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Take more babies away from bad parents, says Barnardo's chief

659 replies

bubblebutt · 06/09/2009 21:51

Many more children need to be taken into care at birth to stop them being damaged beyond repair by inadequate parents, the chief executive of the children's charity Barnardo's has told the Observer

How you can you say that when they the parents don't know how they will turn out themselves till after the event

Martin Narey called for less effort to be directed at "fixing families that can't be fixed" and for social workers to be braver about removing children at risk .

what tosh some families can be fixed and yes some cant but come on that means all babies that are under the SS would be taken into care because he fears another baby P and that is so wrong on many levels. A lot of families out there are going to suffer because of this reporting.

After revelations about the neglect and dysfunctional background of two young brothers from Doncaster who viciously attacked an 11-year-old boy and his nine-year-old nephew, social workers have once again come under fire for failing to intervene at an early stage.

this is alleged neglect and abuse no one knows this except the kids and their parents SS have to do a report and have to get all their facts together BEFORE they can remove a child. This takes time not 2 minutes. Another reason mistakes are made as there isnt enough Social Workers.

The brothers, aged 11 and 10, had been known to social services and police for several years. Their mother had allegedly given them cannabis as toddlers and forced them to forage for food in bins, while their father was allegedly a violent alcoholic. Despite this, the pair had been taken into care just three weeks before the attacks. The case has led to Doncaster social services opening an inquiry, its seventh serious case review since 2004.

What do they expect the SS to do wave a magic wand and its all better it doesnt work that way.The 2 boys are damaged now and need help as much as the other boys do.

Calling for more children to be in care from the moment they are born, Narey, a former director general of the Prison Service and previously a permanent secretary at the Home Office, made clear he was not reacting to this case in particular, but to issues with Britain's child protection services that needed urgent attention to avoid failing many more troubled young people.

Yes he is and a lot of families are going to suffer because of it.

"If you can take a baby very young and get them quickly into a permanent adoptive home, then we know that is where we have success," he said. "That's a view that is seen as a heresy among social services, where the thinking is that if someone, a parent, has failed, they deserve another chance. My own view is that we just need to take more children into care if we really want to put the interests of the child first.

So some one struggling is going to leapt on and the child taken away all cos she isnt coping the way the SS want and some want you to go after there arses cleaning em when they are old enough to do themselves Oh there is SS like this out there or the one that comdemns you if you cant cook and give your kids microwave meals all the time or something out of a tin god forbid they do that,

"We can't keep trying to fix families that are completely broken. It sounds terrible, but I think we try too hard with birth parents. I have seen children sent back to homes that I certainly wouldn't have sent them back to. I have been extremely surprised at decisions taken. If we really cared about the interests of the child, we would take children away as babies and put them into permanent adoptive families, where we know they will have the best possible outcome."

If the family is beyond repair so be it but what if they have turned there life around and can get their kids back why take that chance away as some SS do just that. they seem to tar every bad parent with the same brush hence why the SS shouldnt be there after 3 years as it makes them jaded in what they see everyday.

He said he understood his views would be seen as "illiberal heresy": "I think if social workers were courageous and sought to intervene quickly, and were supported properly in that, we would see far fewer problems."

As above and also there would be a national out cry from parents that have done nowt wrong but asked for help to be told they are neglecting their child(ren) when they clearly need help to be a better parent. Not penalized this way.

While foster care was on paper a good option for older children who had to be taken into care, he said, a shortage of suitable placements meant that children were suffering from a lack of stability. "What troubles me is the number of children I meet who have had vast numbers of placements. Last week, I met a 15-year-old girl and her foster mum. It was her 46th placement. The woman said that whenever there was a row or disagreement, the girl went to pack her bags. She expected to be sent on.

there isnt enough foster parents in the world as they are told to see the foster side as a business and it so isnt its helping and nuturing and caring for a child that needs your help

"It is undoubtedly a good option when children have been taken into care to replicate the family in foster care placements, but I have spent the past four years meeting a lot of children in care and I can tell you that it is by no means anything out of the ordinary to meet a child whose foster placements run into double figures. There comes a point where we have to accept that it is not working."

As above

Philippa Stroud of the thinktank Centre for Social Justice reacted cautiously to Narey's comments. "If the model is to move children very quickly to adoption, not necessarily from birth but certainly under a year, then that is something we would support," she said. "We need far more early intervention to try to stop this disintegration of the family we are seeing, but we would like to see more working with these families. What we recommend is the model of the mother and baby going into care, filling that hole and giving the whole family a chance. "With child protection, all the legislation is actually in place: it's the implementation that is the issue."

So if this is the case why do we see baby P stories all the time. I feel that the child protection and SS should be overhauled and the government needs to bring in more and they shouldnt be allowed anymore than 3 years in that field and then moved on if they wish to return they have to wait 3 years to do so. Also the work load of a SS shouldnt be anymore than 5 families and this is for full time workers not the part time.

The numbers of children taken into care rose slightly following the death of Baby P, the 17-month-old boy later named as Peter Connelly, who died in London in 2007 of injuries inflicted by his mother and her boyfriend, despite being seen repeatedly by doctors and social workers. But Narey says it was only a temporary increase.

How many of these babies, children whom parents hadnt done anything wrong really to their children and they where taken because of the mistakes of another SS office hmmmm that worries me more.

"As soon as these cases recede from the memory, everyone will get reluctant to move these children all over again. Only 4% of children adopted from care in England are under the age of one and the figure is even smaller in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

I for one hope it doesnt recede from memory as we need to be reminded of baby P and the others out there that their own parents didnt give a stuff about them. We need to address these mistakes and take stock and agree we where wrong. Not hidding behind we did nothing wrong and it wasnt our fault crap. If known abuse of any kind you amass your info and remove the kids. Not this wishy washy oh we didnt see this or that or she wouldnt let us in crap either. Also if on the "at risk registrar" they should visit more than once a week or what is the point of being on the registrar in the first place. Also no written warnings either. They should just turn up on the door. Again this would mean a full over haul of the SS departments all over the world.

"Less than 5% of the children taken into care in England last year were aged under a year old. Some 3,500 children were adopted in Britain from care, at an average age of four."

This is to do with the birth parents wanting their children back and fighting the SS over it and it takes on average a year to go to court with all the evidence they have against the other to proceed and sometimes this can be stopped if the paperwork isnt done right. Also the parents themselves could have turned their lives round and can show they have so this again hinder any proceedings. Also the SS could be dragging their heels too as one SS could be busy on other cases so it is again delayed. Not good for the child is it.

I copied and pasted this as its the article of said subject and it has angered me the silly man he is. I have added my own bits to it and wondered what you all thought.

"here itthe piece"

OP posts:
DaisymooSteiner · 08/09/2009 07:58

What I don't understand is why politicians are so short-sighted about this. Yes, it will cost money in the short term. But very quickly, it will start to save money because the cycle will be broken.

expatinscotland · 08/09/2009 08:35

'But I don't think this has anything to do with their ages,'

It does, Erika.

I know you're sensitive about this, and of course, not all teen mothers are irresponsible, but it's a known fact that, particularly with younger teens, their brains are not as fully developed. Neurologically, the brain is immature compared to an older teen or adult.

This is why, for example, a teen driver is statistically prone to have more accidents whilst driving.

And statistically, a child born to a teenage mother is at higher risk of developing certain behavioural difficulties and come from a broken home, which also increases the probability of increased risk of developing certain behaviours.

Maria2007 · 08/09/2009 08:54

Spero, you say 'it's easy to spot the bad parents'. I disagree. Or rather: I agree that in some cases it's easy to spot them (e.g. drug use). But appearances can be deceptive. There are families that live in conditions that may not seem ideal (e.g. very dirty, very loud etc) but are fine. And there are families that live in 'perfect' conditions, but the way they treat their children is appalling. I think much much more support is needed for all families. Lots of money is being spent at the moment for targetting 'high risk' families, providing 'parenting classes' (which are utter tosh) & doing all sorts of dubious research on attachment disorders & links to antisocial personality etc. Why isn't all that money being spent providing spaces that can support parents? Good quality listening (from professionals and also volunteers). Good quality childcare. FREE childcare from early on, especially in jobs. Opportunities for flexible working. Support for very young mothers & for single parents. Anyway, I'm not a politician & of course I'm sure lots of politicians would say lots of this is being done already. But I feel that the focus is on finding the 'problem' kids early on (very often targetting the poor kids), rather than wider support for all families where problem kids may live. I really do believe there are as many children with serious problems in upper class families, and they too get lost in the system, as no-one thinks to look there.

johnhemming · 08/09/2009 09:34

As a positive suggestion I am arguing that we should approach things in the way that Denmark does in terms of the interventions used.

I am, however, criticial of Martin Narey's arguments because he is proposing that we go further in the wrong direction we have taken.

As far as Reactive Attachment Disorder is concerned there are clearly cases where this is caused by the care system. The government has a responsibility to do the research that it is not doing about disrupted adoptions.

We also need to refocus the care system on protecting children rather than getting children adopted.

Nancy66 · 08/09/2009 09:40

We also need to refocus the care system on protecting children rather than getting children adopted.

Why?

Maria2007 · 08/09/2009 09:50

Dear John Hemming: I would agree with Nancy's question, and would be very very interested to hearing your views on this: Why do we need to refocus the care system on protecting children rather than getting children adopted? At the very least: why should we not be encouraging easier adoptions?

StewieGriffinsMom · 08/09/2009 10:00

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TheDMshouldbeRivened · 08/09/2009 10:00

Did anyone read 'Dark Heart of Britian'?
When the author investigated teenage boys and girls selling themsleves on the streets for drug money (and one was 8) they were all 'in care'. They told him that the Care homes couldn't 'make' them stay and had no authority over them.
'In Care' seems as neglectful and abusive as many families.

StewieGriffinsMom · 08/09/2009 10:01

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ButtercupWafflehead · 08/09/2009 10:08

"We also need to refocus the care system on protecting children rather than getting children adopted"

John Hemming please explain how these children can be "protected" whilst being left with families that can't meet their needs/abuse/neglect them.

Surely protecting them and removing them are synonymous in almost all these cases?

johnhemming · 08/09/2009 10:21

There was a case in Westminster (2007 I think) where a child was returned to its parents because it was not possible to get the child adopted.

That is completely the wrong decision making process.

Children should be removed from their parents because there is clear evidence that they are at risk if they remain there.

They should be returned when it is suitable to do so not because they cannot be adopted.

The issues of child protection are getting tangled up with adoption.

At the same time the threshold for intervention has got completely confused.

StewieGriffinsMom · 08/09/2009 10:28

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Nancy66 · 08/09/2009 10:28

Placing a child over the age of 8 with an adoptive family is very hard because by then you have a very damaged child on your hands.

So surely Martin Narey's suggestion makes sense? The at risk child is removed at birth, adopted at birth and given the chance of a happy, loved and secure childhood away from its neglecters and abusers.

Maria2007 · 08/09/2009 10:47

Dear John Hemming: the issue of child protection is, though, intrinsically tangled up with adoption. It actually should be tangled up, why shouldn't it? They are not two separate issues. They are part of the same issue! There is far too much of an emphasis on biological parents, and far too many obstacles placed in the way of those who are able & willing to provide a stable, loving home to children who are not their biologically & may not share the same skin colour.

Nancy: removed at birth, adopted a birth... Ah, it sounds wonderful doesn't it in cases where this should happen, but the reality is that it's very hard & complex to always be sure when a baby should be removed . The problem is that parents should be given a chance, and there is the danger of removing a child wrongfully, without giving parents a chance. It's a fine balance, isn't it...

johnhemming · 08/09/2009 10:50

8 year olds are hard to place because there is not that much demand for them.

2 year olds with damaged psyches are easier to place, but a material proportion of such adoptions fail.

There are no reliable statistics about how many children who are forcibly adopted end up back in care. An NSPCC worker told me up to 50%. That sounds high to me. I believe the figure is more like 25%.

However, this research must be done.

We already have what Martin Narey says in terms of removals at birth.

If, for example, you have a judicial process that says to a mother - all babies you have from now on will be removed at birth and adopted. At least the mother is given some clarity. Many mothers facing this situation will terminate - this already happens for mothers who have been through care proceedings.

However, that is not what we have - nor is it what Martin Narey is suggesting. What we have is a cat and mouse game with the mother where she is told she has a chance of keeping her child, but in fact in England (as opposed to Scotland) it is unlikely. Of the 580 newborns taken into care in 2004 by 2007 only 90 had been returned to their parents. 360 had been adopted and most of the rest remained in care.

The real difficulty is the "minority report" aspect of all of this.

I have no problem identifing some mothers (and fathers) I would be willing to judicially ban from caring for children. After all we can ban people from caring for animals why not children. Sharon Harte is a good example. This could only ever be done in a public hearing, however.

However, the system we have at the moment does not do this. What it does is create a tortuous and expensive legal process that drags on for ages whilst children get messed around badly.

At the same time it threatens mothers with a removal of a child at birth (and consequent adoption) because they were once a victim of domestic violence (Angela Wileman).

If anyone wishes to propose changes to the system they need to review the processes and how decisions are taken, on what basis they are taken, how long it takes and what the effect is on a child.

johnhemming · 08/09/2009 10:56

Maria2007: "the issue of child protection is, though, intrinsically tangled up with adoption. It actually should be tangled up, why shouldn't it? They are not two separate issues. They are part of the same issue! "

The question as to when a parent or parents should have their children removed from them is a different question as to what should be done with the child.

Maria2007 · 08/09/2009 11:02

'The question as to when a parent or parents should have their children removed from them is a different question as to what should be done with the child'.

I don't agree. They are part of the same process, part of the same wider issue.

One other thing. You use the term 'damaged psyche' with ease (for 2 year olds too!!!) Could you explain what you mean by that? In my opinion there is no such thing as a damaged psyche, at any age, let alone at 2 years. There are problems, sure, but nothing in life is irreversible. 'Damaged psyche' makes it sound as if these kids are lost cases, while in fact, with stable, good placements in adoptive homes, and with good support from social services, they could thrive.

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 08/09/2009 11:03

How will you make sure its got right?

johnhemming · 08/09/2009 11:28

Maria2007: We will have to agreed to disagree. I take the view that there are two distinct decisions
a) Whether intervention is warranted and
b) What intervention should occur.

If a quarter to a half of adoptions fail then there really should be some reason for that.

AdoptionUK have an adopters forum where they talk abuot the problems they are facing. I do think they do tend to be abandoned by the system, but the system creates many of the problems in the first instance.

AdoptionUK's forum.
www.adoptionuk.org/message.asp

Callisto · 08/09/2009 11:30

"I really do believe there are as many children with serious problems in upper class families, and they too get lost in the system, as no-one thinks to look there."

I doubt very much that this is the case. For a start the underclass of dysfunctional families on sink estates far exceeds the upper classes in numbers so unless all people with a posh accent and a big house are child abusers this doesn't stand. Or perhaps you're saying that the proportion of children born to rich people who are abused is as big/greater than the proportion of children born to uneducated dysfunctional parents who are abused. It just sounds like a raging case of inverse snobbery on your part.

Nancy66 · 08/09/2009 11:49

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johnhemming · 08/09/2009 12:14

Nancy66 - talks about a case where long term residential care would have been a better option than adoption as it would have provided a stable environment.

However, the mantra of the system is "adoption, adoption".

Social services had been very dishonest as to the extent of the girl's problems.
This is a key point. There is a culture of orientation towards outcome rather than process. The outcome desired was for the parents to accept the child. Hence the practitioners did not prioritise telling the parents the truth.

Nancy66 · 08/09/2009 12:29

I'm sure you're right about SS being deliberately dishonest in order to fulfil criteria.

But I can't help feeling that earlier intervention and adoption would have 'saved' her - perhaps I'm being ridiculously naive.

MorrisZapp · 08/09/2009 13:23

Can anybody highlight a case of appalling physical abuse or murder of a baby/ small child from a middle class or upper class family. I can't think of any just now.

It's not that problems like alcoholism etc are unique to the poor - we know they're not.

But the reality is that SS is only ever going to be able to really intervene in the most extreme cases, those where the child's actual safety is at risk.

So having a dad that stinks of gin or a mum with a secret shoplifting habit isn't enough. They would have to be actively abusing/ neglecting their child for it to become an issue in terms of possible removal of the child. And I think I'm right in saying that this is far less likely to be happening in affluent areas.

MorrisZapp · 08/09/2009 13:25

Just seen callistos post. I have to agree. It sounds liberal and modern to say that rich people abuse and neglect their kids too, but they don't do they, in such great numbers anyway.

They may well bring them up badly, they may well teach them all kinds of warped values etc, but do they beat them, ignore them, and leave them in the care of drug addicts?