The village that wasn’t safe: The children of Shirley Oaks

We start this week as we usually do, a bit of chaos, questionable life updates, and an Oreo milkshake that frankly had no business being that big… before we move into one of the most difficult cases we’ve ever covered.

Shirley Oaks was meant to be a safe place. A village of cottages in Croydon, designed to give children in care a sense of normal life. Instead, it became the centre of one of the most disturbing child abuse scandals in British history. Over decades, hundreds of children were subjected to sexual, physical and racial abuse by those trusted to protect them (staff, volunteers, carers) within a system that repeatedly failed to act

In this episode, we look at what was really happening inside Shirley Oaks, how multiple perpetrators were able to operate unchecked, and how survivors eventually forced the truth into the open.

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of child sexual abuse (including very young children), grooming, rape, physical abuse, racial abuse, institutional failure, suicide, self-harm, and substance misuse.

If you need support, you can contact:

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
Rape Crisis England & Wales: 0808 802 9999
Samaritans (24/7): 116 123

Please take care while listening.

Sources for this episode include:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53258596
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/616d627fd3bf7f5604d83c8c/Lambeth-care-IICSA-investigation.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/25/over-46m-paid-to-survivors-of-abuse-at-lambeth-childrens-homes
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/25/survivors-tell-of-abuse-shirley-oaks-childrens-home
https://www.shirleyoakssurvivorsassociation.co.uk
https://news.sky.com/story/shirley-oaks-man-who-was-repeatedly-sexually-abused-at-childrens-home-reveals-why-he-kept-dark-secret-for-nearly-six-decades-12364798
https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/lambeth-council/part-b-reality-life-care-lambeth/b2-case-study-shirley-oaks.html
https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/press-releases/2020-news/survivor-of-abuse-at-shirley-oaks-childrens-home-awarded-125-000-by-the-lambeth-redress-scheme/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53314290
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKp4LLRNh8o
https://www.itv.com/news/london/2022-10-20/lambeth-childrens-home-survivor-it-was-abuse-on-an-industrial-scale
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/21/we-have-to-deliver-justice-the-man-who-fought-for-the-survivors-of-shirley-oaks
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/child-abuse-inquiry-london-care-homes-shirley-oaks-croydon-lambeth-council-compensation-millions-pounds-victims-a7478016.html

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Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)