Robin Harritt's email concerning accessing adoption & care records

Important for those seeking adoption details or having trouble with access to care records. Read the email below & if you are having similar problems, please contact Robin Harritt

It's no good whingeing on about the records problem unless we are prepared to do whatever it takes to get the restraints removed: Hi Colin, I see the above quote every time I look at the site & wonder what  others are doing about it. Last week I received a few more bits & pieces from my file including important medical information, It's taken 10 years to get this, Ann Haigh had offered to show it to just about anyone except me or the consultant I selected. I still can't find out what childhood diseases were prevalent in the nursery at Farm Hill the year  I was there. I've now started to look seriously at legal action against Barnardos. A few weeks ago Liberty (the civil liberties and human rights charity) & Linda Gunn-Rosso won a case in the High Court against Nugent Care Society (a sort of Catholic equivalent of Barnardos) the judge said NCS must in Ms. Gunn-Rosso's case go back & look at each record & whether any harm would be done to any 3rd party by revealing its contents & they should take into account the passage of time & that the parties will now be long deceased. This judgment has now been mentioned in the outline guidance of DoH to adoption departments suggesting that they should give similar consideration. It has become clear that Barnardos management consider  it is above observing the precedent established by this case & they have refused to look further at the records they hold surrounding my adoption or to change its policy in any way in light of the Gunn-Rosso judgement. I shall now most likely seek a Judicial Review in the first instance; if they find for Barnardos this could end up costing me over £30,000 but will of course be similarly costly to Barnardos if it is found in my favour. Whatever, it will be a great waste of money that could have been put to better humanitarian use, and a waste that could've been avoided but for the very worst of professional arrogance on the part of a few Barnardos employees who feel that they simply have to the last word no matter how ridiculous their argument. My Barrister has asked me to find out as much as possible about problems others are having with Barnardos & access to their own records, particularly adoption records but also those who are having problems with After Care. That is where I hope that you may be able to help me by saying something on your Website & asking anyone who may have anything relevant to contact me at brds@harritt.net Yours sincerely       Robin Harritt