Mother 'not clever enough to raise child' has baby snatched by social workers

[Heated]

story
What do we think?

As a person who lives in the fife area , i have to say there is a widespread distrust here of social workers . Some are very kind , helpful people , but there are others (like in any profession ) who suffer from what i call "god syndrome" -they think they are infallable.

I must add here that for irish social workers to take a child into care there must be serious concerns - Not done lightly in ireland

"When the ss stopped the wedding it was a foregone conclusion that they wanted to snatch the baby."

why use words like Snatch.

Social workers do not Snatch babies.

Having had my first run in experience of a social worker I have to stay, its scary stuff. Unprofessional, not that switched, arrogant and very frightening at how quickly things can escalate if you don't act passively and give them a little power trip.

I am NOT saying all SW are like this, just my personal and recent experience supporting a friend.

It would make me very nervous about ever asking for help.

Such an awful story and so dubiously presented by the Daily Mail.

Turning away from being horrified that some people put on weight or get old!

Why doesn't the DM print photos of all the journos who write this cack so we can see how ageless, skinny and perfect they are but I doubt they are.

"snatch" is probally the wrong word to use , but it does seem like the whole sorry tale has been played out so that the SW can get custody (not sure if that right word either tbh) of the baby .
the facts are ...

1. the mother had long standing history of involvement with SW.

2. the couples wedding has been stopped citing her learning disbilities as reason why.- removing fathers automatic rights to child before it was born.

3. the couple were told the baby would be placed in the care system hours after birth .

4. trying to keep their baby , the couple fled to ireland, only to have baby taken from them anyway.

5. there has been no reason that i have seen to suggest the father is untrustworthy or unsuitable to bring up his own child .nor any mention of a serious crimal record. (his art , may not be to everyones taste , but hes not likely to shove hang it in the nursery alongside the baby is he? ).

i just keep thinking how i would have felt if one of my babies were wrenched from my arms at days old . The poor girl must be absolutly distraught.

They could stop the wedding because she was under 18 and they had PR (care order) for her. A minor needs consent to get married which they did not give.

drloves8
you know nothing of the father's history or circumstances. None of us do. Of course it would be devastating to have your child taken away from you - absolutely devastating. I would never deny there are heavy handed departments and managers who aren't keen to give parents a chance - SS are very risk averse especially these days since baby P. There are far more children coming in to care since that there were before - I'm not saying that's necessarily bad as many of those children should be in care but wouldn't have met the 'thresholds' before. However, SS have to convince the courts that it is in the child's best interests. They have to collate a lot of evidence for that. Dodgy art work is not evidence. They must have evidence.

in scotland 16 year olds can marry - thats why gretna is popular.
is it different if your in care system then?

Seems to me that SS services are damned if they do and damned if they don't! Have just been reading about the poor Doncaster boys and SS are being pounded for not doing enough. If they have made a mistake then hopefully they will realise it soon and reunite mother and baby.

I don't buy the damned if they do damned if they don't argument.

If a surgeon went around amputating limbs sometimes when it was not necessary and other times not amputating and people died of gangrene you would not say well he is damned if he amputates and damned if he doesn't would you?

You would expect him to GET IT RIGHT.

Having had recent experience of SS the issue seems to be some of the individuals in positions of great responsibility and power just not being that smart and having a real power complex. I want to stress this is my personal experience of a SW that I think would struggle to determine the accurate facts and based her judgements on gut feel and have cooperative or otherwise the parent was.

I can totally see that this is how things go wrong and childern are left with abusive parents who are passive and cooperative and taken from parents who show a bit of assertion.

Legal requirements for marriage in scotland

"Legal Requirements

Both parties must be at least 16 years old and not related too closely - some of the less obvious prohibitions include aunt, uncle, niece, nephew.
They must be unmarried at the time of the wedding or produce documentary evidence that earlier marriages have ended by death, divorce or annulment.
The couple must not be of the same sex.
Check that a marriage in Scotland is valid in the country where you live. Most countries do accept Scottish marriages (including those where the parties are aged 16 or 17, even if they are not allowed in the country of domicile).
The parties must be capable of understanding the nature of a marriage ceremony and of consenting to marry.
Form M10 (see links below) giving notice of marriage, the requisite documentation (see point 7 below) and the fee must be sent to the Registrar for the district where the marriage is to take place. It is often helpful to telephone the Registrar before completing these forms. Normally the notices should be sent four weeks before the intended date (longer if checking of divorce papers etc is required). The minimum period is 15 days before the wedding but if there are any technical problems which need to be resolved, the marriage may not take place on the planned date. You cannot submit the M10 form more than three months in advance. However, most Registrars will accept a provisional booking date well ahead of the date - but the forms must still be submitted in the proper timescales.
All documentation should be submitted to the Registrar either in person or by post (not e-mail) after it has been signed by both parties. It will include original birth certificates, certificates of final divorce or previous spouse's death certificate (if applicable). If you live outside of the UK you will be required to produce a "certificate of no impediment" from a competent authority in your home country. If this document is not in English, you must supply a certified translation.
Although it is not necessary for the couple to go to the Registrar in person before the wedding, one person must attend personally in the seven days prior to the wedding (the wedding day does not count here). If you are having a religious ceremony (see below) the Registrar will issue the Marriage Schedule at this time.
If one of the people getting married lives in Scotland and the other in England and Wales, the notice can be given by the latter person to the Superintendent Registrar in the district in which they reside. After 21 days, they will issue a certificate of marriage - which must be sent to the Scottish Registrar.
Scotland is the only country in the UK where there is no residency requirement before you can get married. But see also point 8 above.
You will require two witnesses, both over age 16, to be at the wedding and sign the documentation afterwards"

Incase anyone is in any doubt

I don't think you can liken social work to surgeon amputating for gangrene. It is not as black and white (or green) like that

the only things i have dug up found on the dad is that hes an artist (of sorts) and came from the isle of Lewis .
thats a bit . Hes quite young too have moved so far from his origins, i wonder if hes been in serious bother whilst as a minor himself.
i know of someone who commited a rape at 13 , and was relocated in a new place so they could live as an adult without the "stigma" of what they did as a child.(bastard did it as an adult too.)
im not saying that the dads done anything like this , but i suppose it would "red flag " for the sw , and the media wouldnt be told as it would be "off" the police records by now

I imagine the Isle of Lewis is a bit boring if you a teenager/young person, unless you are a weaver. He is 25 aswell, hardly too young to move to mainland Scotland

I agree its not black or white but the point is that they are being paid for their judgement and criticised for errors of judgement (real and perceived).

It is not taking children away or leaving them per se that is the issue here.

Drloves, I thought he was 25? I don't many 25 year olds that are living in their home town to be honest

That should say I don't know of course.

drloves8 I think you are taking that a bit far. Plenty of young people move from the islands - there's bugger all there for them till they are established. He's 25 not 15.

I think we should force him to move back there and make Harris Tweed, he is too young to move to mainland Scotland. Someone phone social services!

isle of lewis is a whole differnt lifestyle to mainland tbh. he would be going from a close knit tiny comunity to a city .(dunfermine is a city , abet a small one).
There is no mention of family support from his side , either .
and i know hes 25 now, but id like to know what age he was when he got to fife. (mabey im just an old cynic).
i do feel so sorry for Kerry though.

what has the difference in lifestyle got to do with it? Have you been watching The Wicker Man again......?

ouch , thats me told off then ! . yeah your both right, northen and angry im over thinking this ...will shut up now (and lurk).

The article quotes the mum as saying;

"I?ve told the social workers I don?t want him to have bottled milk or a dummy. I feel breastfeeding is so important and at least then he is still having some of me."

Now, if that means she is expressing 8 times a day and sending the milk to the baby, that speaks well of her commitment.

If on the other hand she thinks the baby is living on air between her alternate day visits, that would certainly convince me she's 'not clever enough to raise a child'.

The article, of course, doesn't say.

actually i did watch whicker man the other night - (the nic cage one though).
northern your creepy psycic !

oh i sshould explain a bit i think.
small comunity = no hiding your past
city =easy to hide past - lots of people , not the same as living in a village where everyone knows everyone. ykwim?
(DAMN i was supposed to be lurking , but i get drawn back in.... the power of mn?)