Corruption of care: A closer look at how risk is managed in organisations

The myth of Pandora contains a box which was to remain sealed forever. We know the ending—Pandora, unable to resist, defiantly opens this box unleashing sorrow, disease, vice, violence, greed, madness, old age, and death on the world. "Pandore", a modernised screen version of this myth involves a judge caught up with the police, judiciary, political establishment, and media. It carefully weaves these organisations together via a horrific incident in which one of the characters witnesses a gang rape which he records rather than intervening because he is afraid. This sets off a chain of events leaving only the viewer to see the total situation. Revisiting the story in this paper, I question the meaning of "risk" and "safety" processes by examining the way we record information. How procedure, designed to protect those concerned can become the "Pandora", a harbinger of additional damage and how these protocols can pervert their original aims. Considering measures such as the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) document and the function of the care team, I present a case where early abuse was repeated within the system revealing ways in which the organisation becomes perverse through turning a blind eye, when recording replaces thinking.