This programme is now old news by the news' standards but it will touched the hearts or minds of many people up and down the UK.
Some are astounded by what goes on, others defend Social Services and many believe that the SS are damned if they do and damned of they don't.
I am a doctor. I am a mental health patient and my family have had enough experience of the SS to last for many years to come - most negative but some positive.
The first SW team were horrible, told lies and fabricated issues time and time again. In collusion with the 'independent' psychiatrist they fabricated enough evidence to drag us to court time and time again until Justice Paul Coleridge put an end to it. We live in the same authority as Amy Howell.
The second SW was great and very supportive. She trusted my own psych team and was very honest and straight forward. There were no lies and the CPC chair was also sensitive.
Not all SWs are bad but there do seem to be a lot of children 'protected' whilst those parents who are truly a risk to their children are rewarded with reconciliation. I know SWs are human but the body of SWs generically do not learn by their mistakes; their caseload is high because innocent families are being destroyed and serious mistakes cannot keep happening.
I wasn't 'let of the hook" because I am a doctor but was treated like a criminal from day one. My son was never hurt, showed no sign of emotional distress despite the SW and my very poor mental health but we were apparently supposed to be 'easy'. I might have been v ill but I was certainly not going to be an easy statistic. I fought hard and eventually the LA met a judge that took my side. We were lucky and I am well at the moment. The Panorama program brought tears to my eyes and no one should under estimate the abuse of power that goes on in these cases. Only on rare occasions do children benefit and, more often than not, all those involved are traumatised. More often children, like Baby P and Daniel Pelka (and the young Scottish boy) are not protected and end up dead. Surely we have a right to ask why this happens again and again and again?