Mr David Greenwood > Switalskis Solicitors > Wakefield, England > Lawyer Profile

Mr David Greenwood

01924 882000 david.greenwood@switalskis.com View profile View profile View profile

Work Department

Child Abuse Compensation

Position

Director & Solicitor

Career

Over the years the David has forged a national reputation for excellence particularly in relation to his work around child sexual exploitation (CSE). He led the way on working with whistle-blowers and survivor organisations to uncover wide-scale abuse in Rotherham. The team now represents over 100 survivors of abuse in Rotherham and are now instructed by CSE survivors around the country.

David has worked on several high-profile cases decided at the House of Lords. His dedication continues and alongside his many worthy cases he is currently handling a complex High Court case for failures by social services and police, to protect vulnerable children.

Lobbying for compensation schemes

In 2013 David helped encourage Durham police to open a fresh investigation into the sexual abuse at the Medomsley Detention Centre (MDC) attended by many Yorkshire youths in the 1970/80’s. In 2018 he successfully lobbied the Ministry of Justice to create a scheme to compensate victims – Switalskis represent over 500 survivors of abuse in MDC and David has managed to secure a special investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman into systemic failures in the young offender prison system which is likely to report in 2025.

Other Lobbying work:

• David helped keep the Rotherham abuse scandal in the public eye
• David has recently failed in an application for Judicial Review of the Lambeth Children’s Home Redress scheme on the basis that it is unfair to survivors of abuse in foster care.
• Working with survivors to lobby the government for change, David is currently involved in campaigning for an inquiry into the institutional failings regarding CSE in Bradford
• David Influenced Ecclesiastical Insurance to follow his suggested principles of not pursuing limitation defences, consent and to treat survivors better through the claims process. This has been adopted by the ABI
• David is also an author of books of child sexual abuse. He is currently in the process of writing further books that look at the Rotherham and St William’s catholic school abuse scandal. All proceeds go to child abuse charities supporting survivors
• Campaigns are ongoing to call for public inquiries into Welsh Government’s handling of abuse by Catholic Monks on Caldey Island
• David has recently successfully campaigned for the child abuse litigation to be excluded from the fixed recoverable costs scheme, benefiting thousands of future claimants.

David’s National reputation

Trust in David’s team is so high that it was chosen to be heavily involved in working with the Lambeth Children’s Home Redress Scheme (the Scheme).

At the Lambeth Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (“IICSA”) David and his team represented the majority of survivors of abuse, reflecting David’s reputation in this field of work and Inquiries generally.

David’s role in Child Abuse Inquiries

During each strand of the IICSA inquiry, David has lobbied for changes to be made to the civil justice system to make the process fairer and less adversarial for survivors of abuse. He is working with survivors and MPs to ensure the recommendations of the National Child Abuse Inquiry (“IICSA”) are implemented. David is particularly interested to ensure the Child Protection Agency becomes a reality so best practice in safeguarding can be developed and enforced throughout all organisations looking after children.

Media presence

David is frequently asked by Yorkshire and National press for his comments in TV news, radio and  press articles on issues affecting survivors of child sexual abuse. BBC Look North, ITV Calendar, Channel 4, BBC News 24,BBC R4 Today and PM, LBC radio, and GB News regularly ask David for reaction and comment.