Trigger warning- child killed by adoptive mother

[SellingBee]

I literally can't get this case out of my head at the moment. I keep going back to the news articles. How did this happen? How did they get approved? How didn't they understand babies would cry? Why didn't they give the child back? Why didn't he step in when she admitted to violence?

It's so heartbreaking. That poor child. The poor birth mum. The poor professionals who will always wonder what they missed even if they did nothing wrong (which we obviously don't know yet).

metro-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/metro.co.uk/2022/04/28/leiland-james-corkill-woman-murdered-baby-she-was-hoping-to-adopt-16554479/amp/?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16514884985646&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fmetro.co.uk%2F2022%2F04%2F28%2Fleiland-james-corkill-woman-murdered-baby-she-was-hoping-to-adopt-16554479%2F

That is just awful, ( I've seen the news story already). How did someone so awful get SS approval to adopt ?!

I don't think this thread is appropriate in a space where adopters come looking for support.

I've reported the thread.

Genuine question, but why would it be inappropriate ? Surely adoptive parents find it just as disgusting as anybody else ? Surely 99/9% of adoptive parents are not child abusers. so wouldn't be triggered or upset by this ?

I consider it inappropriate because this board does not appear in active and is primarily used as a support network for adopters and adoptees.

It should have gone on another board.

But it was particularly upsetting to read as an adoptive parent and makes sense that one might seek support about it. I'm glad someone has raised it. I've been thinking about it a lot too.

I agree with @Confusernme and @milkyway100 This is a board about adoption and therefore the conversation is an important one. The fact that it doesn’t appear in active threads is positive as the discussion here is likely to be more nuanced.

The adoption experience has been pretty tough for me at times, obviously I don’t abuse my child. The story was perhaps too triggering for me to read and I reacted rather than reflected. It seems I am in the minority, if people want to have a discussion about it, they have space to do so.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just can't understand how they went through all the process, learning so much about child development and abuse and went on to do this. The only reason I can think they might not have ended the placement us stigma/shame?

@SellingBee I'm not that surprised by this. I think SS can be blinded by middle classness and miss obvious red flags.

I don’t think it’s inappropriate that it’s on this board.

It’s absolutely tragic. It seems beyond belief that someone could have gone through the assessment process and then behave like that when looking after a tiny defenceless baby. Our PAR assessor always said this kind of story was his worst nightmare.

I feel like people outside of adoption don't really understand. In some newspapers it refers to her as a foster carer. I wondered if perhaps she had some kind of acute breakdown but it doesn't fit with the fact she hid her behaviour from professionals and even worse, he colluded and blamed the baby. I feel like for someone to do something like this in such a short time period to such a tiny baby they must have been dangerous before so I'm shocked there were no indicators from any checks or referees.

I understand people might find this story extremely triggering. It's awful.
But I'm glad someone has brought it up.

I too haven't been able to get this case out of my head. It's unthafomable.

One article mentions the couple had financial problems. Was this not explored during their assessment?
How an earth could this have happened only a few years since the horrific scully kicks case?

So many questions. The evidence looks damming.
I just hope justice is served.

Horrific. That poor beautiful boy

I mean I just can't get over this. How were they approved !?

Over 50 years ago my parents were approved as foster parents, they said we were going to adopt the boy who came to live with us. How they were approved I’ll never know. Not physically abusive but emotionally - definitely ( harsh on the fostered child, EA to me until adulthood) The child stayed for 3 years then one day disappeared, no explanation given to us children ( disappeared with a woman I assume was aSW)
More recently a friend was asked to be a referee for a couple hoping to adopt a second child. She wrote in all honesty she felt the couple were struggling with the first child’s behaviour and in her opinion weren’t ready for a second child yet. A few weeks later the second small child arrived. There were injuries, caused by the first child.
I think in both cases, even though 40+ years apart, SWs were blinded by the respectability , the professional jobs of the adults involved. I know my parents could adopt a higher language code when they felt they had to put it on.

I recall the news articles last year about babies being removed from young single mothers and handed over to nice middle-class couples in the 1970s and earlier. It was a disgrace. I know that this case is not the same but I think that there is probably an element of social stereotyping involved as a few PP implied.

@mnhq
why has this thread been moved out of adoption? I recognise that a minority of posters questioned if it should be in adoption, but more felt it should be there. The debate around this is far more likely to be sensitive and understanding on the adoption board than it is elsewhere.

I'm sobbing my heart out right now. That poor tiny precious innocent baby.
His smile is so adorable. She regretted do it (fostering him). Well no one was forcing her to do it. Why didn't she hand him back.
I tell you what Id love to be a fly on the wall to see the treatment they're going to get when they're banged up. We all know what happens to people in prison who hurt/kill children.

RIP baby Leiland-James. Xx

Cumbria Children’s Services, particularly those in South Cumbria, are woefully inadequate and have been for years. This is where 13mo Poppi Worthington was raped and killed and her killer walks free because of the utter, utter shower of useless fuck at Children’s Services (and Cumbria Police)

‘Leathered him’?! What the actual? How on earth were they approved? Why not just hand him back? I hope they’re put away for a long time. 🤬

@mnhq I posted because I wanted an adopters perspective on this. I don't want a general discussion about it from people who have never been through the process and perhaps don't understand how assessment/training/placement/legal processes work. Please could the thread be deleted rather than sitting in chat. I'm sure someone can start a more general one if they wish.

I read that the adoption process had been halted after the potential adoptive mother had admitted she didn't love Leiland-James. She was due to begin therapeutic counseling to help her with her attachment issues. But ended up murdering the poor little boy before they started. The most sickening thing about this case is that not only did the husband know his wife was beating Leiland-James he actively encourage it and blamed Leiland-James. How these people, who thought it was okay to hit a baby, ever got approved is beyond me. There may have been a financial motive as they didn't want to pay the £170 fee to end the placement. They thought it would be a waste of money.

You don’t pay to end a foster placement or an adoption. Where have you got that from?

@mnhq this is the kind of nonsense that occurs when you put this kind of thread in general chat. It’s irresponsible. Why don’t you listen to people when they say this and stop moving threads arbitrarily.

@WhoopItUp I've been following the trial that's how I heard about it. It was in the texts sent between the husband and wife. I'm not just saying I heard a rumor that you have to pay to end an adoption and that's probably why.