' to tackle the problem of missing children. Juvenile Welfare Officers at police stations work in close coordination with NGOs and undertake awareness campaigns under the scheme, he added. 

Source: Missing Children - Delhi

Trinity mount Ministries Website

Skeletons of four children, reported missing 2 years back, found in a village near Gurgaon

The Gurgaon Police recovered skeletons of four children, who were reported missing two years ago, in the Aravalli foothills on Wednesday evening.

The children - three girls and a boy, all below 10 - had gone missing from their school in Hariyheda village, nearly 18 km from Gurgaon and close to Bhondsi village, on May 16, 2013. Two of the children are siblings – brother and sister.

The children were allegedly killed and buried there by the maternal uncle of the brother and sister duo.

On Tuesday evening, Gurgaon police arrested the accused Devraj (23) who fled the village after committing the crime. During interrogation, Devraj confessed to police he killed his nephew and niece on May 16, 2013, along with two other children of the village, over a fight he had with his brother-in-law. Devraj and his brother-in-law work in the same brick kiln. He also revealed to the police where he buried the bodies.

According to the police, Devraj lured his niece and nephew for a picnic after school to the Aravalli Range near Hariyahera Village and stabbed them to death. He also killed two other girls of the village who accompanied the brother and sister duo.

“The accused was detained for questioning in 2013 after the incident but released later. Soon he was called for another round of investigation, by that time he fled the village. Recently, we received a tip that Devraj would be visiting his village with his wife. The couple had been hiding in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. We arrested him on Tuesday evening,’’ ACP (Crime) Rajesh Kumar Chechi.

“He stabbed to death all the children one by one by taking them behind the bushes and buried the bodies in the foothills. He fled the village later and had been running from one village to another,’’ the ACP added.

On Wednesday, when the accused was taken to the hillock area where he had killed and buried the missing children, he initially refuted the crime and confused the police about the whereabouts of the skeletons. He claimed to have forgotten the area, said the police official.

The police then called nearby villagers to dug the foothills and found the remains of the children after four hours of operation.

Later in the day, the accused was presented before the city court, which sent him to three days police remand.

The police informed that the skeletons would be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madhuban for DNA tests.

Source: Skeletons of four children.

Trinity Mount Ministries Website