To report parents for not registering the birth of a child

[Anon6356237]

Should I stay out of it or report? I'm concerned the child could fly under the radar if there are any concerns if they are not 'in the system'. Who would I report to?

Definitely report it. I have some small experience (in a former life) and this is a big big major red flag for child abuse. If a child flies under the radar anything - quite literally- can happen to them and no-one will ever know.

Tbh I’m not understanding the focus on parental rights. The child doesn’t exist, so how do parental rights come into anything? Under what circumstances would they be required considering the child isn’t receiving routine medical care, going to school, claiming benefits etc?

If the child dies in any circumstances what would happen right now? The parent could bury it somewhere and no one would be any the wiser. That’s what it boils down to. Never mind getting a passport or being able to get a prescription right now that child could disappear and there would be no one looking. Would the parent call the police if the child disappeared? First thing that would happen is rheyd have to prove a child ever existed.
It’s extremely scary how serious this could be.

Are they not even registered with a GP?

I probably wouldn't report those living an alternative lifestyle just for that.

Freemen of the Land is however a particularly delusional form of it. And so that is why I would want the authorities to know these DC existed. If all is well with them, fine keep,going with the rest of the lifestyle (enigma weird does not in itself make you abusive). But an otherwise 'invisible' DC in a house with an unusual/delusional world-picture, concerns me.

Great advice Woody68
So if you reached adulthood with no NI no. No access to primary healthcare, no ability to travel abroad and no ability to get a job except cash in hand work. As you could get neither a passport or driving license.. you would condone this happening to you would you. ?

Pathetic ! The sort of mindset that hears dv next door but 'doesn't want to interfere ' ....

Iamtheworst exactly. A trip to hospital could end up, with the child being registered and possible access by the parents restricted until it's all sorted.

Are the parents likely to seek medical care, or police involvement if something happens to the child. I suspect not.

I can’t see they’d have to prove a child existed before the police would do anything if they said a child was missing, that’s a bit fanciful. I also don’t think it makes any difference to education availability given they home school and presumably would anyway. The child is also not going to be refused medical treatment.

It will be an enormous pain in the arse for the child to sort out one day and seems to me a very selfish thing to do on that basis.

I would report it. It is a safeguarding issue. If we allow this then some people could use this as a method for producing and exploiting children for all manner of purposes.

Imagine children being bred for use by paedophiles. An horrendous thought but, while most of us are decent human beings, there are also some diabolical ones.

There is no real reason for a child's birth not to be registered.

I don't know who to report it to but, in the first instance, I'd try The General Register Office. Police? Social Services? NSPCC?
I'd try all to safeguard that child.

The parents can live any lifestyle they want to, but this is not about them, it is about the child. They need to have their rights protected too. I would pass on this information OP.

Tbh I’m not understanding the focus on parental rights. The child doesn’t exist, so how do parental rights come into anything?

This is what I am wondering. Do these parents actually have any rights at all?

OP you should report. For the sake of the child. I suspect it will trigger some visits and attention from SS. The parents can then say 'see told you registering a child means they think they own the child'.

It's a self filling prophecy. If they had just registered the child in the start, this wouldnt be an issue.

Wildboar you can’t register with a GP without producing ID. For a baby this is their birth certificate - you have to take it along to the GP to register when your baby is born.

Report it. Don't bother with the registry office go straight to Social Services. This will be a huge problem for the child in later life. They would not even be able to work unless in some dodgy cash in hand type business. They will not be able to do many things easily because of this. Never mind parental rights what about the child's rights.
I would not hesitate to report them. I would have done it as soon as they told me.

I can’t see they’d have to prove a child existed before the police would do anything if they said a child was missing, that’s a bit fanciful. I also don’t think it makes any difference to education availability given they home school and presumably would anyway. The child is also not going to be refused medical treatment.

So if I call the police and tell them my 3 year old is missing. You dont think part of that is looking into the back ground of me, dp, wide connections and the childs background. When they look into the childs background and the child doesnt exist, what do you think they do? They will still look providing the parents have some evidence, photos etc. But it hampers the the search an investigation.

I dont have a 3 year old. You think they would go searching just because I say there is one. And then when they realise the child legally doesnt exist, that's opening a world of pain up. Do you think the child, if found would be returned to its 'parents' immediately? Because they arent the legal parents.

The child would get emergency medical care. But what happens when the hospital cant fund any records. Do you think the parents will just be able to sit there and make decision about medical care or even be allowed access to the child for a while. Until its sorted out. Could the fear of that level of involvement, stop them seeking medical care for the child?

If you call 999 and say your child is missing yes they will whoosh round and start taking statements. Part of that is asking a lot of other people question s. When there’s no dr, no hv, no school, no benefits, no nothing it would get very serious very quickly. Would the parents call the police? Would that be making their child government property?
What if the child dies any one of a thousand ways. Rightly there should be an investigation but this child could simply be buried in the garden, that’s terrifying.
Is the child known to their community? If the house catches fire or the parents are struck down by measles will anyone be looking for this child?
The only child I know who was not registered was found when a brothel was raided, scary armed police broke a door down and found a tiny child, they had no idea he was going to be there.
The child is extremely vulnerable.

"I can’t see they’d have to prove a child existed before the police would do anything if they said a child was missing, that’s a bit fanciful. "
So if I reported a child missing the police would just take my word for it and launch a full-scale search? I really don't think they would.

Someone under the radar like this could perhaps be kept permanently indoors so no-one knew of their existence. I know that is way from the norm but there are some strange people in the world.

A number of people have talked about "freebirthing". In the UK, Article 45 of the Nursing and Midwifery Order makes it a criminal offence for anyone other than a registered midwife or doctor to 'attend' a woman during childbirth, except in an emergency. And giving birth totally alone is a very risky thing to do.

Of course A&E won’t refuse medical treatment to anyone, but there would then be repercussions

And say the child gets measles - they can’t seek the help of a GP, it’s A&E or nothing, and they’re more likely to wait until it’s more serious before seeking help. Same with bronchitis, pneumonia, meningitis etc. In fact there were those parents in Canada who were prosecuted when their child died because they had meningitis and then parents tried to treat them with alternative medicine, until they called an ambulance when it was too late. This is far more likely to happen if the child isn’t registered with a GP.

“@Proteinshakesandtears

Tbh I’m not understanding the focus on parental rights. The child doesn’t exist, so how do parental rights come into anything?

This is what I am wondering. Do these parents actually have any rights at all?”

But what would they need them for? Is this just highlighting a technicality or is there some reason it’s relevant? Not being arsey just don’t understand the focus on this

Wildboar you can’t register with a GP without producing ID. For a baby this is their birth certificate - you have to take it along to the GP to register when your baby is born

That's not entirely true, my son was 2 days old when he needed a doctors appointment for an infected umbilical cord. We hadn't even named him at that point. We got an appointment but they told us he had to have a name by the time we got to the appointment, he wasn't registered for another 2 weeks and he had to have a number of appointments at doctors to check his bilirubin levels.

I can understand that for a 2 day old baby, but this child is 5. A GP will ask for ID.

Wtf is the mn obsession with reporting everything that has nothing to do with them, like they are the head prefect at malory towers

We're not talking here about ringing SS because you think next door let their kids stay up too late or something equally none-of-your-business. This is something that will negatively affect a child for life, even if their parents are very loving. Imagine turning 18 and deciding to go travelling only to find that you can't get a passport. Or applying for a job and then not being able to take it up because you can't provide ID. Not being able to open a bank account. As an adult they won't be able to earn a living and support themselves if they can't provide proof of ID and operate a bank account.

IF the child was reported missing the police would take that at face value and investigate it. There was actually a fly on the wall police documentary about a case just like this, and it took the police weeks to discover the child didn’t exist (technically, the child did exist- it was someone else’s though, and not missing)

I would report.

It would worry me if the child was sick they would be reluctant to seek medical help for fear of being found out. I guess they still may choose not to seek medical help for the kid even if the child has an nhs number, etc but it will be one less reason for them not to make a doctors appt for a poorly child.

I saw a fb post about a private midwife attending a home birth of a woman who’d refused all antenatal care and scans, and she delivered identical twins, so a shared placenta. The comments were all about how it was a wonderful surprise - clearly none of these women have ever had twins or know the risks of TTTS with MZ twins. I was horrified. She was very lucky they lived.

I’m so glad this thread reminded me of the whole freemen thing - my mum was friends with some and they were unintentionally hilarious, always banging on about the bloody Magna Carta.

Here’s that thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2095211-to-think-the-common-law-freeman-on-the-land-thing-is-a-whole-load-of-bollocks?pg=2&order=