**8. The wrong kind of Inquiry?**

We argue that, because the remit of the Cleveland Inquiry was not to focus on what actually happened to the children, the facts were never established and no-one outside the situation could really grasp the reality of the situation. A valuable opportunity to develop new ways of understanding and grasping the problems for

abused children was lost. Indeed, the intervention of the Inquiry had the effect of hindering rather than fostering effective joint working.

The advocates who believed that children had been abused were treated as the bearers of an unwanted message. The impetus was to remove the key figures from post. Those who did remain were largely disempowered. We have given a personal and professional account of this experience [9].

There is still a real climate of fear among professionals. Many paediatricians have left the field or are reluctant to enter it, some having been subject to a series of attacks.
