To post this here? - out of desperation!

[somethinghastogive]

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22259

I am not posting this on a whim and i really don't want to be flamed. Our family was almost torn apart because of the child protection paranoia that is sweeping our country. If the planned government proposals were in place at the time we were under investigation - we could have lost her.

SOME family's who have children with undiagnosed ASD, metabolic disorders, brittle bones, neurological problem's etc are being investigated under child protection procedures. In the wake of Baby P lots more children are being removed from family's. If the new government proposals are put in place, a child can be adopted before full investigations have taken place, and even if parents are found to be innocent and the child is diagnosed, once that child is adopted they will not be returned. I am not saying this happens in every case and i agree that sw's have a very difficult job. But, looking at recent evidence, media reports etc, it is becoming horribly apparent that serious mistakes are being made. If the government succeeds in their plans to speed up the adoption process then many many family's could loose their children.

All i ask is the government looks again at their plans. Their isn't room for error when it comes to children getting the correct diagnosis and the removal of children from loving parents. Its a parents worst nightmare.
Also - im not a troll. I am a parent who has been through HELL and i am doing everything i can to rasie awerness.

www.express.co.uk/posts/view/300150

there are more story's like this!

done

Done.

I am so sorry OP for what you have been through, however I believe it is simply more awareness and recognition of the damaging effects of neglect that is causing a rise in children on Child Protection Plans, not paranoia.

As a SW I know that the care proceedings take a ridiculously long time and need speeding up for the sake of the children involved. It is not right that a child who has already had a terrible start in life and has been waiting for professionals to undertake numerous assessments, give their parents a chance to change and put things right, then be put into foster care, then has to wait sometimes for up to a year to be able to be adopted after this just because the system is so slow. A year is a really long time in a small child's life.

SW will still be expected to carry out thorough investigations and pursue options of placing the child with family first.

Lets not forget there were over 600,000 referrals to Social Services last year. I know there is no excuse for getting it wrong and it is devestating, however it is very easy for the media to pick out the handful that went wrong and forget the hundreds of thousands that were delt with professionally and correctly.

However, if there were any positive changes which could be made in order to make sure that ALL possibilities of medical conditions and disabilities could be ruled out (or in) at an early a stage as possible then that is something I think would really be welcomed.

That express story is sad but it says the parents lied in court about the injuries and when the 'incidents' did not match the injuries the judge had to deem them 'not truthful'

Could the cp services afford to ignore that with a child? That can't have helped.

Granted they should have investigated vit d issue more but if the parents lie what are they supposed to do ?

Many thanks aldi and springy

whata-

it's not a few cases in the press but a lot of cases reaching Parents Protecting Children UK, Parents Against Injustice Network, False Allegations Support Network, Justice for Families and other support networks and agencies.

But, like you say, if positive changes could be made re medical conditions, disabilities etc then that would be most welcome. But the government shouldn't rush the changes to adoption procedures until this has been dealt with. The thing is also, due to the secrecy of the family court we don't get to hear the many mistakes that are been made.

Its an extremely delicate subject.