What more can the CCHF be expected to do? The Scout Association, for instance, has no access to police records but relies on its own cuttings and records of anyone ever reported to them or the press on child abuse charges. If they are deemed suitable, they then have to provide legal proof of identity. (Paedophiles frequently change name and address to avoid detection). They need two references, one from their GP and one from another professional person.

Then they need to be cleared with the local social services department, and after that they are cleared with police records through a special department of the Home Office This is a pretty rigorous system. They said they would write to every other London borough telling them of their concern, as social services always share any cause for alarm The letters went out yesterday. He is an ex-army man and he thinks the job should go to a child-care professional.Islington Council, hyper-sensitive to child abuse after serious cases in their own children’s homes, told the CCHF that because these two incidents both happened to their children, they would no longer send any others. The CCHF replied that to avoid scandal they would close down all their holidays this year and review their methods.Many of the volunteers within CCHF are distraught at the loss of all this year’s holidays They feel their procedures are as water-tight as possible Host families are vetted by local volunteers. Many of the volunteers accuse him of panicking unduly, sacrificing children’s holidays needlessly This tension has partly led to his resignation.

Although the incident was relatively minor, it led to police investigation of the accused man. A teacher in residential schools, he is now in custody on charges relating to his teaching work Unfortunately, he was one of the 15 trustees of the charity. Two other trustees have resigned in the past two years following convictions for child abuse, unconnected with CCHF children. One got three years’ probation, the other spent four months in prison. In another incident two years ago, a London volunteer used the CCHF to befriend a vulnerable family, earning their trust, then offering to babysit and take the children swimming.