Judge slams Social Services over forced adoptions

[edam]

this is apalling but sadly doesn't surprise me after all the other cases. 'Best interests of the child' my arse. And see the unbelievably smug comment at the end!

I do hope the father gets legal aid to see a judicial review.

"She lost previous children to forcible adoption when she refused to leave a relationship with DV"

So her children were taken away instead of the man who was abusing her. It says everything doesn't it? Why isn't the man forcibly removed, instead of the children?

The process must be fair and seen to be fair and not rushed and there should be no targets for adoption or incentives to increase the number of adoptions. Also some are better in a slightly damaged natural family than adopted long term in my view but I'm not an expert.

But why wasn't he in prison?

Then she wouldn't have had the choice to move back in with him.

The problem is that he was at liberty. Because he was "only" beating up his partner and child, not anyone else. And it apparantly doesn't occur to anyone, that if a man is such a danger to his children that they have to be removed from any house where he is resident, then he ought to be in prison in order to ensure that he can't move back in with them.

Parents need to take responsibility for protecting their own children. The answer to a mother failing to choose her children over a violent partner is not locking up the partner - it is the woman making better choices.

Of course Eric, women are responsible for men's behaviour. And no-one should ever expect a man to be locked up for being violent.

Sorry Chuck I missed the bit about him getting a custodial sentence. In that case I agree if someone keeps making the choice to endanger their children, when she's been given enough support to not make that choice, then there's not a lot else you can do except remove the children. However, I'd like to know what support was forthcoming - people often say that someone was supported and then when you look at the support, you can see that it was either totally inadequate or not the right sort, or both.

A safe house is just the beginning of the support that is needed. A long term program of therapy for "psychological re-wiring" for want of a better term, is also often needed, but that's rarely available. (Not women's aid's fault, resources are pitiful and they do do some excellent therapeutic work with women and children.) I accept that even where all the possible support is forthcoming there will be failures and you will still have cases where women fail to protect their children, but IMO we haven't even got to a stage where the necessary support is routinely available.

LittleBella Sun 04-May-08 20:32:39
"Vis a vis the professionalism of SW's, doctors, teachers etc. who make almighty fuck ups, get struck off."

Not always. Last time I checked the paediatrician with the infamous anal dilation tests was still practising as a paediatrician, though she has been banned from appearing in child protection cases. Still- wouldn't want her near my children.

kerrymumbles adoption itself has to be legally final. What happens often with the wrongful adoptions, however, is that the child reverses the adoption when old enough.

What needs to happen is a real look at the decisionmaking processes which clearly go wrong a lot of the time.

So are you going to ask for some changes now that your party is in government, jhemming?

No rushed forced adoptions and lots of time for appeals. More publicity. The Tories are doing quite well. They have made the COIN datahase pubilc although it's hard to read so we know what everything costs including paper clips. Labour got us the Freedom of Information Act and opened up some of the family courts so I don't think it's all a bad trend to less openness but we could do with more.

Also I just don't like some of the groudns social workers use. If a child is being physically abused fair enough but if the parent is "erbally abusing it or has strange views on bringing up children or something that shoudln't be grounds.

Xenia- you know this thread is 2 years old?
I think there must be a lot more to this case than we know/is in the public domain.
That said if you look at the hassle TDWP is having, and starlight has recently had, there are obviously errors made within the system.

Oh! I didn't realise it was such an old thread.

Yes, I know but my item was in this weekend's Sunday paper and on the same topic so it just seemed a good place to put it.

""i think it is completely grotesque that there can be no appeal once an adoption is finalized.""

Seriously ? How do you think shunting children around like pawns and never truely giving them stability is beneficial to the child ? Adoptive parents are people too !! if the adoption could be appealed after finalised how many people do you think would adopt ? How could adoptive parents promise to keep their children safe and help heal often years of neglegt, mental and physical abuse if the adoption could be appealed after finalisation ?

Of course mistakes will be made and i am not going to comment on this story as i don't know what has happened (other than what the papers say)but imho SS are damned if they do and damned if they don't, either too hasty in removing children or negligent in leaving them in abusive situations.

I suspect too many people are making sweeping statements and judgements on something they read about in the papers!

ha ha i just read this is 2 years old, serves me right for trying to mn while playing marble run with ds

www.s-c-o-t-uk.com/

www.facebook.com/groups/217565588358675/

my grandchildren are under a CPO as there father is mentally ill/aggressive ect
I reported he had taken then away as no one would answer my calls if safe or not> a report has been done the Rochdale SS and they have twisted it that much even I dont like myself. They are attempting a forced adoption, we are going to fight but from what I have read upto now it sounds like it will be a loosing battle and all I was doing is protecting my grandchildren your buggered if you do and your are bugged if you dont cant believe this still goes on in 2013