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Lawyer jailed after using disabled client's £1.25m payout to fund 'obscene' spending spree By JAMES TOZER - More by this author » Last updated at 21:54pm on 22nd February 2008 Comments (1)

Thomas McGoldrick: The court heard he squandered the stolen £1.25m on a life of 'obscene extravagance'

A crooked solicitor stole £1.25million in compensation he had won for a client paralysed in a crash. Thomas McGoldrick, 59, was facing jail last night for blowing most of the payout on "obscene extravagance". The money was supposed to fund a lifetime of care for 45-year-old Keith Anderson who had lost the use of his arms and legs. But McGoldrick, who was massively in debt, used it to continue enjoying the high life with his millionaire neighbours. The cash went on holidays to Portugal and Barbados and prep school fees for his two children.

Government rejects special needs framework and stirs MP's wrath

By Nancy Rowntree
Children & Young People Now
6 February 2008

The government has rejected calls by MPs for a national framework setting out the support available for children with special educational needs (SEN).

Committee chair Barry Sheerman

In a report last year, the then Education and Skills Select Committee said local authorities should be required to outline the support they provide to SEN children and the reasons for that pattern of services. But the government has responded by saying the SEN Code of Practice already fulfils this remit by setting out services councils are legally obliged to provide.
The rejection prompted an angry response from Labour MP Barry Sheerman, chair of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee that replaced the education committee.
"It appears the government is still unwilling to concede that a national framework for special needs education, and provision maps for each area, should be introduced to make the system more transparent and allow parents to make informed decisions," said Sheerman. "For it to say the code of practice provides this is to misunderstand what we recommended. We were seeking a framework for provision, not for procedure."
The government also rejected calls for SEN assessments to be contracted out instead of being handled by the local authorities funding the services. It said it did not believe this would be in the child's best interests. However, ministers plan to set up a group, led by Special Educational Consortium chair Brian Lamb, to look at ways of increasing confidence in the assessment system.
Meanwhile, a report by autism charity Treehouse has criticised a lack of government information about SEN children. The charity examined parliamentary questions on autism over 10 years and found nearly 60 per cent went unanswered.
The findings support a bill proposed by Labour MP Sharon Hodgson that would make the government publish annual information on SEN children (CYP Now, 30 January-5 February). The bill passed its second reading in Parliament last week.
- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc

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Childminder Keran was jailed for shaking a baby to death in a fit of rage - but COULD she be innocent? Last updated at 09:01am on 20th December 2007 Comments (6) An expert witness in the prosecution of a childminder convicted of killing a baby girl said last night that it was "incredibly unlikely" the infant was shaken to death. Neuropathologist Waney Squier said there was "nothing to indicate" 11-month-old Maeve Sheppard died from "shaken-baby syndrome". The consultant's comments cast further doubt on the manslaughter conviction and jailing of mother-of-two Keran Henderson. Scroll down for more...

Three-year sentence: Keran Henderson was found guilty

p&gtEarlier this week, two jurors said medical evidence at the trial was too complicated to interpret safely and they feared there had been a miscarriage of justice. Yesterday Mrs Henderson, 43, who was jailed for three years in November for shaking Maeve to death, said: "I want to be home for Christmas. "All I want is for my family to be reunited. "I miss my two boys, it's very tough for them." The comments will boost Iain Henderson's campaign to have his wife released. Dr Squier, who gave evidence at Reading Crown Court, was the first person to examine Maeve's brain. She said: "My concern is that this baby had brain damage from a previous injury. "I told the court I believe this baby had both old and recent traumatic brain injury. "She had suffered an impact injury to her head before the day she died and then something happened on the day she died. "What I cannot say is whether those injuries were accidental or inflicted. But it's incredibly unlikely it was shaken-baby syndrome. There is absolutely nothing to indicate she was shaken. "The features are far more in keeping with the baby having an older injury. A bruise on her head supported this. This might have been caused by a fall, but it could have been inflicted. I do not know. "I am very concerned if the jury made their decision on this basis." She believes it was too much to expect a jury of laymen to grasp complex medical evidence. Dr Squier, from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said: "I spend all my life reading papers and studying my field of expertise. "If I have to put that much work in to keep informed then how can 12 people off the street have a hope in hell of understanding?" Maeve's mother Ruth Sheppard last night declined to talk about the case. Childminder Keran was jailed for shaking a baby to death in a fit of rage - but this week jurors admitted grave doubts about her conviction. As this special investigation shows, they're right to be worried Sitting in the visiting room of a women's prison, former childminder Keran Henderson is unsure whether to laugh or cry as her husband shows her photographs of their village where yellow ribbons are tied to trees and even to the gate of their local church.

Baby Maeve Sheppard was allegedly shaken to deat

The bunting had been put up by friends and supporters who believe that 43-year-old Keran is innocent of one of the worst crimes imaginable: killing an 11-month-old baby who she was caring for one lunchtime (along with three other children) at her Buckinghamshire home. A month ago, Keran was found guilty of manslaughter after a court heard that she had lost her temper and shook the little girl so viciously that she died two days later in hospital with irreparable brain damage. Keran was given a three-year jail sentence. Afterward, Ruth Sheppard, the mother of her tiny victim, Maeve, said: "Keran Henderson not only took my daughter's life away, but our right as her parents to grieve for her, to mourn her, to think and remember her in any other way than with pain and anguish. "We never said goodbye." The judge's pronouncement was no less damning. He told Keran: "You will never be trusted as a childminder again.You are going to have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge that Maeve died in your care.

"We do not know what happened to make you snap in the way the jury found you did." Suddenly, the reputation of this previously devoted mother, Beaver Scouts leader and a organiser of the November 11 Armistice Service at her local church, St Margaret's in Iver Heath, was in ruins. Ten out of the 12 jurors did not believe her version of events that, without warning, Maeve's body had gone floppy, her eyes rolling back into her head as though she was having a fit, and then stopped breathing. However this week, in a sensational development, two of those jurors have voiced the belief that Keran Henderson is innocent and that her conviction was a miscarriage of justice. One, the jury foreman, says he believes the case should never have reached court because it was based on circumstantial evidence and opinion rather than facts. The other, a woman juror named Carole, phoned a BBC radio programme to complain that even the medical experts at the trial were unable to agree between themselves about the cause of Maeve's death. Today, as Keran serves her sentence at Bronzefield Prison in Ashford, Middlesex, her lawyers are preparing to appeal against her conviction, which many believe is a travesty on a par with the notorious cases of Angela Cannings and Sally Clark. Both women were also jailed for infanticide - in their cases killing their own children - and eventually freed on appeal. A broken Sally Clark has since died of alcohol poisoning.

Like the Cannings and Clark trials, the case involving Keran was dominated by the testimony of expert medical witnesses hired by the police and Crown Prosecution Service. One of them, respected consultant neuroradiologist Dr Neil Stoodley, insisted that scans taken at the hospital showed bleeding in the brain of baby Maeve which was a "marker of a shaking injury." Others said that the little girl had haemorrhages behind both eyes and that her brain had swollen which proved an attack.

Sally Clark was falsely accused of the murder of her two sons

However, Keran's expolicemen husband, Iain, told the Mail yesterday: "I was surprised their evidence was accepted as gospel because it was only their opinion that Maeve was shaken to death. "Keran never lost her temper. She loved looking after children and they loved her." He added: "Maeve had been ill before. "I helped to revive her myself when she collapsed two weeks before her death. She had been to hospital six times and to the GP's surgery more than ten times. Her own grandmother told the trial that she was a sickly baby. "It is now crucial to find out if this baby was suffering from a lifethreatening ailment that no one knew about." He is trying to clear Keran's name with the help of Bill Bache, the solicitor who organised the successful High Court appeal for Angela Cannings. From a borrowed office in Iver Heath, friends are fielding telephone calls and e-mails of support from as far away as Alaska and Australia.

A website has been set up and a campaign fund started, which, on the first day was sent £3,000 by anonymous donors. On the walls are pictures of happier days: the Hendersons on holiday in Florida with their two sons, Cameron, 14, and Jamie, nine; Keran surrounded by laughing sixyearold Beaver Scouts at camp. There is a large picture of 100 local people campaigning to free Keran. Above a shelf is a photo of Sally Clark on the steps of the High Court after her successful appeal. Importantly, too, there is a bundle of paperwork on shaken baby syndrome (SBS), a controversial - and many say flawed - theory of child abuse. The syndrome first came to public attention in Britain in 1997 when British au pair Louise Woodward was convicted in America of shaking a baby to death. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Her case was made particularly memorable because of the prosecution lawyer's grotesque courtroom mime - his empty hands jerking in front of him - as he attempted to show how a baby might be shaken to death. The theory was already being enthusiastically embraced by the medical establishment in this country. Among the most ardent devotees are two discredited paediatricians, Professor David Southall and Sir Roy Meadow. Scroll down for more...

Discredited: Professor David Shouthall (right) and Sir Roy Meadow

David Southall was recently struck off the medical register for professional misconduct for accusing Sally Clark's husband of infanticide after watching a TV documentary about the case. He is now appealing. Sir Roy was also barred from medicine after giving evidence as an expert witness at Sally Clark's trial - wrongly claiming there was a 73-million-to-one chance of a middleclass mother, like Sally, losing two children to cot death - he has since successfully appealed and retired. As Rioch Edwards-Brown, a campaigner for accused parents, says: "Scores of families have had their lives destroyed by false accusations that they hurt or killed their babies by violently shaking them. "They have been convicted on what is opinion and dogma rather than fact." Another sceptic is experienced GP Dr James Le Fanu. He insists: "There is no such thing as SBS. "For years, the medical experts have been getting it wrong. We are facing one of the greatest catastrophes in British legal system history." For it appears that SBS is based on little more than conjecture. The syndrome was first identified in the Seventies after the confession of a mentally ill American woman who said that she had violently shaken babies under her care.

Her case was written up by a respected neurosurgeon, John Caffey. He subsequently admitted that the evidence was "meagre" and "circumstantial". But by then his theory had taken hold with child protection agencies across the English-speaking world. The dangerous credo of SBS was that if a dead baby exhibited three "tell-tale" signs - swelling of the brain, bleeding between the brain and the skull, and haemorrhaging behind the eyes - then it must have been violently shaken. The theory was endorsed by the Department of Health. However, some in the medical world began to fear something was dangerously amiss. Dr Jennian Geddes, a neuropathologist at the Royal London Hospital and now retired, became troubled by the number of shaken baby cases where there was no sign of any other physical damage to the children's fragile bodies. Dr Geddes had given evidence against parents brought before courts accused of harming their children but was having second thoughts. How could a parent shake a small baby so violently - with the same force as that of a 70mph car crash - and there be no bruising to the upper arms or body? How could the child escape a broken neck in such a vicious attack? Dr Geddes concluded there must be another innocent reason for the supposed "tell-tale" signs of SBS. She believes that even a trivial household accident, such as a child falling out of bed or rolling backwards on the floor, can prompt the same brain injuries.

The key factor is not how far the child falls but how it lands. For example, a simple bump on the base of the spine can send an enormous shock up to the brain and stop the child breathing. The subsequent loss of oxygen, she suggests, can cause the "tell-tale2 signs that led to the prosecutions of carers and parents. Campaigners also believe that a viral infection or a child choking on food can trigger the same effect. Importantly, a skull swelling can be provoked by a fall perhaps days, or even weeks, earlier. The Court of Appeal recently ruled that due to the growing confusion surrounding shaken baby syndrome a conviction should never be made when there are conflicting medical opinions given in a trial. There has to be real evidence of an assault. This crucial judgment led to a teenage English mother called Victoria Scott being cleared of shaking her baby son to death. Yet at Keran Henderson's trial, although medical experts brought by the defence disagreed with the prosecution, a guilty verdict was still reached. For instance, neuropathologist Philip Anslow said that Maeve's poor medical history - and evidence from Keran herself - all pointed to the child dying after having a fit. Keran's team also said there were no signs of bruising on her arms or her body which surely would have occurred if the baby had been shaken for ten minutes as the police alleged. Most importantly, the police never interviewed the three other children who were in the room with Maeve and witnessed her collapse. A four-year-old girl there at the time has told her mother that Keran kept breathing into the baby's mouth. She has never spoken of noise, crying or shaking. So what really happened to tragic Maeve Sheppard? Keran's husband recalls the events that led to her death. He says: "Maeve needed a childminder because her mother worked. Keran said she would help out. "Maeve's mother came to the house for a formal chat. Both got on well." After a time, Maeve was brought to the Hendersons' house each day. But during the next five weeks, Keran cared for her for only 14 days. Maeve was often ill and was kept at home. Disturbingly, there were two occasions when she became poorly at the Hendersons' house before her final collapse. Iain Henderson says: "Keran was worried about Maeve right from the start. "She told me that every time she fed her she was sick. She was reluctant to take liquids and I watched my wife patiently feeding her when I was working at home.

"In the middle of February, she was sick all over her clothes. When Keran went out of the room to get a plastic bag to put the dirty top in, she returned to find that Maeve, who had been propped up on the floor, had fallen over and her body had gone floppy. "She got all the kids she was looking after dressed and took Maeve round to the GP." The doctor advised her to take the sick child to hospital. "They treated it as a viral condition. They didn't do an X-ray of her head to see if she had banged it, nor did she have a blood test. "Her mother then came to the hospital and Maeve was given antibiotics. I feel now this was a chance lost to pick up anything that might have been wrong with her." But that was only the start. After a few days at home, Maeve went back into Keran's care. Nine days later, Iain was working at home - he is a fraud investigator - when his wife shouted to him: "She's done it again." Iain, who is trained in first aid, did a series of checks on the baby's eyes and mouth to ensure her airways were clear. He recalls: "She was breathing but would not take any liquids. "We tried to feed her with a bottle and a spoon. Finally, we drip-fed water into her using our fingers. I laid her over my arm and she rolled her eyes. She was like that for ten minutes. Suddenly she came back to us." Keran then phoned Maeve's parents and her father collected her.

According to court papers, he took her for treatment at the NHS walk-in centre that evening. Two weeks later, on March 2, 2005, Maeve - apparently fully recovered - was back with Keran. While she was getting her and the other children ready for the playgroup, Keran thought she could smell a dirty nappy. But when she began to change her, Maeve suddenly threw herself back as though she was having a fit. Her eyes went back and she stopped breathing. Keran rang 999 and breathed into the baby's mouth as the other three children in her care watched. Significantly, they can be heard playing happily in the background in a tape of the emergency call. Having been alerted to the crisis by phone, Maeve's mother rushed to the house and they were taken to hospital by ambulance. That was the last time that Keran ever saw her. She learned the next day that Maeve had died when she called the Sheppards to find out how their daughter was. Her husband says: "Keran was terribly upset. She blamed herself because she thought she had not kept up the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation long enough. Within 24 hours, the police had called and wanted to see her." Today she is serving her sentence knowing she will miss Christmas with her family and her boys' next birthdays. But as she helps other prisoners write letters home and makes decorations for her cell, she is cheered by her Iver Heath friends' campaign of yellow ribbons, the brave public stand of the two jurors and the thought that her appeal will soon be under way. Keran Henderson hopes that she may soon join the increasingly long list of women freed from prison after being wrongly convicted of killing children on the basis of flawed or flimsy courtroom evidence.

THOUGHTS: isnt it about time the doctors and their "mistakes" were held to account, wether it be a criminal matter or care proceedings ??
We cannot go on jailing innocent mothers/parents based upon flimsy evidence or heresay....
there needs to be transparency an integrity
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We cannot go on removing children from there parents because a professional may feel it is in the best interests of the child....

SUE THANK YOU FOR THIS ARTICLE, FACTUALLY ACCURATE AND A BLOW TO THE GULAG OF THE CORRUPT FAMILY COURTS......
GIVE US OUR KIDS BACK
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by SUE REID - More by this author » Last updated at 22:19pm on 25th July 2007
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Comments Comments
Six weeks ago, the Mail told how social workers tore a baby from her loving family to put her up for adoption. Since then, scores of parents have contacted us with horrifying stories of children stolen by the state. How dare the courts continue to gag them?
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The harrowing film of a young mother with an IQ of 63 cuddling her much-loved toddler daughter for the last time before handing her over for adoption was always going to be controversial.
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As the cameras roll, the 18-year-old mother cries pitifully.
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Her bewildered child reaches out to hug her when the moment comes to say goodbye for ever.
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This raw, emotional footage was to be the centrepiece of a new BBC series called Family Wanted, spearheading a national campaign to increase the numbers of children adopted in this country.
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Scroll down for more...
Desperate mother
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Behind closed doors, in every town, children are being taken from birth parents, often forcibly, and given to new mothers and fathers
Read more...
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* The childless couple who adopted eight scared, troubled children
* Councils making millions in incentives after snatching record numbers of babies for adoption
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In a bid to find them new homes, children removed from their real parents have been paraded publicly during the TV series. It is, say critics, akin to a human auction.
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Now, in a further twist, a High Court judge has given the programme makers of Family Wanted a knuckle rapping.
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He ruled that the film of the child being taken from the low-IQ mother - whom social workers deem not mentally capable of caring for her daughter - cannot be aired.
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It would, said Mr Justice Eady, upset viewers and be a massive invasion of the mother's privacy.
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It would also, of course, have revealed with clarity on prime-time television that adoptions can be brutally painful affairs.
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The mother in this case fought to keep her child and denies allegations by social workers that her low intelligence would stop her being a responsible parent.
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She has lost the chance of telling her side of the story in public, which she dearly wished to do. For the truth is that adoption has become one of the most secretive - and seemingly one-sided - issues of our time.
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Behind closed doors, in every town, children are being taken from birth parents, often forcibly, and given to new mothers and fathers.
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During this investigation, I have learned that a staggering 75 children change hands each week, many of them toddlers like the little girl in the BBC film.
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And since the court decisions are held in utmost secrecy - with the aim of protecting children's identities - almost no one is allowed to speak about the rulings, let alone challenge them.
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What is most disturbing is that parents have told me that child care professionals, from social workers to doctors, are routinely fabricating or distorting evidence to make a case to take their children away.
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The number of babies under one week old now being taken for adoption has soared three-fold in a decade to an annual total of 900. In 1995, 1,000 children under five were removed from their parents.
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By last year, it was nudging 2,500.
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But why have these figures shot up? And why would anyone fabricate evidence to boost them?
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To understand this, we have to examine the Government's policy on adoption. In 2000, Tony Blair set new targets to raise the number of children being adopted by 50 per cent to 5,400 every year.
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The tally has now reached almost 4,000 in England and Wales - four times higher than France, with a similar-sized population.
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He promised millions of pounds to councils that managed to achieve the targets. Some have already received more than £2 million each in rewards for successful adoptions.
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This sweeping shake-up in social policy was designed for all the right reasons: to get older were inundated with calls from people wanting to make her their own.
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This sweeping shake-up in social policy was designed for all the right reasons: to get older children in care homes into happy new families with parents.
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But the reforms didn't work. Encouraged by the promise of extra cash, councils began to earmark those children who were most easy to place in adoptive homes - babies and cute toddlers - while the older children remained in care. (The number of over-sevens adopted has plummeted by half in less than a decade.)
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Campaigners - including parents who have had their sons or daughters taken - say that social workers are tearing innocent families apart. Everywhere, I came across evidence to suggest that these claims are justified.
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Recently I wrote about a two-year-old English girl whose parents have been at the centre of a David versus Goliath battle to keep her, reaching the highest courts in the land. They say bluntly that she has been stolen by the state.
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The girl was advertised in the media on a website, breezily called London Kidz, for would-be adopters. Placed with her picture was a blurb saying she was a smiling child who liked a cuddle. No wonder social workers
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Yet the snappy advert covered up the devastating truth: that her birth parents, decent people from Enfield, North London, love her dearly and have fought like tigers to halt her removal. They have failed.
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Last autumn, they said goodbye to her at a meeting watched by the local council's social workers, who claim they cannot be trusted to care for her.
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Almost certainly she will never see her them again. Nor is she likely to learn of their desperate attempts to stop her forced adoption.
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For the other day, at the request of Enfield Council social workers, a judge in London's High Courts of Justice issued a draconian order gagging the parents from revealing anything about their daughter until her 18th birthday in 2022. (Enfield incidentally, has been offered a tasty £900,000 incentive to meet its adoption targets.)
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The order means the parents can no longer protest publicly or explain in any meaningful detail their side of the story. They cannot disclose her name, nor show her picture, to anyone-in the media.
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On the grounds of protecting her identity, they are also barred from talking about what happened in the myriad court hearings and case conferences with Enfield social workers that began before she was even born in December 2004.
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What an irony that is, especially as it is the social workers themselves who paraded their daughter - using her distinctive name and photograph - on a website. Yet, if her parents breach the gagging order they will be charged with contempt of court and could be sent to prison.
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But what the Mail can reveal without breaking the law is this.
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Eight years ago, the father of this girl was suspected of shaking his son from a previous marriage and damaging his brain. No proof was produced by social workers who accused him. No medical evidence was found by doctors treating the boy, nor were any charges brought by police investigating the claims.
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Indeed, it is now believed that his son - whom the father sees regularly and looks after, often alone - suffers from a rare disease which causes identical neurological impairments to those caused by a physical assault.
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In other words, the father has not been found guilty of harming anyone.
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And his wife?
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Her only crime is to have fallen in love, married and given birth to the daughter of a man who had once had the finger pointed at him by social workers.
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My story about the couple's child was published in the Daily Mail a few weeks ago. The result was an avalanche of phone calls and e-mails from other parents who said their children had also been, or were about to be, forcibly adopted.
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Over the weekend, after that story was published, I heard from 35 families. Within two days, the tally had reached 56. Now it is nearer 100.
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The letters continue to arrive, some scribbled on scraps torn from notepads, others on expensive paper with heavilyembossed printed addresses at the top. They come from council estates, middle-class suburbs, and even a castle in the heart of England.
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Many of the families left desperate whispered messages on my office phone late at night. An e-mail from one father just said: "Please, please help, NOW. We are about to lose our son. In court tomorrow for final disposals hearing before he is taken for adoption. We have done nothing wrong."
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Most touching are the messages from children themselves. One mother sent a letter that her son had written after being taken away by social workers. It said: "I just want to be back with my Mum now. I just want social serverces (sic) to get off our backs...my Mum is reliable and really useful. She is not just my Mum but my best friend."
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It was one cry among many.
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A father calling himself "James" rang from a public payphone to say his wife's baby was one of eight seized by social workers from hospital maternity units in Tyneside during a two-week period this summer.
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A Welsh grandfather complained that his grandson of three weeks was earmarked by social workers. The mother, a 21-year-old with a mild learning disorder, was told that she might - just might - get post-natal depression and neglect her son.
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To her great distress, her baby was put in the care of Monmouthshire social services within minutes of birth.
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The grandfather said: "Our entire extended family - including two nurses, a qualified nanny and a police officer - have offered to help her care for the baby. I believe my grandson has been deliberately targeted for adoption since he was in the womb."
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And there were more.
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A Worcestershire woman told how her daughter's baby was snatched away by three police officers and two social workers who came to the door of her house. The girl has now been adopted.
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The mother's failure?
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She was said to be too young to cope. Yet she has now had another baby, a boy, whom she has been allowed to keep, in the same home and with the same partner. It is only a year later.
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The grandmother explained: "All the family came forward to offer to help look after my granddaughter, and all of them were told they were not good enough. The social worker said to forget her. He said: 'She is water under the bridge'."
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But the most disturbing story came from a 25-year-old church warden and nurse, who is married to an IT administrator. They live in a lovely home in the North-East of England and looked forward to having a baby together.
During pregnancy, the mother's only concern was that she has serious lung problems. As a teenager, she suffered from encephalitis and spent 12 weeks in intensive care at Newcastle Hospital.

Yet, curiously, doctors and social workers said she was making this up. They alleged that she suffered from a mental ailment called Munchausen's syndrome and that this disorder - completely unproven in science and widely discredited - made her pretend she had once been ill.

They informed the incredulous mother that the so-called disorder meant she was a danger not only to her baby, but to other children in the maternity ward.

She told me: "I had my little boy by Caesarean. We got to spend six hours with him, then the social worker came to remove him. She sat at the bottom of the bed in the hospital-and said the police were ten minutes away, and that if we didn't sign a voluntary care order, she would phone them and they would snatch our baby anyway."

This woman is now fighting to stop his adoption.
We are, of course, talking about a hugely emotive issue. Distraught and faced with what they believe are false accusations, parents can misinterpret the actions of the social services and health professionals.
It is also impossible to verify all the facts of these stories. But if only a quarter are true, it is a scandal on a terrifying scale.

Each tale I was told had a similar ring. From a first accusation - often based on what seems to be hearsay, and nearly always made by a social worker or doctor - the unforgiving system is pitted against parents.

At its heart are the family courts, where parents must go to hear the State's case for their children being put up for adoption. Here, the solid cornerstone of our legal system - that you are innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt - does not apply.

There is no jury to weigh the evidence, only a lone judge who makes decisions based on the balance of probability.

Crucially, the courts' culture of secrecy means that if a social worker lies or a medical expert giving evidence makes a mistake, no one finds out. There is no retribution.

Only the workings of the homeland security service, M15, are guarded more closely than those of the family courts.

As Justice Munby, one of the most senior High Court judges of the family court system, opined to MPs last year: "It seems quite indefensible that there should be no access by the media, and no access by the public, to what is going on in courts where judges are, day by day, taking people's children away."

He is right. From the moment their child is named on a social services' care order to the day he or she is adopted, a father or mother commits a crime if they tell anyone what is happening to them.

Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming

Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming says: 'There are many miscarriages of justice in the family courts, but the system prevents parents from protesting about it'

Almost all those who approached the Mail to tell their stories were breaching the law.

Of course, in any society there are people who hurt their children deliberately. It is the State's duty to protect their offspring from further harm. But it is clear there is something desperately wrong with the government's adoption policy.

This has not escaped the Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming, who warned this week: "There are many miscarriages of justice in the family courts, but the system prevents parents from protesting about it.

"The secrecy is protecting misbehaviour by some social workers and doctors, rather than protecting the children forcibly adopted to meet government targets."

The revolt is growing. Two hundred parents are threatening a protest at a pre-designated place and time, using their real names and those of the children they have lost. They believe that not all of them can be thrown into prison cells for contempt.

If the rebellion goes head, perhaps the low IQ mother of the toddler in the banned BBC film will be there. And also a grandmother who protested to the BBC when her grandson, a two-year-old disabled boy called Lamar, was paraded for adoption last week in Family Wanted.

Her daughter and son-in-law have been told by social workers that they are not suitable parents for Lamar.
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Whatever the accuracy of this, the grandmother has offered to bring up the child. She says: "I recorded the programme because it is the only film I will ever have of my precious grandson.
"I feel he has been put up for sale on television. If I advertised him in this way, he would be taken away because it is a form of abuse.

"I wanted my grandson to live with me. I was told by his social worker that I don't parent in the way she likes. Yet she has no kids, and I have raised four of my own."

Like many aspects of the adoption system in this country, it appears to make no sense whatsoever.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=470864&ampin_page_id=1879

JUSTJUSTICE

onlyamum — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:31:09 CST

BRITISH CHILDREN ARE STOLEN FROM THEIR FAMILIES......EVERY DAY.
ITS HAPPENING, RIGHT UNDER EVERYONES NOSES.......

its time the British people started shouting about how valuable our children are to them/us....as sadly the social services and associated professionals know only too well the valuable riches they bring.

OPEN FAMILY COURTS
children are in fact removed from their families on the strength of a social worker stating, there may be. a chance of abuse occurring sometime in the future.....on the strength of mere probability......countless parents across the country have to live with the pain of their children being adopted out to strangers.... countless parents are silenced from telling the general public about what happened within the family courts....for if they speak of what happened they will be imprisoned.perjury is a serious offense, yet professionals eg. doctors, get away with this on a daily basis, being paid vast amounts of money to convey to the courts that a child may be at risk......psuedo phychobabble and hard to disprove labels are relied upon ( BPD, MSBP,ETC ) in order to ensure children are put into care homes and fostered out again and again their education suffers, they suffer emotionally, sometimes physically and psychologically.....Everyone should be alerted to the corruption within the system....

The destruction of families ... The unjustified annihilation of our basic family values....we live in the aftermath of the nanny state, where parents cannot seem to do what they as parents consider is right for their child, without negative intervention from those that have the power and state sanctioned ability to abuse our children and yes do get away with it....

UK FAMILY COURTS
WHEN WILL YOU STOP STEALING OUR CHILDREN ??? THE SAME HAPPENS AGAIN AND AGAIN....

A compilation of all the americans that lost there lives in the name of presidential greed....

understandably many parents are fueled with anger and outrage at what is meant to be a system that supports the more vulnerable in this country, when in fact their is nothing further from the truth DO NOT BE DELUDED......they are allowed way too much power and are not held accountable for their barbaric actions behind the protection of the family courts, this obviously needs to change.....

people need to come out from their comfort zones and realize what is actually happening to the children of Britain. Please, do not delude yourselves into thinking it will never happen to you, as it can happen to absolutely anyone, no-one is immune, class really doesnt matter. THE JOKE THEY HAVE BECOME...>>>>>>>>>>

CLICK ON BANNER BELOW TO JOIN THE ONLINE COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE THAT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH >>>> STOP INJUSTICE NOW...
ALSO READ THE LATEST NEWS OR JOIN OUR COUNTRYWIDE DEMONSTRATIONS...

you should know by now tony your estimates are always way off mark ....>>>>>> lol

CHARLES PRAGNELL

onlyamum — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:25:41 CST

Are you an `Appropriate’ person?
By Charles Pragnell January 04, 2007
The last decade has seen an insidious drive by the British government to turn the country into a totalitarian regime marked by the unwarranted and unnecessary intrusion and interference in family life by agents and employees of the State. This has been done under a perverse pretext of protecting children and a belief system within governmental departments that children need protecting from their parents and that the State can raise children better than parents or at least they can transfer large numbers of children to the care of the “approved” substitute parents as part of a latter-day social engineering experiment.

This pretext was more than apparent than in the case of Victoria Climbie’ – an unmitigated disaster by the child protection services and a tragedy of suffering for Victoria, but which the government used to justify the creation and introduction of a massive database of every child and family in the country. The lack of such a database had nothing to do with the death of Victoria Climbie’ which was at the hands of her substitute parent carers whilst child protection `professionals’ failed to intervene, despite obvious signs of abuse and failed to communicate with each other about Victoria’s plight. The database is of course essential for governmental control of the population in many respects as part of its drive toward totalitarianism. The security of such a database, or rather the lack, has already been exposed and millions of records of the family details of millions of children are now somewhere around the nation and no doubt will quickly find their way into the hands of criminals and pedophiles.

Britain is not becoming what politicians term, a Nanny State and the concept of welfare services being a `Safety Net’ no longer applies. It is much more sinister than that. A Nanny State is driven by a benign altruism whilst the present changes are being driven by an insidious and malignant ideology reminiscent in some respects of the Stalinist regime in Russia. “We know what is best for you all” is the mantra of the faceless bureaucrats inside the respective government departments to which can be added, “but it will be painful for some of you who will not or cannot change to fit in with our Utopian dream!”

Some of the behaviours and actions of the populace have to be controlled by the State in some respects, such as behaviours which are categorised as criminal or due to madness but it is those behaviours which are defined as borderline criminal or mad is where the drive to exert even more control is being pushed forward. These can sometimes be very grey areas as they are open to individual and highly subjective interpretations by the government agents involved, such as social workers or psychologists and psychiatrists. It is also why some people with autism and particularly Asperger’s Syndrome have often been categorised as mad and placed in mental institutions and prisons. This was also clearly apparent in the Orkneys and Isles of Lewis Scandals, and other instances of alleged Satanic Ritual Abuse where the fervent religious beliefs of the State agents involved over-rode a requirement for factual evidence and the use of logical reasoning guided by compassion. Further evidence of these highly subjective interpretations of `Appropriate’ behaviours can also be seen in the cases of Fran Lyon and in many other cases of threatened and actual child removal for specious reasons.

It is also what gave rise to the theory of Fabricated and Induced Illness in children which was created and promoted by the medical profession. With no scientifically based evidence and an absence of research rigour, this was initially merely the conjecture of an ageing and now discredited medical Professor but was unhesitatingly accepted by the respective government department and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and was immediately put into practice. In the process it irreparably destroyed the lives of many thousands of children and their families and resulted in many parents being criminalised and sent to prison for several years.

This focus on `Appropriate’ behaviour or conduct is now part of the lexicon of the State agencies. They have their own undefined beliefs in what is and what is not, appropriate behaviour. For example children can now have `Age-inappropriate’ use of language and knowledge of sexually behaviours which lead immediately to accusations of child abuse and a invasive investigation by child protection workers leaving at the least a highly stigmatised family or at worst the removal of the children to permanent substitute state-approved parents. Such decisions regarding the appropriateness of human behaviours are often seen by those familiar with the workings of the child protection system and the secretive Family Courts. The opinions of those claiming that those behaviours are inappropriate are often preceded by the weasel words of “It seems that……” and “It would appear that…..”. So it is not even a firm opinion yet is taken as fact by the Courts.

`Appropriateness of behaviour’ very often comes up when children are in State care and parents are permitted some form of contact with them. Here is where the social workers excel themselves. A letter, Birthday or Christmas card is immediately censored by the social workers if they contain such words as “I love you” from the parent to the child or if the parent should dare to suggest that one day they will be re-united. In one case where a mother dared to suggest to her children that they might one day be re-united, the social worker sharply and loudly retorted in front of witnesses, “over my dead body”. So much for social workers working in partnership with parents on an `equal and genuine basis’ as required under the laws relating to children.

So it is `inappropriate’ to say to your child that you love them.

The ill-defined boundaries of what is `appropriate’ and what is `Inappropriate’ behaviour of members of the general population, are now being constantly driven back by psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, doctors and nurses and all of those other professionals involved in child protection work. They in turn are driven more by the alluring seduction of fame and status within the profession for creating a new theory of child abuse, rather than a compassionate concern for the safety and welfare of children. A successful adopted theory of child abuse can rapidly lead to demigod status as has been seen on several occasions albeit some of those demigods careers and reputations now lie in ruins as the country begins to awake to their deceptions.

To the governmental mantra of ”We know what is best for you” can also be added, “We also know what is good for you”. This is particularly so in matters of the health of children and the statements of the government that vaccines are safe, when they and millions of others know that vaccines are not safe for many children. The evidence is in the personal testimonies of thousands of parents around the world who have found their child stricken with autism immediately following a vaccine jab and from the thousands of young women who have died or had serious illnesses following the Gardasil vaccine injection. A similar situation exists with many medications for children and which are put out for general usage with no effective research and testing. In consequence many children have died or succumbed to illnesses far more serious than those for which they were originally given the medication.

But the government’s belief is in `Herd Protection’ and “Who cares if one child in fifty dies because of vaccines or untested medications, as long as the rest are protected!”. A parent who refuses vaccines for their child is immediately brought under the pressures of health professionals and others and in the USA the penalties can be even worse.

The dilemma for a parent is enormous. Risk causing your child serious harm such as autism or even death, or risk them suffering a minor childhood illness such as measles or mumps. Of course the government propaganda emphasises that some children die of measles or mumps which is true in countries where children have poor diets and are malnourished but not so in countries where children are healthy and strong and have strong natural immune systems. For example measles and mumps had virtually been eradicated in Britain and America before the introduction of the vaccines and if an infection occurred then medical personnel actually encouraged other children to become infected to bolster their own immune system.

And of course it should be remembered that vaccines yield vast amounts of money to pharmaceutical companies who are constantly lobbying governments and add substantially to the incomes of many members of the medical professions.

And if a child survives a vaccine-caused death but is left with autism or another serious neurological condition, then of course the parent (usually the mother) can be blamed for causing the child’s illness. Very neat for the government and a win-win situation for the medical profession.

My only advice for anyone whose behaviour is deemed as `inappropriate’ is to demand to know how such inappropriateness is defined and by whom and where is the scientifically-based evidence to determine such `inappropriateness’.

Never in his wildest dreams could George Orwell have imagined such insidious State controls over the population nor the penalties for those who inadvertently transgress the mist-shrouded boundaries of `Appropriate’ behaviour are far worse than those which Orwell contrived..!.
ByCharles Pragnell January 04, 2007 Diploma in Social Work and Letter of Recognition in Child Care Expert Witness – Child Protection and Social Care Consultant and Child/Family Advocate..

The Seriously Unhealthy State of Paediatrics

ByCharles Pragnell December 10, 2007
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health [RCPCH) and several prominent U.K. paediatricians have given their unqualified support to Dr. David Southall, despite the fact that Mr Southall has been found to have guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council on two occasions in recent years. It must be presumed therefore that the RCPCH are fully in support of Mr. Southall’s conduct on those occasions and that they view his actions as acceptable conduct in the paediatric profession.
In the past the RCPCH have argued powerfully that patients of paediatricians should not be allowed to complain about the paediatrician’s conduct or incompetence or alternatively that such complaints should be automatically treated as frivolous or vexatious. They now add to this by arguing that even if such complaints are proven, then the paediatrician should be exonerated or at the least completely pardoned for his/her misconduct. The only argument the RCPCH can put forward for such a system is that finding paediatricians guilty of serious misconduct will deter other doctors from undertaking child protection work. They have already convinced the Courts that paediatricians should not be accountable for any professional misconduct when they are giving evidence to Courts and they use the case of Victoria Climbie’ to illustrate their point that children are suffering yet in that case there were 13 agencies, including health and medical workers, who already knew that Victoria Climbie’ was at serious risk of harm..

Yet what is the true situation of child abuse in the U.K. and England in particular?. According to government statistics there are approximately 500,000 reports of child abuse every year in England and the zealots claim that this is “Only the tip of the iceberg of child abuse”. However less than 35,000 of such reports are found to have any form of substance to them when investigated by child protection workers whose claims of abuse having occurred in these small proportion of cases are of a very low standard of evidential proof !. And only a very small proportion of these ever reach the Courts to meet an evidential standard of proof of “On a balance of probability” which is based on a presumption of “more likely than not’ that abuse has occurred i.e. it only needs to be 51% proven to a Judge with no jury present.
To arrive at a Court the parents will have endured months of questioning – by social workers, and probably also by doctors, nurses, police etc and most likely will have to face the unjudicial Inquisition of a Child Protection Conference without legal representation and without formal legal protections. Yet it is extremely rare that they will ultimately be accused of anything so they are denied their day in Court. All that will happen is that their children will be removed from them by Court Order without naming the alleged abusers but by default they will be branded as the child abusers without a chance to defend themselves or clear their names. Even terrorists who threaten to bomb and maim innocent citizens are released from interrogation after a set number of days or are given a fair trial and competent legal representation to defend themselves.
This also proves that it is the small number of false accusations of child abuse which reach public notice which are the tip of an iceberg of such false accusations and that claims of widespread child abuse are a fiction perpetuated to obtain increased resources for those agencies engaged in child protection work.
And what of the many hundreds of parents in the vast majority of reported cases of child abuse where it has been found that such reports are false and have been made for mistaken, mischievous, or malicious reasons?. They are left completely devastated and in many instances their lives are destroyed and the mere fact that they have been suspects will follow them for the rest of their lives – at schools, doctor’s surgeries, and even at workplaces, not to mention among their neighbours and relatives who mistakenly have the simple belief that, “Well there’s no smoke without fire”. Yet there has been no fire and all there has been is smoke and mirrors. Such an experience affects parents very deeply especially where only one has been accused of the abuse – even the other partner is left with unanswered suspicions and this gnaws away at their relationship until they finally separate leaving the children with only one parent and the continuing fear that they may be removed from their beds by mysterious and compassionless adults in the middle of the night.

Living with constant terror is extremely disabling and it can be extremely difficult to continue to live normally – merely going to the shops becomes a chore when there are stares and whispers behind hands. For those with strong religious beliefs they can be banished from their churches with no compassion or support shown by those who profess the same religion. The established churches have no compassion for anyone accused of child abuse – even if such allegations of child abuse were proven, wouldn’t the principles of such churches lead them to give some support and compassion for the transgressors and to help them redeem themselves?.
The zealots have their own religion. It is based in the unproven and unscientific theories of psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, and social researchers and which are based at best on anecdotal stories and at worst on junk science and many of which have been proven by authentic research to be fraudulent. Yet these theories become the basis of the belief system of the child protection world. They hold regular conferences to re-assure themselves and each other and new converts that such theories are valid and to press their beliefs regularly through training courses and other conferences. Such theories include Satanic Ritual Abuse, Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy, Shaken Baby Syndrome, Repressed Memory Syndrome etc etc. All serve to confuse and confound the uninitiated in Courts and other venues. When the theories are exposed as fraudulent then the titles are merely changed and claims are made that the new theory is different but with the same definition.
These theories have been rampant in child protection work for over three decades largely promoted by the social work training institutions but there is some slight hope for the future as some Courts are beginning to rule that such theories are inadmissible as evidence and are no substitute for facts on which Courts should have been making decisions.
But the real masterminds of the reign of terror by the child protection system in the UK are the faceless bureaucrats in the Department of Education and Skills who promote and enforce the policies which the child protection workers must follow. Yet when things go wrong, as they oft times do, these bureaucrats sit back in silence knowing they will escape the subsequent fallout but will be quick to mount their own inquiry afterwards and find fault with the front line workers who have failed to carry out their policies.
Is there any hope of bringing this State engendered terrorism to an end?. Sadly not much!. The present government are implacably engaged in an ideological social engineering experiment based on beliefs that they, and not parents know what is best for children, and if parents don’t comply with their ideas of child care and upbringing, then the children will be removed into substitute care with adopters or foster carers. Further to this end such workers as midwives and health visitors are now to become their espionage agents – prying into people’s lives and reporting them if they do not meet the State’s requirements. This will be extended into schools and other points where the public come into contact with education, health, and welfare services. The information they gather will then be fed into a nationwide database with subjective decisions by these workers that a parent may be alcoholic, engaged in prostitution, have a mental illness, is a drug taker, or has a criminal conviction etc. Any two of these subjective accusations will immediately trigger off a child protection investigation with the accompanying devastating consequences.
Even George Orwell in his worst nightmares could not have envisaged what is happening in Britain today. It only requires a camera in every home linked to the local child protection office and the circle will be complete. Beware of Room 101.
You have been warned Britain!. ByCharles Pragnell (UK/Australasia) December 10, 2007
Diploma in Social Work and Letter of Recognition in Child Care
Expert Witness – Child Protection and Social Care Consultant and Child/Family Advocate.

21st century parent

onlyamum — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:47:19 CST

A 21st Century Manifesto For Parenting
by John Breeding, Ph.D.

Scott Nearing was a man, born in 1883, who devoted his life to challenging the destruction caused by Western Civilization and its attendant primary value on profit for a few via systematic inculcation of competitive, acquisitive and consumptive attitudes. Scott and his wife, Helen, also observed in their lifetime that the American urban and suburban family had virtually disappeared as a social unit and a social force. With everybody busily working in the system, and children turned over to the forces of compulsory education, the rhythms, routines and regularities of home living have become much less significant in childrens lives.
I agree with the Nearings that Western Civilization, with its clear and consistent emphasis on militarism, competition, industrialism, materialism, and profit for the few at the expense of the many is costing us all. Clearly it is hurting our children. If health is an indicator of the quality of an individualÕs relationship with its environment, then increases in chronic illnesses in children clearly reflect our society's failure. If literacy and psychological well-being are indicators of the quality of childrenÕs development, then growing numbers of illiterate, "learning-disabled" and otherwise "psychiatrically afflicted" children clearly show the failure of our civilization. If relaxed confidence, trust and safety are indicators of the quality of a child's development, then we are failing many. If fraud and deceit, and drugs and violence and imprisonment of adults are indicators of failed character development, then the way we raise young people in Western Civilization is a disaster.
It seems to me that a definitive indicator of the quality of a civilization is in the care of its young. Since mothers do the most care of children, a rational civilization must, by any measure, value mothers over militarism. Since the care of children depends on available caring fathers, a rational civilization must value the health and well-being of its men over militarist expansion and corporate profits. These two values are not and never have been true of Western Civilization.
Since the care of children depends on adequate availability of basic needs, the financial well-being of working families must always be a priority over excess wealth of the few and excess military might; this, too is not and never has been true of Western Civilization. What is true is the reality of what I call parental oppression, a state of hardship due to systematic neglect and mistreatment of parents and families for the sake of the power and greed inherent in an exploitative approach to people and the world. Parenting is always a difficult challenge, but it is especially hard because of the lack of real support in our society, and because of the deleterious effects on community, in the form of alienation and separation, which were wrought by the priorities of militarist, industrialist, capitalist civilization. So parenting is hard not because parents are doing a bad job; in fact, parents are doing heroically well under the circumstances. As an example of this, we may for the first time have a small, but significant cohort of young people who are being raised with an attitude of complete respect from their parents. This is a wonderful and remarkable thing. Nevertheless, the decline of Western Civilization as we know it may be seen in the tremendous stress and neglect from which so many of our children are suffering. Denying such effect only supports its perpetuation. Facing it allows for the possibility of real help for our children, in the form of everyday heroic action by parents. Hence, the following manifesto.

A 21st Century manifesto for Parents
I recognize that our society is seriously disturbed and dangerous to the well-being of my family and my children in many ways. I recognize that our society has institutionalized many obviously harmful practices as acceptable tradeoffs for the perpetuation of the status values of Western civilization. This is not acceptable to me. Therefore, I vow to keep my eyes open, to educate myself, and to provide protection for my children to the best of my ability against the most grievous harms, some of which include the following.
I will provide protection against:

unnecessary prenatal trauma. We have now verified scientifically what aware mothers have always knownÑthat babies are enormously affected by their prenatal experience. It is the responsibility of parents to see that mothers are well-nourished and protected from all forms of stress overload. It would do well to remember that some cultures actually use the prenatal time to contact the soul which is incarnating in the baby to find out its purpose for this life. Taken literally or metaphorically, this is a wonderful reminder of the perennial spiritual wisdom, reflected in the immortal words of Kahlil Gibran, that Òyour children are not your children.Ó We parents are the protectors and guardians of an awesome being during its years of physical and psychological development. What a glorious task!
unnecessary birth trauma. We also know that the birth experience is a most powerful determinant of well-being. While much has been done to reclaim this natural process from mid-20th century extremes of medical technological control, it remains true that many mothers and babies are unduly hurt by unnecessary drugs, use of force, and other harmful birthing practices. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure as natural and benign a birthing experience as possible. This includes protecting against separation which can disrupt the bonding of mother and infant.
the trauma of circumcision. This harmful, cruel and unnecessary relic, justified by cultural, religious and pseudo-scientific superstition, should be avoided.
the trauma of in-arms deprivation. In-arms deprivation is a term coined by Jean Liedloff to characterized the effects of a very specific unmet need, the need to be carried in arms, to be held virtually all the time in the first six months of life. Many older children and adults suffer anxiety and irrational dependency because of this unmet need from infancy. Alternatively, many are somewhat detached and shut down, and don't even think they need physical touch and affection. What a gift for parents and children to delight in close touch and affection all the years of their lives!
the trauma of unnecessary immunizations. Vaccine proponents are recommending more and more immunizations, including vaccines for diseases not particularly dangerous for children (e.g., chicken pox) or for which children are not generally at risk (e.g., hepatitis B). Furthermore, governments are pushing for more coercion in this area. Much is known about the dangers of various vaccines. Parents should be completely educated on this subject before making decisions affecting their childrenÕs lives. Those who decide some immunization is good should be especially well-informed about the vaccines they elect to have administered to their children and should be able to discern reactions. All children should be protected from postpartum immunization, and extremely wary about immunizations during infancy.
the trauma of toxic and unhealthy foods. America's food industry is a callous and mercenary exploiter of children; the horrible effects of massive intake of processed foods, sugar and toxic substances on our children are enormous. Parents must resist this damaging influence and do everything they can to see that our children are well-nourished. At the least, this means restriction of sugar (in all its disguises), chemical additives and preservatives, fast foods and processed foods. For many, perhaps most children, this also means restriction of dairy and, for some, of other common allergy foods such as wheat and corn. This also means restriction of fast foods and processed foods, and reliance on fresh, whole foods, preferably organic. Plenty of water is essential, as is adequate intake of the essential fatty acids.
the trauma of separation from nature. What a great tragedy it is to deprive a child the experience of hours in the natural world of earth and sky, grasses, flowers, bushes, trees, water, bugs, birds and animals of all kinds. It is so much more important that children play with dirt than Gameboys.
the trauma of TV and video. The average American child watches hours of electronic media every day. The deleterious effects of such practice are enormous, directly in effects on central nervous system function and programming of consciousness, indirectly in the sacrifice of time spent in more wholesome activities.
the trauma of computers. Conscious professionals are now challenging the unconscious assumption that this technology is good for young children. A useful guideline is to protect preschoolers from all involvement, to preclude use until children are fluent in reading and cursive writing, and to limit elementary age children to 1/2 hour per day.
the trauma of a sedentary lifestyle. Movement, activity, physical play and exercise - these are essential to the healthy development of a child's body and mind.
the trauma of compulsive busyness. Fast (and furious) may be the trend of modern western civilization, but it is not healthy. Our children need lots of relaxed down time to be with themselves and with friends and family - not to be constantly entertained and stimulated, but to discover themselves and the world, sand to create and produce their own initiatives. A related problem is the tendency to deny children necessary experience and opportunities to learn and contribute because it is easier and quicker to do it ourselves. Parents must take the time to let children help, even if the dishes take two hours instead of the 10 minutes in which you could get it done. Finally, my own and others' observation is that 90% of punishment incidents take place because of time pressure. Do yourselves and your children a favor by arranging life as much as possible at a slower pace.
the trauma of sleep deprivation. A large percentage of Americans, including our children, are sleep deprived. Parents must protect children from being forced to accommodate to adult needs and schedules. Likewise, parent must resist the lure of permissiveness as a justification to avoid the need to set healthy limits for a child. Rhythm, routine and regularity are keys for a well-ordered life, and especially for a safe, relaxed, healthy environment in which a child can develop. The greatest effect that parents have on their children is not in the direct interventions, but in the indirect effects promoted by creating a family life that is a safe haven, a rich relational world, and a healthy influence ordered to meet the basic needs of children.
the trauma of adultism. Adultism refers to the systematic mistreatment of young people simply because they are young. The key indicator is disrespect. One of the best ways for adults to assess whether they are perpetrating adultism on a young person is to ask themselves whether they would say the same thing in the same tone of voice to another adult that they just said to a young person. It is crucially important for parents to challenge adultism because the effects of this oppression (hurt, fear, shame, and the internalized pattern of disrespect) are exactly the reason why other forms of oppression (eg., racism, sexism, gay oppression) are allowed. Without being systematically hurt and psychologically conditioned to be mean and disrespectful, adults would not stand for the mistreatment of themselves or others.
the trauma of emotional suppression. This one is enormously important, a meta-key of protection. Humans are incredibly intelligent and relational by nature, but when physically or emotionally hurt, the resultant distress causes us to appear less so. As parents we must protect our children from interference with the natural healing mechanism of emotional expression. Society at large and too many parents still confuse the hurt (eg., loss of a toy) with the emotional discharge or release of the hurt, in this case by crying or tantruming. Some parents try to teach their children that crying does no good since no action is accomplished, and may even shame a child for crying. The truth is that even well-intentioned efforts to soothe or distract the child from crying, while perhaps successful and even necessary at times of stress as a temporary diversion, does harm in the long run. Our children recover from hurt and loss by crying, frustration and insult by tantruming or storming, and frightful experiences by shaking, trembling and sweating. The job of parents is to stay close and help them with their hard feelings. An added value is the blessing knowledge that they do not have to go through the hard stuff alone.
the trauma of condescension. This is related to adultism, but specific to the common degrading and debilitating practice of treating children as cutely inadequate, and minimizing or underestimating their enormous intelligence. Adults tend to confuse lack of information and experience with lack of intelligence. To patronize children is an enormous insult. To deny them excellent information about how the world works is a great disservice that sets them up for unnecessary harm and failure. Similarly, to deny them the opportunity to be useful. Parents must ensure that children get regular opportunities to make real, meaningful contributions to family life.
against the trauma of chronic hopelessness. A huge pattern of many adults in our society is chronic hopelessness or apathy. This is a persistent feeling that things are hopeless, that one cannot make a difference, that it is useless to try. Excitement and enthusiasm, like passionate outrage are seen as the stuff of na•ve childhood, or perhaps as possibilities for remarkable others, but not myself. While the world is indeed in rough shape in many ways, the feeling of chronic hopelessness is nothing but a mental and emotional distress recording left over from early experiences of being hurt without help or recourse to healing. It is vital that parents challenge this pattern in themselves in order to convey a more realistic and healthy attitude to their children. Diane Shisk, an international leader in the Re-evaluation Counseling Community, recommends that the following message be frequently conveyed to our children: ÒThere are many problems to be solved. Many people are hurt and unable to treat each other well. But many people are thinking about what should be done to fix things and are joining together to make things right. We will be able to set everything right, and you will be able to help us.Ó
against the trauma of competition. This is another meta-key and a reason that primary values of western civilization are doomed to failure. The truth is, substantiated by considerable research, that we do better on all levels (including learning, performance and productivity) with a spirit and practice of cooperation. We need to model and support our children to take delight in and celebrate others' successes, and accept and understand the value and necessity of making mistakes.
against the trauma of militarism. Our society invests a predominant amount of its available resources in war-making endeavors, sacrificing the real human needs of its people even in times of apparent peace. The propaganda and practices emphasizing violence as the penultimate solution to lifeÕs challenges and conflicts can be overwhelming. Conscious parenting must be thoughtful and persistent in contradicting such conditioning to violence, and providing young people the information and attitudes necessary to contribute toward a world without war. The rapidly growing prison industry is a related place where more and more lives of our youth are sacrificed; this institution of chronic hopelessness and retributive justice must also be challenged.
the trauma of unnecessary medical interventions. Iatrogenic (medically induced) illness is almost a household term today. Examples include problems caused by medicalized birth, unnecessary antibiotic use, unnecessary suppression of fever, and vaccine reactions. The common cycle of antibiotic use and tubes for the inner ear for recurrent ear infections, when elimination of dairy would solve the problem in most instances, is another good example.
the trauma of all psychiatric drugs. It is a national shame and disgrace that an estimated 8,000,000 school-age children in the United States are on toxic psychiatric drugs, all for alleged illnesses that are scientifically unproven. This is a social and medical scandal that should disabuse all conscious parents of any remaining illusion that it is safe to blindly trust your medical or educational authorities.
against the trauma of compulsory factory schooling. Everyone should read the work of John Taylor Gatto, who is the most informed, thorough and eloquent writer on the subject of education today, to learn about the enormous problems of our compulsory education system. His advice to parents, after 30 years of public school teaching and twice New York State teacher of the year, is as follows: "Breaking the hold of fear on your life is the necessary first step. If you can keep your kid out of any part of the school sequence at all, keep him or her out of kindergarten, then first, then second, and maybe third grade. Home-school them at least that far through the zone where most of the damage is done. If you can manage that, theyÕll be OK." (The Underground History Of American Education, p. 383) If you canÕt do that, I have two pieces of advice. First, stay close to your children, be their vigorous ally, and let them know that you and they together will figure things out and have great success. Second, protect them against taking on shame from the inevitable experiences that something is wrong when the schools whose imposed schedule and structure inevitably and routinely violates the self-directed learning tendencies and styles of your children. Let them know, at whatever level they are capable of, depending on their age, that when this happens it is not because they are wrong or inadequate or defective, but that the schools have some problems, and that you and they can figure out how to handle it in a way that will work for your children. Whatever happens, donÕt let the spirit of your child be crushed by debilitating shame.
the trauma of illiteracy and labels such as learning disabled (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is an ongoing tragedy that the literacy rate of Americans has systematically declined with increased governmental funding and control of education. The truth is that learning to read is not a great mystery. The average 5-year-old can master all of the 70 phonograms for reading in six weeks, and is then able to read just about anything. Understanding, of course, comes later. There are methods available to help children who missed the so-called pre-reading skills. It is regrettable that the schools are not doing the job. Even more regrettable is that they blame the children, label them as defective, remove them from their peers, and give them drugs. Parents must protect children from such assault, and make sure that their children get the support necessary to learn to read and to grow up without stigmatization and an identity as defective.
against the trauma of a flawed view of human nature. The harmful practices of our civilization which this manifesto encourages parents to resist are rooted in a grievous misunderstanding of human nature. The schools are designed on the assumption that there are dumb children, and that children are like empty machines needing to be programmed and filled. Punitive or shame-based or controlling child-rearing practices are legacies of a Judeo-Christian view of fallen, sinful human nature. Our greedy, profit-driven, militarist, consumerist culture is based on a view of human nature without soul or spirit. Psychiatry is based on a worldview which reduces human beings and human experience to biology and chemistry. All of this is motivated by fear that flawed human nature will win out, or that we will be eaten before we can eat. I believe the truth is that human nature, at its deepest, is benign and wonderful, that we are inherently intelligent, resourceful, zestful, affectionate and relational. By protecting our children form harm and cynicism, by giving them accurate information at the level they can comprehend, and by allowing and encouraging them to express the pain associated with the hurts they do suffer, this true nature will blossom. Perhaps the greatest gifts we can give to our children are to see them through the eyes of delight, and to be with them in an attitude of relaxed confidence that they, with our abiding love and support, are turning out very well.
the trauma of a parent unwilling to face their own traumas. Perhaps the most fundamental law of parenting is that we are forced to face the places where it is hard for us to remain thoughtful and loving about our children. The fact is that parents have to choose, again and again, between personal transformation, on the one hand, and suppressing our children, on the other. The only reason we punish or reject our children is because pain associated with our own past traumas is upon us and we are unable or unwilling to face ourselves and take personal responsibility for our state of mind. There are no bad or disgusting or hopeless children, only children who are having a hard time and need good attention and support. Giving this to them requires facing our own stuff, and sometimes getting help for ourselves, in order to come back into a thoughtful place about our children. The alternative is to shut them down so we are not uncomfortable. A commitment to the attitudes embodied in this manifesto means something like this:

I will not blame my children for how I feel. I take full responsibility for my actions and my state of mind. I am willing to change and continue growing up all the days of my parenting life. I recognize that our society is seriously disturbed and dangerous to the well-being of my children and my family in many ways. I also recognize, however, the glorious true nature of my self and my children; therefore, I have complete confidence that my children will turn out well. I promise to remain close and affectionate with my children all the days of our lives.

john hemming the families champion

onlyamum — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:14:27 CST

There are now 5 Early Day Motions that I have tabled at the House of Commons relating to Social Services and Childrens issues.

Three of them relate to the activities of Professor David Southall. This is very relevant to Public Family Law as he was one of the key
proponents of diagnosing MSbP (now FII).

The five are

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31384&SESSION=875

EDM 2768 WORK OF PROFESSOR DAVID SOUTHALL (No. 2) 17.10.2006

That this House notes that over a large number of years Professor Southall has performed risky, interventionist, non-therapeutic,
experiments on babies and young children that have been demonstrated to have caused medical difficulties for some of the babies
and young children; further notes that project E5 involved over sedating babies, misleading parents as to the discomfort and risk faced
by their babies and giving carbon monoxide to babies with respiratory problems; further notes that this has been reported to the General
Medical Council; and calls for the General Medical Council to explain why no action has been taken.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31383&SESSION=875

EDM 2767WORK OF PROFESSOR DAVID SOUTHALL 17.10.2006

That this House notes that according to the report written by Professor David Hull for North Staffordshire Trust about the work of Professor
David Southall in the report written for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire by Professor McLeish and Dr Durbin, Professor McLeish
said that Professor Southall `pursued multiple clinical research studies that were poorly designed and therefore were unlikely to produce
new knowledge of worth. More worryingly he appears to have had insufficient regard for the ethical standards that should surround all
clinical studies in babies'; believes that such comments are important comments that require proper consideration; is surprised that the
University Hospital of North Staffordshire is unable to find a copy of this report; calls for the hospital to find a copy of this report and publish
its contents; and further calls for an independent judicial or Parliamentary inquiry into the research and clinical activities of Professor David
Southall, the failure of the regulatory system to prevent unethical experiments on babies managed by Professor Southall and the misuse of
child protection and judicial procedures both to prevent parents from raising complaints about his research and procure children for his
research.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31291&SESSION=875

EDM 2688INDUCED ILLNESS IN CHILDREN 10.10.2006

That this House notes that guidance from the Department for Education and Skills, entitled Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Induced
or Fabricated by Carers with Parenting Responsibilities, says that `when a "possible" explanation for the signs and symptoms of illness is
that "they may have been fabricated or induced by a carer", and as a consequence the "child's health or development is or is likely to be
impaired", a referral should be made to the social services department'; further notes that the effect of the above is to require parents alleged
to have induced illness in their children to prove their innocence, rather than to require those accusing parents of inducing illness in their
children to prove the guilt of parents; and calls for a review of this guidance.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31280&SESSION=875

EDM 2679 TAKING CHILDREN INTO CARE 09.10.2006

That this House notes that taking fewer children into care would facilitate the provision for better services for those who have been taken into
care; further notes that many children have been taken into care in error in the past; further notes that there is a conflict of interest between
social services acting as a supportive service and social services acting as an enforcement-based service; and calls for the Secretary of State
for the Department of Education and Skills to review the option of taking the enforcement role out of social services and into a specialist agency.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31279&SESSION=875

EDM 2678 PROFESSOR DAVID SOUTHALL'S RESEARCH CASE FILES 09.10.2006

That this House notes that Professor David Southall has maintained Special Case files including details of research he has managed on many
thousands of babies over a number of years; further notes that it is the view of the Chief Medical Officer that copies of such information should
be given to the patients who range throughout England and Wales from Birmingham, through Barnsley to Banbury and Bristol; regrets that the
University Hospital of North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust has not as yet done so; and calls for the UHNS Trust to act to rectify
this situation.

The URL for each of them can be used to track with MPs have signed them.

A lot has happened over the past month or so that has some substantial effect on "the system".

There are a couple of cases in the Family Court system that, although important, cannot be commented on in this email. One is in Scotland
the other in the West Midlands (Birmingham).

The judgement of Justice Mumby relating to the Webster Family is an important judgement.

The Times have posted it in full online (in 4 pages). It is worth reading.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2436245,00.html

The Webster family have been allowed to take Brandon home whilst the court proceedings continue.

Simon Clayton's judgement also has helped to put cracks in the secrecy of the family court. It might be that there will be a further similar
action from a child victim of the system in the near future (discussions are afoot).

Obviously Marianne Williams' case was important. The excellent legal team of Bill Bache and Andy Scott managed to prove her innocence.
It would be nice if the system needed to prove her guilt, but with witch hunts that never happens.

Quoting from EDM 2892

MEDICAL EVIDENCE IN COURTS

31.10.2006

Hemming, John

That this House welcomes the work of the Chief Medical Officer in relation to expert witnesses relating to medical issues,
but expresses concern that medical professionals with conflicts of interest have been allowed to promote prosecutions
such as that of Marianne Williams; notes with concern that a false diagnosis of chronic sexual abuse by a medical
professional, followed by multiple unacceptable errors by social workers, in a recent case caused a family to be separated
for some years when in fact there was no actual evidence of abuse; expresses its continuing support for opening up the
family courts so that errors made by professionals are more readily detected and hence prevented and the consequent
miscarriages of justice avoided; and calls for a review as to what extent witnesses as to facts should be involved in Crown
conferences in criminal cases

I am not allowed to identify the case referred to where chronic sexual abuse was diagnosed, but in fact when looked at properly there was no
evidence of any sexual abuse, but it appears that the RCPCH may have recognised the nature of this problem.

The conflicts of interest in the expert witnesses for the Marianne Williams case have been recognised by the media.

One of the reasons why it is worth reading the full judgements is clear when people read the Court of Appeal judgement relating to Roy Meadow.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2006/1390.html

Much that it was initially reported that Meadow had been found "not guilty" of "serious professional misconduct". The fact was that all three
judges believed he was guilty of "professional misconduct". One thought it should be on the basis of one trial "serious professional misconduct"

He should now face more allegations in front of the GMC.

This brings us to the role of the GMC. There has been a tendency for doctors to remove themselves from the register rather than face
proceedings at the GMC. I am personally concerned that the GMC seem to be more interested in sex than massively unethical research projects.

Some of the allegations against David Southall (who according to Keele University has been nothing to do with them since late 2004) will be
considered at a hearing starting on 13th November along with other allegations against one or moreother paediatricians relating to unethical
use of child protection procedures.

I am currently attempting for a meeting with the RCPCH to find their view on research project E5 as identified and reported on in the report of
Professor Sir David Hull that is now in the public domain.

The University Hospital of North Staffordshire have hidden as a result of requests for them to provide copies of the secret medical files. They
have now been reported to the Information Commissioner, but are steadfastly avoiding saying whether or not they will tell patients that theyhave
secret medical files.

A meeting on secrecy of family courts was held last Monday (30th Oct)

Tamm'y story is interesting

http://www.fassit.co.uk/opening_up_family_courts.htm

New Parliamentary Session

Because there is a new parliamentary session all the EDM's will fall and need to be retabled. This will be done some time in the new parliamentary
session. It is, therefore, worth holding back for a few weeks before chasing MPs about the EDMs. The old numbers will still be visible
on edmi.parliament.uk

If you haven't seen the EDMs previously try looking at them at

http://edmi.parliament.uk - look for the ones that I am the primary sponsor of.

I am looking at holding a "no more witch hunts"event in the House of Commons. If anyone would wish to attend please get them to email or
write to me at

John Hemming MP

Freepost

House of Commons

London SW1 0AA

The event itself would be free, but people would have to find their own travel costs.

Please note my previous campaignreport available online:

http://www.fassit.co.uk/john_hemming_campaign.htm

Southall in Front of GMC

Hearings with David Southall in front of the General Medical Council Fitness to Practise Committee commence on Monday. I have expressed
a particular concern that the issue of historic research, particularly project E5 where the facts are accepted as in the Hull Report,is not being
considered by the committee. However, it will mean that some of the issues which have been concealed for decades will come to the fore.

Lawrence Alexander, one of the test subjects, has issued a statement.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2006/11/times-articles-and-southall-victim.html

and a press release which is available on his web space

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=53964803

There have been two interesting articles in the times

one by John Batt

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2436307,00.html

relating to MSbP and FII

one byAdrian Keane

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2436306,00.html

about unreliable evidence.

A contrary argument for professional secrecy occurs here from Jonathan Gornall

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/333/7576/1024

I have asked him to explain why professionals should be allowed to give evidence in secret.

Metaphyseal Fractures

I have written to the College of Radiologists to ask for their formal evidenced position on Metaphyseal Fractures.

This paper

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12709748&dopt=Abstract

demonstrates that Metaphyseal Fractures in isolation do not prove Child Abuse.

RCPCH

I have written to the RCPCH to ask for a meeting about research protocols. No response has been received as yet (about 2 weeks).

Useful recent URLs (in previous reports)

The judgement of Justice Mumby relating to the Webster Family is an important judgement.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2436245,00.html

Court of Appeal judgement relating to Roy Meadow.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2006/1390.html

Tammy's story demonstrates the difficulty of Contested Adoptions forced through on the basis of flawed evidence, on the balance of
probabilities in secret. There is an effect both on the child, the birth parents and the adoptive parents. I am calling for a hold on contested
adoptions whilst the process is reviewed.

http://www.fassit.co.uk/opening_up_family_courts.htm

EDMs when retabled will appear at.

http://edmi.parliament.uk

The Family Proceedings (Amendment No 4) Rules 2005

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20051976.htm

Simon Clayton's hearing into secrecy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=393926&in_page_id=1879

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2246764,00.html

The reference is to Daily Mail and Times Online articles about Simon Clayton obtaining the right to talk publicly about his private law Family
Court Case. I don't have the original case materials to hand. However, it gives a mechanism whereby people can obtain court orders to talk
publicly about their cases.

http://www.simonclayton.org.uk/

Consultation on opening up proceedings in family courts

http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courttransparencey1106/cp1106.htm

This is an important consultation into a more widespread opening up of access to Family Court Cases. The consultation remains open. An
area where concern remains is mechanisms to prevent continual perjury in Family Courts.

Children and Families Comprehensive Spending Review

The government is reviewing expenditure in each budget heading. People may wish to argue that money spent in assisting families in looking
after their children would be more cost effective than expensive residential and foster care.

Joint HM Treasury and Department for Education and Skills
Children and Young People's Review: terms of reference (DfES/HMT)
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/3DE/13/cyp_statement050706.pdf

A number of things have kicked off this week. The GMC hearings into Southallhave started with an attempt to gag the parents. I challenged
the GMC as to why they were keeping the parents anonymous and they claimed court orders. They, however, could only find three orders.
In any event this did not bind anyone else so I published the names on my web log. (and spoke about this in the House of Commons yesterday)

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2006/11/gmc-continues-cover-up.html

I also referred the GMC's lack of action on the research to the Council for Health Care Regulatory Excellence.

Justice for Families

I am pleased that Bill Bache, the legal advisor to Sally Clarke and Marianne Williams (amongst others) has agreed to be the legal advisor to
Justice for Families. There will be planning for the "No more witchhunts" meeting over the next week or so.

The following campaigns are now affiliated.

Fassit

Dare To Care

A campaign about Forced Adoption

Grandparents Action Group UK

Unity Injustice

FASO

Speech as part of Queens Speech Debate

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm061116/debtext/61116-0013.htm#06111632000928

I spoke yesterday during the Queens Speech debate covering the surface ofa number of issues. I am hoping to get this uploaded to youtube.
You can see it from the parliamentary website, but you get it in the middle of other speeches.

Medical Ethics Debate Kicks off on BMJ

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/333/7576/1024

There has been some debate on the issue of medical ethics and the family courts on the BMJ website. It is good news that the contrary views
are being debated in public as this is necessary to achieve change.

New EDMs started

I have tabled the EDMs from the previous session. Once they have all gone down I will issue the numbers. There is a limit of 2 per sitting day.
I have added a new one about forced adoptions as well (see speech for details).

Lay Legal Support

More progress has been made developing support systems for Litigants in Person. Anyone interested in this should email me
(hemmingj@parliament.uk)or Tom Paul (paultj@parliament.uk)

Contacts for each Social Services Area

We are establishing a list of contacts for each social services area so that advice literature can be provided for families needing advice.
If you are willing to volunteer for your area please email Tom Paul on paultj@parliament.uk We also need regional contacts to coordinate
each region. Don't worry if you don't know what region you live in, but if you are willing to help in a region please email Tom.

Literature

Any suggestions for what needs to be in literature needs to be emailed to Tom Paul so he can pass it to the people doing the drafting work.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

I have identified two cases recently (one in London one in Wales) where the system is trying to remove a child because a sibling of the child
was diagnosed as being shaken. In both cases it appears that a metabolic disease such as glutaric aciduria is the probable cause of the
subdural haematomata and retinal haemorrhages. There is a strong argument requiring three symptoms including some damage to the head
before concluding on the probable cause. I have written to the RCPCH about this with a view to seeing if they have formalised advice on this.

One of the cases has started the process of judicial review.

A biomechanical study of SBS

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15885948

Is a report which indicates that for a baby's brain to be sufficiently damaged by shaking damage to the spinewould happenand without the
signs of damage to the spine (or bruising to the head) a proper diagnosis should be that SBS does not apply. This is an extension of the
above point really.

Wikipedia is also helpful on this giving reference to a hearing in the USA about the admissibility of claims of SBS without other damage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaken_baby_syndrome

Clearly this is not a binding precedent on the UK, but it is an important point.

Secrecy

I have looked further at the Mumby judgement and analysed what I think it means at.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2006/11/family-courts-how-secret-are-they.html

This is important as it means that people can talk publicly about the cases they were involved in - when it has finished -as long as they don't use
any of the court documents or discuss what actually happened in court. That is without applying for permission.

The amended information rules from 2005

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20051976.htm

mean that you can send a copy of the judgment to any elected representative or Peer. Elected representative means an MP, AM or MEP. That
does not have to be your own elected representative. Anyone with concerns abouta judgment can send details to me with a copy of the judgment.
Remember, however, that I cannot deal with any substantial load of casework and, therefore, are working in conjunction with affiliated campaigns
on casework. It does allow some central recordkeeping as to the nature of problems, however.

Southall

Lawrence Alexander has collated much of the press information about Southall here.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=53964803&blogID=193129053&MyToken=87e90a16-dcb3-4ed6-aacd-40c6be3c7560

For those that have followed the different justifications Southall has given for holding the secret files here is one of the stories

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6180516.stm

There are about 4,499 special case files according to Southall. The hospital continues to fail to answer the question as to whether or not they will tell
people what is in their special case files. I am working to get an electronic transcript of the hearing. We have paper copies.

SIDS research

http://www.skynews.com.au/health/story.asp?id=138793

Reports how it is the failure of a brain system that reponds to hypoxia (low oxygen) or hypercarbia (high levels of CO2) that causes SIDS. There is
chinese research that demonstrates that primates can develop tolerance to hypoxia as a result of exposure to hypoxic environments. In other words
when they are exposed to low oxygen levels it damages the response system so that they are more likely to fail to respond to low oxygen.

The original paper is here

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/17/2124

Opposite view

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/333/7579/1165?ehom=

In the above article Jonathan Gornall arguing a contrary view. He argues that a paper relating to sudden infant deaths occurring within a family is flawed.
The argument for the validity of "Meadow's law" is that SIDS has no genetic element (which would conflict from the argument about the seratonin system
above). In essence he is arguing that Meadow's law was not the load of rubbish that almost everyone else knows it was.

St Neot's sign up

The main list of affiliated campaigns is here

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/justiceforfamilies.html

A mother's story on YouTube

I haven't been able to watch this 6 minute video, but it is about forced adoptions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoZKjUk6hT4

Family Law Weekly relating to Family Court Secrecy

http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/library.asp?i=2650

Much the same conclusions as I came to

Elizabeth Marsh has launched the following e-petition on the downing st Website

http://petitionspm.gov.uk/FamilyMatters/#detail

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Empower and Restore the Family Unit

she says in support of it

What is Child Abuse? There is little clear definition. Succeeding generations provide different insights, confusing many
professionalsand the general public alike.

When the Social Service framework by way of the Family Courts merely has to indicate that abuse is "probable"
rather than demonstrate that it is actual, to require the forced removal of a child from its home, how can this ever benefit
any child? Any procedure must only commence with parental consent not in spite of it.
The single most effective means of restoring the fragmented family unit is to respect it and to acknowledge that, as in
Criminal Law, parents and carers are innocent until proven otherwise.
Without this basic fundamental, an ever-deepening breakdown of trust will continue, thereby eroding the foundations of
the family unit and family life.

SOFAP - Petition

SOFAP have also launched a petition on the Downing St Website.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Sexualabuse/

Metaphyseal Fractures

I have received a helpful letter from the College of Radiologists about Metaphyseal Fractures.

It is on my website at:

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/CRmetaphyseal.html

RCPCH public Child Protection Companion

This has been published at

http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/publications/recent_publications/ChildProtComp.pdf

More EDMs tabled

EDM 448 MEDICAL SPECIAL CASE FILES 07.12.2006

That this House welcomes the fact that 4,499 hitherto medical special case files will be incorporated into the medical records at the
University Hospital of North Staffordshire and Royal Brompton hospitals; expresses concern that the doctor responsible for this
unacceptable situation will be in a position to filter the information that is kept out of the proper medical records; notes with incredulity
that the University Hospital of North Staffordshire continues to refuse to indicate whether it will tell patients individually whether medical
files on them have been held; and calls for an independent body to be brought in to handle the process of rectifying the medical records.

EDM 447 USE OF MEDICAL RECORDS IN COURT 07.12.2006

That this House notes the admission of Dr David Southall during General Medical Council Fitness to Practice hearings that incomplete
medical records have been provided when requests were made for medical records as part of contemplated legal proceedings; further
notes that unless people specifically asked for the contents of medical special case files they would not have been provided with them;
appreciates that the content of these medical special case files may have had some considerable bearing upon a number of cases; and
calls for a review of all cases where such evidence was kept from the court, so as to ensure that there have been no miscarriages of justice.

______________________________________________________________________

Medical Ethics Speech

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm061219/debtext/61219-0014.htm#06121938000980

I do want to upload this somewhere. The House Authorities are getting stressed about it being uploaded to YouTube. That is a bit silly as
there is no good reason why it should not be uploaded to YouTube, but can be uploaded to my own website.

James Lefanu has sent me a copy of his Feb 2005 article on the wrongful diagnosis of child abuse and I have published it on the web.

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/lefanuSoundsofSilence.html

Camilla Cavendish has an interesting story in The Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2513335,00.html

It appears that The Times' lawyers have stopped her giving real names. Actually under the new interpretation of the law there is no
difficulty giving out the real names.

I have posted a more detailed story on my blog.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2006/12/crystal-walton.html

UHNS have threatened to sue me overa letter I wrote asking for them to tell parents about secret medical files. This has been reported
in the Birmingham Post

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_headline=hospital-may-sue-mp-over-file-row%26method=full%
26objectid=18338608%26siteid=50002-name_page.html

Times story about legal aid budget
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2521059,00.html

Times editorial about care
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2520862,00.html
I have written to make the point that children are wrongly taken into care.

EDMs as a mechansim for driving interpretation of the law.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2006/12/rule-of-law-and-process-of-change.html

I have written a note about how potentially material changes in the rule of law can be obtained without necessarily using statutory procedures.

This debate on the BMJ website has continued relating to SIDS and false allegations

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/333/7579/1165

Meeting Dates (one in March, one in September)

Both on Saturdays

First Meeting provisional timing 1pm-4pm Saturday March 3rd, Birmingham Council House.

Leaflet.

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/leaflet.html

We are suggesting that you print out a few hundred copies of the leaflet and hand them to visitors at local Maternity hospitals at visiting hours.
We recommend that yougo with someone else for company.

The attempt of the family referred to in Camilia Cavendish's Times article (See Report 6) to get a stay of execution (to prevent the adoption
of his daughter)based upon the fact that the case is going to the ECHR sadly failed. He was told that he needs to apply to the judge who
issued the original order. This does seem somewhat unjust. He is, however, investigating this.

Rights for Grandparents petition

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk:80/grandparents/?signed=1

Emergency Support Team

Appeals in the Court of Appeal

Starting with a case in the North West we have created a small emergency support team which we hope to grow. Using a case in the North
West as a test case we have issued judicial review proceedings which ended up in the Family Division. We have also taken the same case
to the Court of Appeal. We hope to grow the number of cases handled in this way. This will need further volunteers who should contact Tom
Paul or me. Email or write to me at the House of Commons. Ideally people with court experience, but we can train people as Mackenzie Friends.

External Pressures for Change

We are investigating reporting England and Wales and possibly the UK for contravening the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the
way in which children are taken off their families so that local authorities can hit adoption targets and other legalised child abuse that arises
from the operation of Social Services. It may be also possible to look at this at the Council of Europe level.

I have tabled a couple more commons motions about the topics.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32301&SESSION=885
EDM 626 LOCAL AUTHORITY ADOPTION TARGETS
That this House notes that local authorities and their staff are incentivised to ensure that children are adopted; is concerned
about increasing numbers of babies being taken into care, not for the safety of the infant, but because they are easy to get
adopted; and calls urgently for effective scrutiny of care proceedings to stop this from happening.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32352&SESSION=885

EDM 673 BREASTFEEDING AND BABIES IN CARE

That this House believes that mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed as this is in the interests of the long-term
health of babies; recognises that for newborn babies this means breastfeeding on demand; further believes that newborn
babies in care should also be breastfed on demand where this does not result in any risk to the baby; and calls for the
Government to introduce guidelines to ensure that facilities are provided to ensure that newborn babies can be breastfed
on demand.

There is a mild row going on about EDM 626 between MPs. It goes to the nub of the debate about public family law and the motivations of social
work managers. In essence babies are being taken off birth families where there is no "risk of significant harm" because the social work managers
want to hit targets. Some of the figures appear in the following blog entry.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/01/that-edm-626-row.html

This has also hit the BBC website and should appear in other outlets.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6297573.stm

I am collating figures to try to work out exactly how many children a year are taken off their birth families and adopted that were previously left
with their birth families. This takes some work with the DFES. I wish to distinguish between additional babies taken into care and those which
would have been taken into care, but would have returned to their birth families.

An article by Cllr Emily Cox about breast feeding and care.

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/breastfeeding.html

A campaign in Camarthenshire about openness in the Family Courts.

http://www.fassit.co.uk/carmarthenshire_mum.htm

http://www.unityinjustice.co.uk/mum_carmarthenshire.htm

Meeting in Birmingham on Saturday 3rd March.

Please contact Tom Paul on paultj@parliament.uk if you intend coming to this. Please give the numbers of people coming with you as well.

Meeting 3rd March

1pm The Council Chamber, The Council House, Birmingham B1 1BB

please tell Tom Paul if you are coming and the numbers coming with you. (paultj@parliament.uk)

AGENDA

1. Introduction - John Hemming MP

2. Main Speakers

Bill Bache - Solicitor

Brian Morgan - Investigative Journalist

Penny Mellor - Parents Advocate - experience of campaigning

Von and Tammy Coulter (Unity Injustice) - the history of false adoption

Ian Josephs - Stopping forced adoption

Beverley Beech (Association for the Improvements of the Maternity Services) - the effect of baby snatching on mothers

Marianne Keys - story recently in Daily Mail

Jack Frost - this isa national problem

FASSIT - There will be a named speaker from FASSIT - not clear who yet

Shaun O Connell FLINT

3. Points from the floor

A number of people will make 1 minute statements - if you wish to do this please notify Tom Paul in advance (paultj@parliament.uk)

4. Questions

Questions will be asked of the experienced people present.

5.The Way forward

John Hemming MP will summarise and talk about the way forward.

A petition asking for an investigation into the damage done by the state to children and families

http://www.un1503petition.com

More about adoption targets

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2568742,00.html

Adoption too expensive for councils

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/28/nadopt28.xml

Mass challenge and potential appeal to the European Court of Human Rights

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/01/mass-application-to-european-court-of.html

The state stole our children (Marianne Keys)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=432957&in_page_id=1879

Meeting in Birmingham

The meeting in Birmingham went well. People's response is that they would like the meeting to be chaired a little more tightly and to allow
more time for networking. We will probably arrange some workshops on mechanisms for fighting the system.

Pre birth issues.

One of the issues that needs to be handled is what happens when a new baby is born. We are investigating a mechanism to test the
arguments in advance of birth.

Statistics from DfES

A considerable amount of work has gone on to try to get a better analysis of the situation.

Salt Poisoning and SBS

It was good news to see the result of the retrial of Ian and Angela Gay. It was important not only on the issue of salt poisoning, but also on the
issue of Shaken Baby Syndrome as they were alleged to have harmed Christian through shaking as well.

DCA Consultation

http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courttransparencey1106/cp1106.htm

Oldham Case

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/03/oldham-mbc-v-1-gw-2-pw-3-kpw-child-by.html

http://www.john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/oldham.html

Southall

There have been a number of articles in the Sunday Express recently relating to Dr David Southall. Should be more on Sunday.

Demonstrations outside Family Courts

A number of small demonstrations outside Family Courts are being organised. One outside the RCJ went quite well. One is planned outside
Downing St (Forced Adoption HQ)

Bristol Foster Care Scandal and my comment

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6469849.stm

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/03/in-care-is-not-always-safe-for-children.html

Miscarriage of Justice Lobby of Parliament

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/03/parents-to-lobby-parliament.html

Oldham Family Court Miscarriage

This got sorted out in the end, but long lasting misery was created in the mean time.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/25/nabort25.xml

http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,2042710,00.html

Camilla Cavendish on Secrecy

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article1582361.ece

and on adoption targets

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article1832184.ece

Various Entries following the Justice for Families Parliamentary lobbies are on my weblog

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/03/justice-for-families-mp-lobby-28th.html

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/03/launch-of-angela-cannings-foundation.html

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/05/justice-for-families-mp-lobby-16th-may.html

UN Submission

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/unsubmission.html

Statistics on Adoption

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/2007adoptionfigures.html

(more legible than in the Submission)

The videos can also be seen via this

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=johnhemming

Petition for inquiry into system

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ProtectChild/

Comment from Charles Pragnell:

Supporters and followers of the FASSIT website will be aware that I have submitted a Petition to the Prime Minister of Britain,
the Rt Hon Tony Blair, to appoint a Royal Commission to conduct an investigation into the Child Protection system in Britain and to
recommend appropriate reforms and changes to that system.
Every year in Britain there are some children who are being abused by their parents or carers and in a very small number of cases,
by strangers. Such children have the right, under national and international laws, to be protected from such abuse by not only the
State Authorities but also by their relatives, neighbours, and by other adults in the communities in which they live.
But for over thirty years the Child Protection system in Britain has been lurching from crisis to crisis whereby children under the care
and supervision of child protection workers and professionals have been seriously harmed and many have died whilst such
professionals looked on, squabbling among themselves as to who should take responsibility for the child, or occupying themselves
with pursuing cases which would bring them personal esteem and enhance their reputations amongst other professionals, such as
occurred with Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy. The dead children could not speak during or after the occurrences which destroyed
their lives and the relevant professionals ignored their plight.
On the other hand, there have been repeated and frequent instances where groups of children and their families have been subjected
to unnecessary and unwarranted and intrusive child protection investigations from professionals who had been brainwashed into
unquestioningly and uncritically accepting unproven and scientifically fraudulent theories of child abuse, such as Munchausen Syndrome
By Proxy, Satanic Ritual Abuse, Repressed Memory Syndrome, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Shaken Baby Syndrome etc, etc.
Invariably such events destroyed and devastated the lives of numerous children, their parents, siblings, and often their wider families.
After many of these instances, Public Inquiries were set up to inquire into what had gone wrong and on each occasion these Inquiries
were dominated by the agencies which had caused the these disasters who invariably sought to blame the cause of the disasters on
`a shortage of resources’ and inadequate legal powers. Repeatedly these Inquiries found evidence that the primary reasons for the failures
was in the respective agencies failing to work together and although they were urged to do so in the future and systems were changed to
make them do so, such working together has failed again and again. Many of the Inquiries also recommended massive increases in
resources for the agencies involved and increases in their workforces and changes in legislation to considerably increase their powers.
Many new and improved bureaucratic procedures have been introduced which have largely been to protect the agencies involved from
criticism, rather than providing a valid system of protection for children.
“Lessons have been learnt” was an oft repeated statement by agency heads after these Inquiries but it is plain to anyone with a
modicum of intelligence and rational thought, that lessons have not been learnt when the same mistakes are repeated over and over again.
“Damned if we do, and damned if we don’t” has also been a familiar excuse yet no professional can be condemned if they carry out their
legal duties in a conscientious and fair-minded manner. The problem has always been that such basic principles were absent from the
way they conducted themselves.
At the time of the Cleveland Scandal, I was a senior manager with the now-defunct Cleveland Social Service Department and was responsible
for research and management information systems and having previously been a trained child protection social worker, I and several other
managers within the Department, voiced my concerns at what has happening many months before it became a hapless tragedy for so many
children and their families. (My account of those events is already recorded on the Internet). Our voices however were powerless.
The subsequent Inquiry uncovered some of the truth of what had occurred but by no means all of the truth as agencies disclosed only
information which was favourable to themselves – after all, they were unlikely to be self-critical. The children involved in the Cleveland Scandal
received only a meager amount in compensation for their traumas – if they had been imprisoned wrongly they would have received far more.
I left Local Authority social work management three years later, still deeply concerned at the systemic harm which had been caused to
those children and their families and within a very short time I became a advocate and representative for children in State Care and for their
families. This was a very chastening experience for me as social workers treated me with contempt, hostility, and gross disrespect, as they
did the children and families who I sought to represent.
This became an enormous learning experience for me as I quickly realised that the major events in Cleveland, the Orkneys, Rochdale,
Nottingham, Durham. Shieldfield Newcastle, the Isles of Lewis etc etc, were not isolated events but were part of a much bigger pattern
and picture. That Cleveland was dwarfed by the numbers of individual cases where injustices and unfairness were occurring every day of
every week of every year somewhere in Britain but because such occurrences were not within a single geographic area like Cleveland, then
it was unnoticed by the media and by the public. Some of these injustices were that parents and children were denied legal or any other
kind of representation in child protection proceedings and when the matter came before the Courts, they were often denied legal aid, or
effective legal representation. This was often in the face of what parents claimed was evidence which had been embellished, distorted, and
even fabricated in order to prove the case against them.
Since that time, I have been avalanched with letters, emails, and phone calls from distraught children and parents and relatives, telling of
the injustices they have suffered by the abuses and misuses of powers by child protection workers and how their lives have been
devastated and destroyed by the interventions of those child protection workers. Such correspondence continues to this day.
I am not alone in my concerns regarding the Child Protection system in Britain as many of these concerns are shared by researchers,
academics, and many fellow medical and social work professionals, some of whom are trying to change the system from within, but
fruitlessly and despairingly.
Sadly, my advice and support for children and their families is of little avail, mainly due to the intransigence and rigidity of the system,
which even when proven to be unfair and to have acted inappropriately, cling to the belief that the system is always `right’. This can be
seen for example in those who still cling to the belief that the professionals involved in the Clark/Cannings trials and the child protection
workers on Cleveland did nothing wrong.
Some parents formed themselves into Protest and Campaign Groups and made some inroads into bringing these matters to public attention
but it was not until the tragic cases of Sally Clark and Angela Cannings that a small tip of a huge iceberg of false accusations of child abuse
began to be exposed. Their cases were eventually exposed by the more transparent processes of the Criminal Courts and its appeal
systems, but the thousands of children who have been wrongly condemned to a life in State Care or adoption by strangers, cannot be
similarly exposed because of the secrecies of the Family Courts and the lack of an effective appeals system.
Some politicians have become involved and have similarly seen some of the injustices which have and are occurring but they are also
limited in what they can do. Probably every politician in the British Parliament has at some time received representations from parents
who feel they are wrongly accused of child abuse and have been frustrated in their attempts to defend themselves, but such politicians
quickly realize their impotence in such situations and cab be easily dissuaded from further involvement by the prevarications and
procrastinations of the child protection agencies. They too are constrained by not being able to make fully public these instances
of injustice and unfairness due to the need to protect the identities of the children involved. The interventions in Essex by politicians
on behalf of children families and their subsequent efforts being repulsed are not uncommon.
If a Royal Commission is acceded to, then of critical importance is that the testimonies of the children and their families who have
suffered under the present Child Protection system are given utmost priority by the appointed Commissioners. Only that will the full
truth immerge and the requisite reforms and changes are identified.
Charles Pragnell - sponsor of petition

The stats below are important as they demonstrate the effect of the government's adoption targets on younger children.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-stats-show-that-over-60-of-toddlers.html

The Scottish Question - comparison of statistics from Scotland

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/2007/05/scottish-question.html

Another EDM - please encourage MPs to sign theEDMs. Best to write to your own MP.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33435&SESSION=885

Another consultation re openness in family courts

http://www.justice.gov.uk:80/publications/cp1007.htm

Some statistics

http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/stats/index.html

There isa range of statistics here many of which have appeared recently in the media.

Stories in Sunday Telepgraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/01/nadopt101.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/01/nadopt201.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/01/nadopt301.xml

A request for a court order to allow the reporting of malpractise and publication of anonymous judgments has gone to the High Court.

Quite a bit has happened in terms of activity in public family law over the past month or so.

Parliamentary Campaigning

Parliament is not sitting at the moment. That means that MPs cannot sign Early Day Motions. It remains, however, that it is
worth writing to MPs asking them to sign the EDMs once parliament returns.

EDM 2021 SOLICITORS AND THE FAMILY COURT PROCESSES

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33888&SESSION=885

That this House notes the comments of a senior social worker that meetings have been held during which solicitors acting for
parents have discussed how to undermine the cases of their clients; further notes that there are many odd cases in which solicitors
fail to oppose care proceedings or accept that the section 31 threshold has been met notwithstanding the opposition of their clients
; recognises that reporting and obtaining the investigation of such behaviour outwith parliamentary proceedings remains a contempt
of court for hon. Members; and asks the Solicitors Regulatory Authority to review the implementation of the new solicitors' code of
conduct and how this relates to conflicts of interest in the Family Court.

This EDM was tabled as a result of information from a practitioner about how firms he had worked with had acted to undermine their
own clients. It remains that there are good firms of solicitors. However, there are also those that people cannot trust to act in their
best interests. This is quite a strong EDM and MPs may not wish to sign this unless they have personally seen such behaviour.
The problem remains, however, that sending details of such misbehaviour is a contempt of court from a lay advisor. A solicitor can
report another solicitor. However, Lay advisors cannot report anyone. The details of who can talk to whom are here:
http://www.opsi.govuk/si/si2005/20051976.htm

EDM 1931 FAMILY COURTS (No. 2)

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33792&SESSION=885

That this House notes the growing concerns over miscarriages of justice in family courts in cases where children have been removed
from families and adopted; believes that financial payments to social services authorities to meet adoption targets introduce an
unacceptable, perverse incentive in complex cases; further notes that cases are heard and decided in secret without any public
scrutiny; notes that the Government brought forward proposals last year to open up family courts; regrets that the Government has
announced that it will not now proceed with these proposals; and calls for a public inquiry to examine the system in its entirety
and to make recommendations for reform so as to secure the best interests of children and justice for innocent parents.

This EDM was tabled by Norman Lamb with my support. It asks for a public inquiry. Generally MPs should be willing to sign this
unless they think everything is OK.

EDM 1766 FAMILY COURTS

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33603&SESSION=885

That this House regrets the Government's proposals to retain secrecy within the family courts; believes that this secrecy
permeates bad practice throughout the whole system of children services; feels that it is possible to protect the identity of the
child while allowing parents to talk and seek advice publicly about their treatment in the family courts, and that professional
witnesses should be uniquely identified to monitor consistency; further believes that every case should have an anonymised
judgement handed to the parents that they can discuss publicly; and calls on the Government to recognise that there are very
serious problems in the system that have been postponed rather than resolved by the limited proposals contained within the
consultation document.

This was an EDM that I tabled jointly with Eric Pickles MP.
Legislation
There will be a bill on children in care. The question is whether or not that will allow amendments relating to how children are
placed in care. There is a group of MPs concerned about the current system who would put forward proposals for change.
Extra parliamentary campaigning
A series of demonstrations are being organised.
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/The_Northern_Demo_Mini_Tour.htm
Selected Media Stories
Where's the Judgment
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/05/nadopt105.xml
This story highlights two cases where the judge failed to give a judgment in writing. That prevented the parents from appealing
the case.
Community Care Debate
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/08/02/105350/hemming-responds-to-your-views.html
This is a slightly edited version of my response to criticisms from people working in Public Family Law. It may be that the
Community Care Magazine (which is effectively the trade magazine for social work) will arrange some meetings to discuss
the problems in childrens social services.
It is quite clear that there is a bullying culture in the management of many local authorities childrens social services departments.
This is part of the cause of the bad practise and also results in people leaving for other jobs.
Deaths in Care
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/29/nsalma129.xml
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23406246-details/Toddler+'drowned+in+pool+as+her+foster+parents+partied'/article.do
There have been two sad deaths in care recently where the local authority is being asked to do a proper inquiry independent of the
social care sector.
Changes to case management
As a result of larger numbers of people contacting my office and organisations like Fassit we are trying to improve the way in which
volunteers offer support. A set of procedures have been written and we will be trying to make sure that volunteers feel supported themselves.
http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/jff/procedures.html
Local Branches
Local branches are also being arranged via Fasitt

Research Information

This is an interesting document which demonstrates that the Local Government Association warned that the effect of adoption targets
could be to stop children staying with their birth families.

http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2001/rp01-078.pdf

see p44 about targets

There is also this article

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2001/09/27/33310/urgent-action-on-recruitment-is-needed-to-meet-adoption-targets.html

in which Felicity Collier then of BAAF

"remained concerned that the targets could skew adoption work from pursuing appropriate rehabilitative measures
to return children to their birth families."

Three articles in the Sunday Telegraph
One about how secrecy protects professionals
An opinion piece (you can guess by whom)
The editorial comment

More in the telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/19/nsocial219.xml
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/19/nsocial119.xml

Face The Facts: Forced Adoptions BBC Radio 4 Friday 24th August 12.30pm repeated
Sunday 26th at 9pm. The programme will be available on listen again after 3pm this Friday here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/facethefacts/ .
Comments can be emailed via the website.

Halifax Courier
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/local-news?articleid=3126563

Campaign Report

Quite a few things have been happening recently. Fran Lyon's case has been highlighted as an example of the money made out of allegations of Munchausen's syndrome by Proxy. Rachel Pullen's case where the local authority's expert stopped her from being able to instruct a solicitor and the Official Solicitor stepped in has also highlighted a further problem in the system.

It is worth me writing a bit more about Rachel's case (which appears in the press cuttings below). Between 1st January 2006 and 22nd October 2007 there were 340 cases like Rachel's where the Official Solicitor acted. The Official solicitor is someone (Alistair Pitblado is in charge of the organisation) who acts when people don't have the "mental capacity" to make decisions and in theory don't have anyone else to make decisions for them. What this means is that Rachel was not allowed to say "no" or contest the local authority.

It takes a few moments for this to sink in as to how evil this is. What it means is that the local authority's expert can say someone is incapable of instructing a solicitor so the adoption case goes through "on the nod". Yes it is that bad. There is an EDM about this.

We are also working to stop the secret jailings. We have managed to get the government to admit that secret jailings are illegal and if anyone is imprisoned then the judge must say for how long and what for - even if the trial is in secret. A parliamentary question has been asked about 71 year old Charles Roy Taylor who is currently in HMP Nottingham. This should elicit what is by law required.

I am also working with other MPs to produce parliamentary petitions about things that are going wrong. Parliamentary Petitions are covered by Article 9 of the 1688 Bill of Rights and hence issues that would otherwise be covered by the 1960 Access to Justice Act are not.

The article below from Community Care (about things being worse since Laming) is important because it demonstrates that our argument that in the rush to recycle children those at risk are being missed is true.

We will be running more parliamnentary lobby events as well. Particularly the voice of children needs to be heard.

We are holding training meetings with volunteers on 11th and 12th of November. I think there are still a few places if anyone else wishes to be a volunteer advisor. Email Emily Wilson-Gavin on emilyw_g@hotmail.com if you are interested.

Key campaigning activity is to encourage your MP to sign the Early Day motions (see later). We aim to be doing some street theatre as well as demonstrations outside the family courts.

Demonstrations planned for Southampton and Bristol - click for details

New Forum
A new forum has been created at http://justiceforfamilies.freeforums.org/

Early Day Motions

EDMs are motions in parliament. Normally they don't get debated. However, they are a sort of petition signed only by Members of Parliament. You can ask your MP to sign an EDM. You need to say which number EDM it is. MPs who are members of the government cannot sign EDMs, but you can ask them to write a letter to the minister in support of the EDM.
Using EDMs, therefore, is a good mechanism for lobbying. You can ask your MP to do something and check by looking at the online records (see links for each EDM) whether they have done it or not.
Every Queens Speech all the EDM's stop and cannot be signed and a new set of numbers starts up. I retabled all of these on the day after the Queen's Speech.
The following URL givesa list of the EDM's that I have tabled.
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMByMember.aspx?MID=4735&SESSION=891
EDM 124
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34214&SESSION=891
That this House notes that local authorities and their staff are incentivised to ensure that children are adopted; is concerned about increasing numbers of babies being taken into care, not for the safety of the infant, but because they are easy to get adopted; and calls urgently for effective scrutiny of care proceedings to stop this from happening.
EDM125
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34215&SESSION=891
That this House believes that mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed as this is in the interests of the long-term health of babies; recognises that for newborn babies this means breastfeeding on demand; further believes that newborn babies in care should also be breastfed on demand where this does not result in any risk to the baby; and calls for the Government to introduce guidelines to ensure that facilities are provided to ensure that newborn babies can be breastfed on demand.
EDM 126
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34216&SESSION=891
That this House notes the comments of a senior social worker that meetings have been held during which solicitors acting for parents have discussed how to undermine the cases of their clients; further notes that there are many odd cases in which solicitors fail to oppose care proceedings or accept that the section 31 threshold has been met notwithstanding the opposition of their clients; recognises that reporting and obtaining the investigation of such behaviour outwith parliamentary proceedings remains a contempt of court for hon. Members; and asks the Solicitors Regulatory Authority to review the implementation of the new solicitors' code of conduct and how this relates to conflicts of interest in the Family Court.
EDM127
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34217&SESSION=891
That this House regrets the Government's proposals to retain secrecy within the family courts; believes that this secrecy permeates bad practice throughout the whole system of children services; feels that it is possible to protect the identity of the child while allowing parents to talk and seek advice publicly about their treatment in the family courts, and that professional witnesses should be uniquely identified to monitor consistency; further believes that every case should have an anonymised judgement handed to the parents that they can discuss publicly; and calls on the Government to recognise that there are very serious problems in the system that have been postponed rather than resolved by the limited proposals contained within the consultation document.
EDM128
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34218&SESSION=891
That this House notes that in an email dated 24th October 2000, John Radford, Doncaster's then Director of Public Health, described the issue of research on babies by Dr David Southall at Doncaster Hospital in the late 1980s as `potentially a hot potato as to my recall the intervention resulted in increased deaths and didn't have proper consent'; expresses concern that the details of this research and its outcomes have been covered up by the health authorities; expresses particular concern that the research protocol specifically required that no action be taken to prevent cot death in the children selected until sufficient data had been collected; notes that the inquiry into CNEP ignored CNEP in Doncaster; and calls for a public inquiry into this and other research managed by Dr Southall to identify why the checks and balances in the system failed.
EDM129
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34219&SESSION=891
That this House notes that it is common practice for a firm of solicitors to perform outsourced work for a local authority and also to represent parents when parties in cases against the same local authority; notes and is surprised that this conflict of interest is acceptable under the professional conduct rules; understands that some parents would be surprised to find that this is the case; and calls for the Law Society to require that parents be asked to confirm in writing that they recognise that the firm they are instructing is conflicted in this way as part of the client engagement process.
EDM130
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34220&SESSION=891
That this House notes that from time to time the advice given by an expert appointed by one party to a court case is used to permit the exclusion of capacity of a further party to that case and then the Official Solicitor is brought in to act on behalf of the latter party; believes that it is an unacceptable conflict of interest; and calls, notwithstanding the duty of experts to the court, for the Government to introduce legislation to prevent this from occurring.

Online Petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/539543596
Various stories from other online sources (thanks due to Ali and Wendy for collecting them)
Baby died after ignoring warnings
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487755&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490
The Websters who won the right to keep their baby son after having three older children forcibly adopted, have been granted legal aid to appeal the adoptions No better after Laming
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/11/05/106345/victoria-climbi-foundation-head-calls-for-child-protection-probe.html
A story about a failed adoption
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=492346&in_page_id=1879 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=486071&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true#StartComments

Tuan Nguyen is a suspected victim of child trafficking and now missing from a Salford care home. thought to be 11-14. They are unsure of his age or origin and it sounds as though they have not bothered to get him an interpreter.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/10/05/105957/suspected-trafficking-victim-missing-from-care-home.html

Rachel Pullen’s story in Nottingham
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=134436&command=displayContent&sourceNode=134094&contentPK=18778033&folderPk=78480&pNodeId=133993
Talking to babies is child abuse according to staff at Calderdale Royal Hospital.
http://www.faascotland.co.uk/new%20baby%20abuse%20scares.htm
Social worker struck off for breaching user's confidence sharing information provided by an abuse victim with the alleged perpetrator.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/10/05/106028/social-worker-struck-off-for-breaching-users-confidence.html
Officials from the top of Government to lowly council officers will be given unprecedented powers to access details of every phone call in Britain under laws coming into force tomorrow.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newshtml?in_article_id=484752&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
Judge Nicholas Critchton on the family courts.
http://www.thecnj.co.uk/camden/092707/forum092707.html
Parents of obese children to get official warning letters.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/22/nfat122.xml
Up to 50,000 assaults on care staff every year, LGA claims.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/10/22/106197/up-to-50000-assaults-on-social-care-staff-every-year-lga-claims.html
Christian Judge unable to separate his personal beliefs to perform fairly in court.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2714401.ece
Jack Frost’s article in the Irish Press
http://john.hemming.name/national/familylaw/reports/jackfrost.html
The Garvey children returned after their grandparents campaigned for two years. The grandparents, in their forties, had been looking after the children because their daughter had been suffering P.N.D. The article states that only one percent of families who campaign against this council win. other papers who helped this story, Plymouth and Devon port column.
http://www.eutruth.org.uk/cfp5all.pdf
National adoption week-pictures of kids
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article426226.ece
Christian couple win right to carry on fostering
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2787896.ece
chrisitan magistrate in gay adoption row
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2714401.ece
southall
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=490025&in_page_id=1770
magistrate
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=489125&in_page_id=1770

DAY TWO.....NO JUSTICE.

onlyamum — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:53:01 CST

THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED....

1. never thought i would be bullied into agreeing
with the threshold criteria but i was....i held out thank god.
I REFUSED TO SIGN ANYTHING.....

2. i want to let everyone know, that my son will be looked after by fostercarers very soon, i was told that at any point of the integration into the foster family my son refuses to comply. He will be forcefully removed by s/workers and the police.

3. my son told sw twice he didnt want to go, he wanted to stay with me, she totally blanked him out....

4. i have fought for years for SALT and Occupational assessments in order to ensure the right support for my son within school. I have been refused this, resulting in chronic school refusal and withdrawal from mainstream school as he could not cope in that enviroment.

5. Now i am told my son will recieve SALT and Occupational assessments whilst in fostercare this begs the question why these things were never available whilst he lived with me?

6. As many people know, especially if you have knowledge of the autistic spectrum. Forced compliance does not work with these children, and Non-compliance is an associated theme within their make-up usually because of fear or the unknown or change of circumstance.... They are to integrate him back into school. What means they will use to get him their god only knows.....i am told i must share previous strategies with the fostercarers so they may be successful .....They claim if i do as they ask i may have my son back .....(i dont believe them as i do not trust them)

7. The general view is that i am unable to parent my child properly, this is mainly because NOT ONE PROFESSIONAL THAT ME AND MY SON HAVE COME ACROSS THROUGHOUT THIS NIGHTMARE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT ASPERGERS AND HIS OTHER CONDITIONS, and ongoingly refuse to accept his difficulties that have been well documented.
They have picked up on my anxiety regarding my sons difficulties,and this is supposed to constitute emotional harm, apparently projecting my own anxieties onto him.....
If they stepped out of their child abuse mindset, for 2 fluffing minutes, they would realise that my anxiety stems from an intense frustration, i have with narrowminded individuals, who refuse to help my son. As their preference is to shreik child abuse.

8. i wish it to be documented that a major injustice is about to befall this family, especially my son. The expert witnesses that have deemed me abusive and recommend my sons removal are consultants without the knoledge of neurological conditions.
Yet their conclusions were felt favourable against the specialist that was actually qualified in all the relavent fields.....

9. I still must work with the same people within the social services that have shown us only suspicion and ignorance, to that effect i fear my son will never return. They actually feel i have taught my son to tic....OMG!!!

10. The damage that will be inflicted upon my son within the care system will be immeasurable and irreversible, yet i am told i must encourage my son to go and stay with a family that do not know him.
Unless they persue a course on asd s , they will percieve my sons behaviour as being naughty/bad, when in fact a lot of the things he cannot help..

11. My son was diagnosed with aspergers, tourettes and a few overlapping disorders, the specialist was outnumbered by the non-specialists and was concerned his diagnosis would be discredited and in effect he would be discredited. He claimed the only way to ensure my son recieved the assessments he needs was to conceed the diagnosis and agree with the other doctors, that way he would in fact recieve the vital help and support he needs.......but only whilst in fostercare...JUSTICE ??? WHERE....??

Unless someone somewhere can assist me to educate those that are to work with him. He will undoubtably suffer......I cannot express this strongly enough....

www.prisonplanet.com< please visit this link if you care about your children xxxxxxxxxx with love from another guardian angel
please dont hesitate to leave a comment:
our children should not be treated like this,
they are not criminals....

DEDICATED TO MY SON ........MY LIFE AND MY LOVE....

SPECIAL FEATURED NEWS....

onlyamum — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:03:42 CST

yet another disgusting example of senseless intervention based on hearsay ....my total sympathys are with the couple at this time.

Solicitor jailed for snatching own baby daughter from social workers By ANDREW LEVY - More by this author » Last updated at 22:40pm on 8th November 2007 Comments (53) A solicitor who snatched his baby from two care workers before going on the run has been jailed for 20 months. Jonathan Phillips, 40, punched the two women, one of whom was heavily pregnant, before grabbing his daughter and speeding away in his car. The child had been taken into care because of concerns over his wife's mental health - although the couple insist she does not present a risk. Scroll down for more...

Regret: Solicitor Jonathan Phillips will spend almost two years in prison and may not be allowed to see his daughter until she is 18

They were allowed to visit their daughter for two hours every day at a family contact centre in King's Lynn, Norfolk. But Phillips lashed out because he felt staff were treating her too roughly. He shouted, "Take your hands off my baby" before overturning a table, attacking the women and seizing his child, who was four months old at the time. Phillips, a soldier in the Territorial Army, fled with his wife Erica and the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons. They were stopped on the M6 near Birmingham later the same day. Phillips, of Downham Market, Norfolk, was sent to prison after admitting kidnap and two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm. Before he was sentenced he said: "I was acting under extreme provocation. Social services had taken our baby into care under dubious circumstances and whenever we visited her, the staff handled her roughly, overfed her and generally ill-treated her. "I lashed out in the heat of the moment. I could see my family crumbling before me. "Now the tragedy is that she looks set to be adopted and we will not be able to see her again until she is 18." Scroll down for more...

Wife: Erica Phillips was deemed mentally ill by social services - the couple deny this

Norwich Crown Court heard that Norfolk County Council gained an interim care order in May to place the child in foster care because of Mrs Phillips's mental health. The couple say they have independent evidence showing she was capable of looking after her baby. Mark Shelley, defending, said Phillips was "a well respected and popular solicitor". "It was not a planned snatch," he said. "It was a culmination of emotions as he could see his daughter slipping away from him." The court heard the two care workers suffered cuts and bruises during the attack in August. Phillips was jailed on Tuesday for 12 months for kidnap and eight months to run consecutively for the assaults. "These are extremely serious charges and I cannot see them in any other light," Judge Paul Downes told him. Mrs Phillips, a qualified cardiology nurse, said afterwards that staff at the contact centre were rude and would go out of their way to upset them. She added: 'My husband is a decent man and a kind and loving father and had no criminal convictions before this.' Norfolk County Council said the sentence sent out a strong message that violence against its staff was unacceptable.

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53 people have commented on this story so far. Tell us what you think below. "Norfolk County Council said the court ruling sent out a strong message that violence against staff is unacceptable."

Wheareas ill-treating a child in your care and abusing the parents is acceptable, right? Social Services are a joke.

- Rob, Northampton, England What a miscarriage of justice! A terrible commentary on the way this poor sad country is now run. The 1970's lunatics have very definitely taken over our asylum.

- Ian Millard, Exeter UK Sounds to me like they are being used as a scapegoat and to "teach a lesson to others" I would feel the same if my child was taken from me, I would feel frustrated and I think a moment of "anger" can happen to anyone.

- Anna, East Sussex And cruelty to loving parents is unacceptable. How come they can find a jail cell for this father, but not for drug dealers?

- Lorraine, Worthing UK Any parent would have reacted in a similar fashion. I hope this family is put together again and I hope the powers that be can see that their actions haver led to this.

Now they may not see their daughter again until 18.

Is that justice? More like a disgrace.

- Ibbo, Leeds How can Social Services 'deem' somebody to be mentally ill and then remove the child? Social Services do not always get it right and I can sympathise with this family.

- Shirley Eley, Milton Keynes I read this story with disbelief. Sent to jail for 2 years for kidnapping his own daughter - with the mother's consent. What is happening in this country? I do hope the family can fight on and regain their daughter. My sympathies are with them. Surely this is another example of where our secretive Family Courts need to be investigated thoroughly?

- Ruth, Poole, UK Seems to me the man had every right to act in the way he did. Even if his wife was unstable that is no excuse for removing the child from him.

The removal of a child from it's parents when only one of those parents is deemed to pose a risk seems unnecessary and extremely heavy-handed. Better the mentally ill parent removed than the child placed in care.

- Marting, Reading England Please can some authority step in and sort this out? If anyone took my four month old away from me, I'm sure I would do the same. Where is reason?

- Amanda, Switzerland I don't know why we have social workers. They seem only to target the vulnerable instead of helping them.

- Julie, Cambridge, England What a shocking story. I can't imagine how desperate Mr Phillips must have felt to have to kidnap his own daughter, which no doubt the social services will now use against him to get this child adopted. Fair enough he shouldn't have lashed out, but there are far worse motiveless crimes occuring in this country which receive more lenient sentences.

- El, Kent Show this man some compassion. He loves his family, needs his wife and daughter, and if the report is accurate, he should be with them, not in prison.

- Mary, London But it is OK for the state to steal your child?

- Jane, Bournemouth I have every sympathy for this man, Social Services should be ashamed, they've destroyed another family.

- Marie Penney, Manchester, UK How about the father's ability to look after his own daughter? Has he not been forgotten in this whole very sad story? How about the independent proof that she can look after the little girl? Could that help the so called judge to see things in an other light?

- Elodie, Madrid, Spain I feel so sorry for Mr annd Mrs Phillips! How cruel to take their daughter away from them just like that. We see murderers and rapists goingt to prison just for few months while this loving caring parent is imprisoned for over a year! Disgusting!

- Fern, Newcastle > Norfolk County Council said the sentence sent out a strong message that violence against its staff was unacceptable.

But violence against families is just fine.

More busybodies who think they know best.

- Dino Fancellu, Epsom Let this couple have their child back - this is another case of social services getting it completely wrong. Why take a child from a loving stable family with two parents?

I can see why the parents are so frustrated - they felt they had no option. When social services get their claws into you, they just don't listen and you get nowhere.

Being cynical, this could of course just be a way of making more children available for adoption so that the council fills its 'quota'.

- Sal, Oxford This country and its misguided principles makes me sick. The British Social Services Department is a disaster area run by a bunch of incompetent idiots.
Where children really are at risk, they fail to act and where there is no real problem they break up families. My sympathy lies with Mr Phillips and his wife.

- Rc, Scotland A tragic story, with the parents seemingly as victims. Social services have a job to do, but some personalities can be a little heavy handed with little regard for human feelings, or emotions.

- Angelina, Vancouver, Canada Whilst I do believe in children being protected, I do have to wonder why they take a child away from parents that have done nothing wrong.

- Helen, UK If it's proven that the staff were mistreating his daughter, then surely he was only trying to protect her? The violence I don't condone, but people will do desperate things when they feel their family is being threatened.

- Michelle, Leicester What a tragedy. We all now know how dubious "expert" opinions can be. This is truly shameful that it should have come to this.

- Sally-Anne, Essex He'll be able to have more children but, as long as the mother is deemed mentally ill, she will have her children taken at birth now, this is how the public family law and social work system operates.

- Liz, London, UK This is a travesty of justice.

- Pete, Lincoln This poor man. He just wanted to protect his family. Violence is NEVER right but his natural instincts came into play.

- Clare, Sheffield When a child is really in danger these so called social workers seem to do nothing at all. Get a decent respectable family though and it's a different cup of tea. What do they expect a father to do when his child has been snatched away?

- P Marshall, Loughton Essex England Welcome to Orwell's "Big Brother" Britain. The injustice of this case sickens me. Can you kidnap your own child? Sure, because once in the State's hands she is not yours. Look at the sentences, rapists, murderers, crooks get concurrent terms no matter how many offences they commit, this poor dad gets a consecutive one. Worst of all he and his wife lose their child until she is 18. Meanwhile Norfolk County Council's smug spokesman bleats about zero tolerance for assaults on its staff. What sort of staff are they? If the parents are to be believed the staff are unhelpful and arrogant.

- James, Spain Seems very harsh. I'm sure I would have acted the same under the cirmstances. It's an unbelievable sentence when compared to those getting not much more for murder. A heartless decision by the judge.

- Alan, Bath, England I think someone should review this case. It doesn't seem right that this family have to suffer this and have their daughter taken away.

- Nibs, Glamorgan This is a very harsh judgement. The parents are more likely to be the ones with the best interests of their baby at heart than the social workers. It's very scary that this could happen. Couldn't a relative have been appointed as guardian until social services were satisfied about the welfare of the baby?

- Max Davies, Bideford, Devon I would have done the same. Release him. The family needs help, not this. Time and time again you see drug adddicts being given second, third, fourth chances. You see thieves being let off with a reprimand. Recently a man attacked a 90 year old man on the tube and was let off. Justice is supposed to be seen to be done. It is not.

- Paul, Gloucester The power given to social services is terrifying. My heart goes out to this poor couple. In the UK today it seems that the criminals go free and decent people are jailed.

- C.Tallin, London, UK A loving father jailed for protecting his own daughter? How can any parent tolerate this madness?

- Robert, Sydney, Australia 20 months is too long for this. He's lost his career, his children and his liberty for a year for acting on instinct when he thought he saw his children being mistreated. No wonder the prisons are full to overflowing.

- Pete, London Poor man, he and his wife should've been offered help and assistance from social services to keep the baby in the family home, not had their baby removed from them.

- Tracey, Wilts, UK What in God's name is going on in Britain? The jailing of this man is an absolute disgrace.

- Nigel Hamley, Australia What a ghastly tale! I feel so sorry for this family. Social workers seem to bend over backwards to keep children in so-called working class families which have physically and mentally abused them,families where parents are alcoholics, families where the child lives in abject squallor. Why could the social workers involved not put a 'package of care' in place for this family? This is a disgrace.

- Hazel Anne Larmour, Ballygowan, N. Ireland How can families like this be separated, yet other children left to die without care workers lifiting a finger to help? Surely another care arrangement other than forcible adoption can be worked out?

- Christine, Melbourne Australia Surely the question should be raised, were social services justified in taking the baby into care and was Mr Phillips reacting to extreem provocation? This is his daughter we are talking about and the future of his family is being taken from him, of course he will be distraught!

- Sid, Cornwall I have sympathy for the man. Local authority snooping and interference in our lives has reached an intolerable level and this business is symptomatic of the slide into authoritarian socialism of our once great country.

- Rokola, Chiang Mai, Thailand Would any mental health charities like to get involved in this case? And if not, why not? It cannot be right that a family is penalised for an illness by having their child removed. Surely it is the case that the Phillipses were provoked into acting the way they did so that their child could be adopted?

- Sarah N., London How terrible that yet again a family is destroyed by the arbitrary decisions of social workers.

We really do need to implement some form of psychological testing to wean out those who are unsuitable and incapable of staying objective when dealing with the understandable emotions their investigations will generate.

The government is supposed to be going to prevent homeowners from facing prosecution for protecting themselves and their property from intruders. Surely it is far more understandable that a man will try to protect his baby from rough treatment?

This man should be applauded, not imprisoned.

- Nick, Birmingham UK This man's human rights have been infringed, and his wife's alleged mental health problems mean that, like the elderly and vulnerable, they are bullied and discriminated against.

He had a right to use reasonable force to defend his baby against being roughly handled, and all parents have a right to defend their children against 'abusers'.

- Solarsentinel, England So he gets two years for this and a thug who attacks someone on the street would walk free. Something wrong here surely.

Yes he shouldn't have done this but there were clearly mitigating circumstances and he was previously of good character.

- Pat, Reading, England Yet another family destroyed by Norfolk Social Services? Another baby taken to meet adoption targets?

Mother 'deemed' to be mentally ill? Assessment of the mother by appropriate professional?

It's impossible to watch 'carers' ill treat your child before you and not react.

Our children were taken into care when I suffered postnatal depression. A health visitor who had not met me thought I 'might' pose a risk. No assessment was undertaken or contact made with the Consultant Psychiatrist treating me before the children were 'snatched' from our home.

My children were ill-treated by their foster parents and Social Services admitted they suffered both physically and emotionally whilst in their care. After reassessment of the foster placement, they will not foster again.

A letter from the Senior Social worker apologizing, stating the only harm our children suffered was caused by their department didn't stop the nightmares the children suffered afterwards.

Deepest sympathies to both parents.

- Brown, Newtown - UK A decent man does not punch a pregnant woman, no matter what his emotions are. He deserves to be in prison, he endangered an unborn baby.

- Rose, Co Cork, Ireland For Social Workers they sure know how to rip a family apart.

- Pu Li, Guangxi, China Another case of this nanny state robbing good parents of their children. The most cruel thing you can do to any child is take it away from loving parents.

- E.Horwood, Basingstoke I can understand why this father lost his rag, would you trust your baby daughter with two social workers, I most certainly would not. Good luck Mr Phillips.

- Mary, Kuwait No he shouldn't have done it, but I don't doubt the social services people deserved it. They seem to act like little gods and are hostile and goading. They don't appear to think like normal people or know the difference between the decent who ought be trusted with their own children and scum whose children actually need rescuing.

- Cate G, E Anglia Whilst I can understand that courts must take a hard line against assaults of this nature, the sentence does seem harsh given the circumstances. It seems that Social Services are a law unto themselves.

I wonder who many other parents are in a similar position?

- Lorna Collins, Bournemouth , UK

sarah white an extremely brave lady ....

care proceedings....

onlyamum — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:50:35 CDT

.
hi , hope this doesnt induce intense yawning...lol ...hey i did my best, have a read see what you think , and er....be sure to get back to me wont you, it would mean an awful lot, thanks!!!

I am a single parent with 2 boys 20 and 11. My eldest is on medication for panic attacks, anxiety, OCD etc, but despite this he has coped well.hes a very bright lad and I am very proud of him, he started his masters degree in animation at university September 06 I have Fibromyalgia Syndrome this is a chronic pain/fatigue condition that affects my muscles, making it very difficult for me to get around at times, and leaving me feeling devoid of energy.

My 11 year old has had difficulties for as long as i can remember. From the age of 6, he started school refusing, I knew he had problems with his writing and was constantly bullied by the other children in his class, mainly because of his snort that he couldn't help doing....
From the age of 8 years, his absence from school had become a chronic problem, I was beside myself as to what to do as he would rage out of control becomes destructive and at times even violent. We have had a complex problem in that he was school refusing and I was finding it extremely difficult in the mornings to get to grips with him, as my Fibrofog tends to be worse in the mornings and also when the weather is cold, this causes me a lot of pain.

The Education social worker became involved, at first she was quite nice and helpful towards us, but she soon started to show another side......she started to ask me for a signature to release all of my psychotherapy records from 6years ago......considering that this intensive psychotherapy was totally voluntary and upon my own insistence i refused to give her the signature, besides , those files were mainly about my past and contained confidential, sensitive, personal information........i didnt see why she needed access to them so i refused.......she didnt like this, saying it wouldnt look good for me once she told everyone i had refused her request.... She would come to our home on a daily basis saying to my son that if he didnt go to school this proved that he didn't care about me and didn't love me and if I ended up in jail, it would be his fault. I don't think it is fair to emotionally blackmail any child, especially a child who is as vulnerable as mine was, my son was not the rebellious teenager with some major attitude, he was a 9 yr old child, communicating the only way he knew how to, that something was very wrong..

I kept insisting that I did not believe my son was simply being stubborn and that i felt there was something wrong, all in vain.
one day she just turned up on the doorstep, saying she needed a favour, she said she needed me to write all life events from birth including a parents, brief description , events, places i lived etc.

apparently this was to give a clearer picture to others in the child in need meetings, she also stated it may help me access some support, as she had no choice but to refer me to the mental health team .

The disabilities team had apparently stated their was no role for them, they didnt work with people with fibromyalgia syndrome, as they never knew from one day to the next how much pain i was "really" in...i agreed as i knew that our family needed help and that may be able to help....

well i did it... the chronology of my life events.... i was rather upfront about my past, my childhood as being in therapy taught me that no-matter how traumatic past events may have been it was the hear and now that mattered....i did a good job. in fact i mentioned the fact that my mother was a drama queen that saw everything like mountains and not mole hills....eg. if i cut myself she would go on about septicemia etc. thats just the way she was....overanxious....

i guess ed soc worker was quite a forceful lady, quick with her mouth and that was used to dealing with rebellious teens....my son was 9 but this didnt stop her from prodding and poking at him when he complained he felt sick , and sitting on him refusing to move until he promised he would go into school..... all done in a lighthearted way of course but never the less this wasnt the way my son had perceived it, it really wasnt the way i imagined a educational social worker to conduct herself...
in the end connah had had enough of her verbal assaults and locked himself in the toilet room refusing to come out, he was scared of her
and i cant blame him.....at this point she gave up on trying to get him to attend, thank god!

Upon my insistence, he was rushed an appointment through to CAHMS as he had other ongoing problems such as,
1. he is too scared to go to the toilet alone,

2. wouldnt sleep alone
,
3. would follow me or his brother around the house, He felt the need to be with someone constantly as this made him feel safe and secure.

4. He didn't seem to understand the simple things which we take for granted.

5. and has had constant physical symptoms, headaches , tummyaches, feeling sick, constipation, which continue to this day.

6.he had never played alone as children do.....he always needed input from others

7.he has fears of any type of insect that often stops him from playing outside in summer
in winter when it rains he constantly scans the floor for slugs, it seems to bother him a lot

8. he hates water, therefore doesnt swim, doesnt ride a bike,hates the dark, has problems fastening buttons or zips

9. hates any interference in his fixed routines, e.g.he has a laptop ever since he got it at christmas he will do nothing else than download
tv clips of certain favourite characters.... this go s on 24/7 we have had to empty his hard drive twice so far, aprox 40gb of clips.....
any suggested variation to connahs pc habits are met with a short and simple no....

10.social isolation is a main feature , always has been, though others blame me for this, it is connah that isolates himself.
over the years i have tried everything, he seems to panic when he sees other children.

11. connah is hypersensitive to the light, despite reports from parenting partnership to the contrary, the optician has seen it for
himself and put a 25% tint on his glasses and just recently has darkened them even further... he also is sensitive to certain sounds, like toast being cut, the hoover, music with a lot of bass etc etc
in addition to this he is hypersensitive to clothing, it seems the older he has got the worse it has become. he tolerates clothing if
he is outside the home environment but as soon as he returns he strips off and basically exists inside cotton quilt covers....
this was noted by two camhs nurses and perceived as neglect. its funny as i purposely allowed connah to stay in the way he
normally is in the home environment. as i believed this to be useful to their assessment of him.

12. my son has never had any real friends, unfortunately mainly the type that want something from him....just recently he was
elated as two local boys from his old school had called round.
they wanted him to bring his yu-gi-oh cards with him so they could swap.....i saw how excited connah was and though
skeptical i had to let him go....needless to say he came back with half the pile he went with but insisted he did some good swaps.
then the next time they came he sold a big pile of yu-gi-oh cards for six pounds and came back , counted his money it only came to 3.85...
he refuses to believe that the boy did it purposely. he will tolerate most things to maintain friendships.

13. control is also a vital part of connahs day...he is the king of the tv....though on the surface this may seem im a soft touch but we have
been through the years of aggression and oppositional behavior all because we want to view something that interferes with his set timetable of viewing.

14. connah is constantly bored, if i suggest things he may be able to do.....he wont do them i learned that a long time ago...it has to come
from him. he jumps from one task to the next usually watches 3-4 programs at once flicking from one to the other. and if you want to talk to
connah you must accept that he may be playing with a ball or playing with bluetack or anything besides focusing on that person.

15.his eating is very restricted in that he will only eat certain things, the once quite sympathetic dietitian has now put her foot down
stating i have to go shopping daily, etc etc she sent us a diet sheet through the post which i found pretty unhelpful to be honest.
we have endured weeks of rages, tug of war in the kitchen,oppositional behavior and then more recently ,connah worrying about being sent away because he is overweight,
due to the publicity about another little boy that had the same threat looming over him...
however we have had some success and weightloss, im really hoping he can keep it up..... i just cant get him to stop hitting out. his emotional age in my opinion is
like a toddler an when hes frustrated he tends to slap me over the head an pull my hair i cannot get him to stop this....

16.sleep in our house is all over the place, mainly due to connahs anxiety/excitement concerning the events of the next day
he sometimes doesnt sleep till 4.00am eg. a few months ago the ss were pressuring connah to have blood tests....i knew he was
scared and tried to re-assure him but he was so anxious he stayed awake till 6.00am the next morning.
17. connah has vocal and physical tics , at one stage his head jerked down to his shoulder on one side and would snap back
also......these days he does facial grimaces and tongue clacking....
his tics change from time to time, he will do absolutely anything to hide them, he will go into public loos if hes out, when
he was at school he suppressed them in class but this took up an enormous amount of energy and will power so
much so that his work suffered, he was unable to concentrate.
he would later slink off into the toilets shouting his head off releasing his physical tics....sometimes he released in the school
yard, it was pretty easy to do it their as everyone was shouting and running around anyway.
the sad think about connahs tics are that he is overwhelmingly embarrassed and ashamed of them , obviously down
to past bullying experiences...he views them negatively and go s to great personal lengths to conceal them from people.

He went to CAHMS and was apparently assessed, the CAHMS doctor said there was nothing wrong with him
and he must resume school immediately.
I managed to get him in for a few days but the same pattern emerged - he would stick it out for a couple of days and then flatly refuse.

I was called to a meeting, child in need meeting number 4, i was told by the education soc worker and parenting partnership that
they had approached the ss on my behalf and that it was very good news , the ss had promised to listen to my concerns and
promised to try and help our situation. at first i refused as in the past i had got absolutely no-where...however they were pretty
insistant and eventually i agreed....i arrived to a meeting that was the direct opposite to what i had been told.... because the
doctor had said there was nothing wrong and because of his ongoing refusal they insisted they started a core assessment on
my family,.during the meeting the bullying chair decided that everytime i opened my mouth he would tell me to be quiete!!! I was told in no uncertain terms that if I failed to get him in school, I would be taken to court by the LEA and my son would be
placed on the Child Protection register, I just sat there and sobbed, I felt so lost.

My eldest son tried to reason with them by asking "What do you expect my mum to do? carry him ? she isnt well and can't
do this" their reply was ITS NOT OUR PROBLEM!
The pressure was on, I was so scared I was going to lose him, I told him how important it was he went to school, he
knew he didnt have a choice.....
Every morning for about a week he would wake up feeling sick, then he would clutch his throat saying he couldn't breath and would vomit. I was beside myself with worry, I couldn't keep doing this to my son, some mornings I would find myself
crying with him through sheer frustration. It was horrible. I told Social Services what was happening and they told me they didnt care what he did, be it panic , vomit , he must get in school. I decided from there that Social Services were not taking
his emotional wellbeing into consideration, so I had to do it.

I de-registered my son from school in January of this year, the very next day Social Services came round announcing they
were calling a case conference as they felt i was 'purposely isolating my son from his peers'. The case conference was a farce
, there were reports with gross inaccuracies and blatant lies, I exposed the CAHMS doctor for the lies he had told meregarding the non-diagnosis ,the only response i got from this doctor was the apparent training he had undertaken and the
qualifications he allegedly had..... i quoted , code of practice, acts, legislations and protocols. I was fighting for my family,
i'd done my homework and knew my stuff, I stood against them all, on my own, but it was no good, as soon as i was seen to
be making a point they start , just like a pack of wolves......They put my child on the 'at risk' register for emotional and physical abuse.They have also implied I have what is called FII a variant of Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, insinuating that I was
making his difficulties up to draw attention to myself. if i wanted attention, i would definitely use some other way of getting
it thank you very much......
If the matter wasn't so serious I would have laughed at them, it just seemed so unreal.
Since then I have found an independent consultant that specializes in learning difficulties, as Social Services wanted me to
sign my son over to voluntary care.
My son was diagnosed with Aspergers, Tourettes, ODD, ADHD scores 8out of 9 inattention,3out of 5 hyperactivity,4 out of 4
,impulsivity and Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I believe this speaks for itself. I was in the process of taking the camhs doctor to the General Medical Council and the LEA to judicial review in the high courts in London as they will not assess my son for special needs.
He has been without an education now for two years, Social Services will not assess my sons needs or mine for that matter as they feel we do not fit their criteria. I have found the service to be absolutely deplorable. My social worker suggested I sign him over to voluntary care, so that they may assess him in a different environment, I asked her on that occasion to leave my home, I was gravely upset.
I feel their plan of action is to leave us with as little support as possible and they are waiting for me to drop.
The fact is, the entire situation has a massive impact on my illness,as im supposed to avoid stress like the plague, trouble is when stressed my body, eg, muscles carry the tension resulting in an constant elevated pain levels throughout my body..... I am in a state of exhaustion. I cannot rest during the day, if I sleep my son panics as he is then on his own. His social life is zero and has been for four years as has mine. I'm screaming inside at the unjust way we have and are being treated.
We need help yet no-one will help us because the local authorities doctor says there is nothing wrong, they deny me any access to services for children with special needs and thats how it stands until i can prove otherwise. Isolation feels like a sentence, the question is what did we ever do wrong? Meanwhile I can only watch as my son gets worse, his tics, obsessions and short
term memory are at an all time high, I try my best to keep his spirits up, however I am no
match for the corrupt professionals , Social Services and such like. They dont care about us, despite their 'Duty of Care'.

Unfortunately, that was my first mistake you see, once upon a time I actually thought they did care and would have been happy to help with easing our situation.

I am also told that at the case conference review 6th october 2006 Social Services are likely to initiate care proceedings. To say I'm scared is an understatement, they are coming at me from all sides.
recently discovered that my solicitor wasnt looking out for my families best interests, there is a definate conflict of interest when it comes to serving the general public....
Changed solicitor to one that is less fond of the Social Services, good move i feel .....
i have some good people behind me who know how much i cherish both my sons, surely ,no law in the land would be so cruel as to remove my youngest.....
But i know different, thats the problem, i know so many mums who s world has been destroyed it really is gut wrenching....
We havent long since had assessments from a couple of independent court appointed Experts, both psychiatrists, one Adult psyche and one Child psyche. I really wasnt shocked when i read the reports, upset , yes, shocked, not at all..........

DAY ONE.....UNBELIEVABLE, THEN AGAIN.....

onlyamum — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:44:47 CDT

i shouldnt have bothered going, its all set up, the meeting with DR W and DR X lasted an hour and a half.....
male was turned completely around by DR W....... X has taken his diagnosis back in light of new evidence........
he made aprox 12 statements all in agreement with DR W and his accusations of harm from me, educationally, emotionally, socially, all in DR W handwriting of course.
DR X came to me later, stating the only strategy he could come up with, was to agree with DR W and have child Y removed from my care, as this ensures that my child will get the overdue attention and assessments he needs.....(THOSE ASSESSMENTS I HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD TO OBTAIN FOR OVER 2 YEARS AND HAVE BEEN DENIED) The other reason was obvious DR X was outnumbered
the judge has so far suggested 3 months in foster care as he has a free slot in november in which to review the situation.
in addition i am expected to coach the foster carer. surrounding parental strategies and re-address all the therapy issues i dealt with years ago, and accept non diagnosis .....contact will take place at a family centre, we will be supervised and assessed at all times. CAFCASS have recommended son go s into care. In court rest of week think Dr W, DR S and Social Worker, take stand tomorrow...

Barrister is very experienced, he sympathises, but insists in the light of the volume of evidence by different professionals i must make the best out of a situation. Luckily i resisted his first his first suggestion which was to
go with everything.....he has no real knowledge of my sons difficulties therefore not understanding the impact it has on a family and the impression it gives to others.........but thats just it, none of them know.......I really feel like debbie storey in the middle of my personal nightmare.........

Expert Witnesses are rarely challenged especially the judges golden boys, these are the few that stand as expert witnesses during family proceedings.....
i got the impression he has his favourites....and wont here a word against them.

but that in itself is a problem then isnt it , if parents cannot challenge these experts, for fear of infuriating the judge, risking their reaction or effect on there case......
Then can someone please tell me, at what point did i ever stand a chance ???

--

FAMILY LAW LINKS...

onlyamum — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:47:52 CDT

Courts & Government Agencies of England and Wales

Her Majesty's Courts Service
The Court Service is an executive agency of the MoJ. This covers policy, legislation and the Magistrates' courts. The purpose of the Court Service is the delivery of justice
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Responsible in government for upholding justice, rights and democracy.
Equality Schemes under the Ministry of Justice The MoJnow has responsibilityfor theEquality Schemes formerly published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. It provides information on the Equality Schemes covering race, disability and gender.
Department for Education & Skills
To give children an excellent start in education, enable young people to equip themselves with life and work skills, and encourage adults to achieve their full potential through learning.
Department of Health
Providing health and social care policy, guidance and publications
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
The purpose of the FCO is to work for UK interests in a safe, just and prosperous world.
Legal Services Commission
The Legal Services Commission is an executive non-departmental public body created under the Access to Justice Act 1999 to replace the Legal Aid Board
Law Commission
The role of the Law Commission contributes to the aim of the Ministry of Justice is to build fair, effective and accessible justice services and to modernise the law and constitution.
Direct.gov
The direct.gov.uk website is run by the Office of the e-Envoy, part of the Cabinet Office, and aims to bring various Government services together into one place.
CAFCASS
CAFCASS looks after the interests of children involved in family proceedings. It works with children and their families, and then advises the courts on what it considers to be in the children's best interests. CAFCASS only works in the family courts.
The Official Solicitor
The Official Solicitor provides representation for minors or adults under legal disability, and sometimes others, in county court or High Court proceedings in England and Wales, and in the Court of Protection.
Judicial Studies Board
The Judicial Studies Board provides training and instruction for all full-time and part-time judges in the skills necessary to be a judge. It also has an advisory role in the training of Lay magistrates and of chairmen and members of Tribunals. An essential element of the philosophy of the JSB is that the training of judges and magistrates is under judicial control and directions.
Association of Directors of Social Services
The Association of Directors of Social Services represents all the directors of social services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Association is involved in issues covering managerial policy and professional activities of social services departments.
Judiciary of England and Wales
The website aims to provide users with an insight into the working lives of the nearly 42,000 judicial office holders in England and Wales - judges, tribunal members and magistrates.
Forced Marriage Unit
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office launched a joint Forced Marriage Unit on 26 January 2005. The unit is a one-stop shop to undertake policy, projects and give practical advice to people at risk of being forced into marriage. The unit works closely with a wide range of community groups, women's groups, non government organisations and statutory agencies in fighting forced marriages.

Other UK Courts & Government Agencies

Court Service Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Court Service is part of the Ministry of Justice. They are a separate Civil Service in their own right. Their core business is to provide administrative support for the Northern Ireland Courts. They are accountable to Parliament at Westminster through the Parliamentary Secretary at theMinisrty of Justiceand through the Lord Chancellor.
Scottish Courts
The Scottish Court Service (SCS) is an Executive Agency which is responsible for the speedy, efficient and cost effective administration of the Supreme and Sheriff Courts. SCS is responsible for the administrative staff who deal with the day to day work of the courts and associated offices.

Courts and Institutions of Europe and the UN

Europa
The European Union's website
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights website
The United Nations
The United Nations website
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child website
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child website
Hague Conference on Private International Law
Hague Conference on Private International Law website

Publications and Rules

Judicial Case Management Protocol
Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Government knowledge without knowledge of government - making information easy to find, use and share.

The Legal Profession

Law Society
The Law Society is the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales. They serve society by working to improve access to the law and provide services and support for solicitors.
Resolution
Resolution is an association of over 5000 solicitors who are committed to promoting a non-confrontational atmosphere in which family law matters are dealt with in a sensitive, constructive and cost-effective way. It sets good practice standards in family law and runs an accreditation scheme for specialist family lawyers.
Family Law Bar Association
The FLBA is the specialist bar association for family barristers. With about 1500 members, it organises conferences, seminars, meetings and social events throughout the country via its regional network and often in conjunction with the Solicitors Family Law Association.
Association of Lawyers for Children
The Association of Lawyers for Children is an organisation which promotes justice for children and young people within the legal system in England and Wales.

Non-Governmental Organisations

Children's Legal Centre
A unique, independent national charity concerned with law and policy affecting children and young people.
Reunite
International Child Abduction Centre
Children Law UK
Children Law UK was formed in 1974 and is affiliated to the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates, which holds consultative status to the United Nations.
National Family Mediation
The National Family Mediation is a not-for-profit family mediation services offering mediation to couples who are or have gone through the process of a separation or divorce.
National Association of Child Contact Centres
The National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) promotes safe child contact within a national framework of Child Contact Centres.
National Family and Parenting Institute
The National Family and Parenting Institute (NFPI) is an independent charity working to support parents in bringing up their children, to promote the wellbeing of families and to make society more family friendly.
BAAF Adoption and Fostering
BAAF Adoption & Fostering is the leading UK-wide membership organisation promoting the highest standards of child-centred policies and services for children separated from their families of origin.
National Association of Guardians ad Litem and Reporting Officers (NAGALRO)
The professional association for Children's Guardians and Children and Family Reporters and Independent Social Workers
Family Mediators Association
The Family Mediators Association trains and supports family mediators who work with couples to look at their options relating to the children, the property and financial matters.

Medical Profession

Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional and educational body for psychiatrists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
The College advances the art and science of paediatrics, improves standards of medical care to children, and educates and examines doctors in paediatrics. Additionally, the College has a function in providing information to the public on the health care of children
British Psychological Society
By its Royal Charter the Society is charged with national responsibility for the development, promotion and application of psychology for the public good

Legal Research

British and Irish Legal Information Institute
Access to Freely Available British and Irish Public Legal Information
Family Division Practice Directions

University Law Schools

DISABILITY LINKS :

4DP - For Disabled People - The UK's Ultimate guide for disabled people and healthcare professionals
ArtsLine Online - Artsline's principle aim is to increase participation in the arts by disabled people of all ages and to provide them with accurate information about access to arts and cultural events in London
Alliance for Inclusive Education - UK based Campaigning Group, excellent source of UK links for inclusion
Bolton Data for Inclusion - This website is a useful resource 'Promoting Inclusion and Challenging Segregation' with contributions, critical perspectives, personal histories and research

Building Bridges Consulting - Community builders in British Columbia, Canada

Candle - Learning and communication support for young people and adults experiencing barriers to inclusion

Community works- David and Faye Wetherow are independent Canadian facilitators, teachers and writers in the field of community living... they believe in ...working for communities in which every individual is cherished
Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE)- UK source of information and advice about inclusive education and related issues

Community Options, Inc. is a nationally based non-profit organization in the USA which provides employment services and appropriate housing for over 1000 disabled people throughout 25 offices in 11 states

CharityJOB - the site where non-profit organisations can advertise their job vacancies free of charge
Creativity Central - the home page of Charlie and Maria Girsch, toy inventors and authors of the new book, Inventivity

Contact a Family - Every day over sixty children in the UK are born or diagnosed with a serious disability and the vast majority of them are cared for at home. Contact a Family (CaF) is a UK charity providing support and advice to parents whatever the medical condition of their child

Department of Health - Here you will find the latest on the Department's work, as well as health and social care guidance, publications and policy

Diverse City Press - Canadian disability rights publishing company

Disability is natural - A green apple is more like red apples than different. An individual with a disability is more like people without disabilities than different
Disability Equality in Education - UK Training Network for Disability Equality Training. Email-
r.rieser@btinternet.com
Downright - Stephanie Lorenz is an extremely experienced and inclusive psychologist and educational consultant based in Manchester, UK

EQUALITIES – The National Council of Disabled People and Carers from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities - Equalities is an independent Enterprise which is run by its service users, who all have a good understanding of the barriers disabled people and carers from our communities experience when trying to get the help and support we feel we are in need of.

Graphic Facilitation - inclusive planning and problem solving using graphic facilitation

Heart of England Promotions Ltd - a group of companies serving all your promotions, conferencing and entertainment needs. Themed events, family fun days, product launches, and corporate entertainment

Inclusive-solutions - Inclusive Solutions' mission is to create fully inclusive mainstream schools, organisations and communities where all belong

Inaura Inclusion Web - UK Campaign for Zero exclusions in our schools

IBV.org.uk - This project has been funded by the Department of Health and is managed by Choice Support. The aim of the project is to find and publicise outstanding examples of innovative practice in supporting people with learning disabilities - across the UK
Jack Pearpoint and Marsha Forest of The Center for Integrated Education and Community in Toronto, Canada - the leading website for inclusion, home of 'Inclusion Press'

MAMH - The Massachusetts Association For Mental Health (MAMH) is an independent information source within the mental health community. Through its network of volunteers, MAMH provides education, advocacy, leadership and information to agencies, individuals, and families on national, state and local mental health issues. MAMH uses its network of volunteers to advocate, plan and advise on all aspects of mental health, including the provision of community based services, housing, employment, and education for consumers and family members

Norah Fry Research Institute - The Centre was established in 1988 as part of the University of Bristol's Department of Mental Health. Its principal interests are the evaluation and development of services for people with learning difficulties

Learning Difficulties United Kingdom\- Lots of links, papers, job adverts and the joint Community Living Forum

Learning Resource Centre Network (LRN) for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire - Learning Resource Network aims to build substantial partnerships for the planning of workforce development, increase the quantity, diversity and quality of work based learning and improve access to and participation in learning.

Lifecare - Our sister organisation providing Financial Services and Advocacy. Lifecare was founded by a group of parents who were concerned that their disabled sons or daughters lives may radically change when their parents pass away. They also wanted to offer individual members of Lifecare the reassurance that there would be no immediate change at the point of bereavement.

Paradigm - Lots of links, articles, policy papers and details of Paradigm's work and conferences

Partners in Policymaking - Partners in Policymaking was created in Minnesota by the Governor's Council onDevelopmental Disabilities in1987. Partners is an innovative, competency based leadership training program for adults with developmental disabilities and parents ofyoung children with disabilities

Parents with Attitude (Sheffield based parent organisation) - Publishers of books on the family experience of disability from an inclusive perspective

Parents for Inclusion are an excellent UK source of support and advice for parents and professionals on inclusive education. They walk the talk!

People First - self advocacy and the disability rights movement. Check out the books in this bookstore!

Restorative Justice - is an essential ingredient for the inclusive school and education system. We have been supporting the development of Robin Tinker's work in Nottingham focused on secondary schools. Check out the links on this national UK site.
Transforming Conflict is an excellent site developing restorative justice still further

Supported-parenting

SW-special - the website for the DfEE Co-Ordination Project. An excellent resource for special educational needs news and views in the South West of England andbeyond.

Sheffield Educational Psychology Course - Useful links for psychologists and others wanting research links

SCOVO's Life Options - The Life Options project works to support young people with profound and complex impairments during transition. Link to the page from www.scovo.org.uk, and follow the Life Options link.

POETS CORNER...

onlyamum — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:45:20 CDT

SS....SS ...SS....SS....SS....SS....SS....SS....SS

she must be a bad parent if she hasnt got control,
she got a cheek to ask us, for help, her son needs to be told.
maybe shes some freako, as she lives in solitude,
she often gets frustrated and often switches mood.
always sayin shes weary,needs help with housework too,
this lady is so vunerable despairing what to do....

my god she thinks we'll really help, lets stitch her up real good.
we'll tell her that we understand and drag her through the mud.
shit!! shes got a doctor thats ripped our doc to bits,
erm...we,ll say the house is dirty,an her bedrooms are the pits.
apply for an interim care order, thats bound to get up her nose,
make sure one of us runs case conferences, and ensure anxiety grows.
next reduce her money, to put the pressure on,
make sure we see the boy alone,put words in his mouth when shes gone.

we will stick by our bent doctor, apply for care of the boy,
cafcass is ss anyway, this family will be destroyed.
no point on helpin disabled, the needy or the weak,
need bonuses its adoption, targets that we seek.

we cant an we wont pay for services its true,
we simply do what weve godda do....
let emotions slip in an weve lost the fight
its 2007 not about what is right.
we simply crush what is weak,so the strong do get richer.
bigger bank balances soothes the consciouses,.... get the picture.

MY REPLY TO SS......
.
ignored, thats what i was , it was what i expected.
pleading for help for my son, suprise suprise, again rejected.
why do they change the subject, when i say all is not well.
when i say my son is getting worse, an our lives now constant hell.
look away ss worker, i know why you avoid my glare,
its so i dont see the lies in your eyes, as you tell me that you care.

it isnt a life its an existence , dont you understand my persistence,
wouldnt harm a hair on his head, who will care for him when im dead.....yeah....well hes my son.......
may be extreme to you , but isnt to me,i must face whats ahead

.my boys deserve a future, as much as your children do....
you wont shut me up , il turning air ultra-violet blue...
i'l make public my knowledge , you'll never stop me,
inside you know im not msbp...

oh sorry FII is your theory of late,
you so blind you dont see his aspergers traits.
why must i be scared of telling the truth,
hes been diagnosed and you have your proof.
but still you insist that in care he should be,
why do this to us, he should be here with me....

dont think your any better , having a degree or two,
blindfolded with my hands tied i could do what ss do.
it doesnt take real brains, to tear families apart,
what takes courage an real IQ, is using whats in your heart.
there s no joy in screwing kids up...doesnt it mess with yourt head?
what i cant grasp, cant comprehend is, through you, some kids are dead........

is that too graphic for you, im too upfront maybe ?
apologies social worker best get off to YOUR FAMILY.....hmmm

you deny, british mothers, human rights,to breastfeed,
breaking bonds its not right, to take away what babys need.
children taken from families, as their too thin or too fat,
good god, get a grip their not dogs or little cats....
web groups they grow, full of parents in pain
injustices surface, and anger remains...
.

to do you a favour i warn you today,
that youve tampered with things that have shades of grey.
we dont fit your tick boxes, blanket policies wont do,
your puppets shouting independance , well they know what they can do...

i'll use your methods of prediction,hang on now wheres my ball,
il look into your futures if you have futures at all....
oh yes i see the headlines, like you all black an white,
oh yes it says UK PARENTS REVOLT, looks like your in the sh***.

All i know is i bear witness, to all the wrongs you do,
in the best interests of the child you say, do you really have a clue ?
do you listen to the children you seek,
or simply stop them quickly, when they want to speak?

you may not be accountable for your actions on earth,
but youll be damned to hell taking babies from birth.
its so hard to forgive, evil actions inflicted,
commend yourselves, youve earned your horns as predicted.
to destroy peoples families, i send karma to you....
And prey you go through what your victims went through...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

BROTHERS SAY...

onlyamum — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:05:20 CDT

An overdue say from the big brothers point of view...

WHY MUST YOU PAY A FOSTERCARER £500 A WEEK TO CARE FOR MY BROTHER WHEN IT IS SO VERY CLEAR :

1. HE NEEDS AND WANTS DESPERATELY TO STAY WITH HIS FAMILY.

2. YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THE WORDS OF DOCTORS NOT QUALIFIED TO ASSESS HIS DIFFICULTIES....

3. MUM HAS ASKED FOR SUPPORT QUITE OPENLY OVER THE YEARS, YOU IGNORED HER NEEDS AS A HUMAN BEING AND A PARENT, DESPITE HER HAVING FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME , (CHRONIC PAIN/ FATIGUE CONDITION).

4. YOU LEFT OUR FAMILY TILL IT REACHED CRISIS POINT, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU WERE INTERESTED. STILL WE RECIEVED NO SUPPORT, JUST CRITICISM AND ACCUSATIONS.

5. IN CASE OF ANY DOUBT, FOR THE RECORD I AM FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF MY MUMS VIEWS OF MY BROTHERS DIFFICULTIES. I WONDERED WHY I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LEFT OUT OF ANY DISCUSSIONS REGARDING MY BROTHERS FUTURE, NOW I KNOW, SO BECAUSE I AGREE WITH HER AM I FABRICATING TOO ?

6. IF A LITTLE PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE COULD HAVE BEEN OFFERED TO MY MUM, AND CONNAH WAS GIVEN THE SUPPORT HE ACTUALLY NEEDS. YOU COULD HAVE SAVED YOURSELVES THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF POUNDS, PAID OUT, DUE TO CARE PROCEEDINGS. THE SUPPORT NEEDED WOULD HAVE COST A MERE FRACTION OF THE FOSTERCARERS FEES. I KNOW NOTHING OF SOCIAL WORK OR THE LAW, BUT DONT NEED A DEGREE IN ORDER TO SEE THIS.

7. I HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP WELL, MY MUM HASNT HAD IT EASY, BUT SHE HASNT EVER PUT ANYTHING OR ANYONE, BEFORE THE WELFARE OF MYSELF AND BROTHER. THE FACT I ATTEND UNIVERSITY, DONT DRINK, SMOKE , DO DRUGS OR HAVE EVER BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH THE POLICE I BELIEVE IS LIVING TESTIMENT THAT MY MUM DIDNT DO BAD AT ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

8. MUM WONT GIVE UP FIGHTING FOR MY BROTHER, COS SHE KNOWS IF HE IS TAKEN , THE DAMAGE THIS WILL DO WILL BE PERMENANT AND SEVERE. YOU LOT DONT KNOW MY BROTHER, YOU DONT KNOW HIM AT ALL. YOU HAVE NEVER LISTENED TO HIM. HES TOLD YOU WHATS WRONG WHY WONT YOU HELP HIM WITHOUT TAKING HIM AWAY FROM US?
MUM KEEP FIGHTING THEM, LOVE,

A.A.

INDEPENDANT??

onlyamum — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:38:55 CDT

ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU THEY WERE INDEPENDANT, BUT YOU DISCOVERED THEY WERENT ??......
its a very dishonest way of gaining someones trust, which i personally find quite unforgivable, especially if connected to child protection and care proceedings!!!
But lets not mince words here, these deceiptful manipulative professionals are simply a link in a chain of corrupt and well paid staff, their to ensure your child/children will be taken away from you.....

skeletal view.........

THE NIGHT BEFORE....

onlyamum — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:17:11 CDT

WELL IM OFF TO BED VERY SOON......TOMORROW I EMBARK ON THE FIGHT OF MY LIFE, THE FIGHT FOR MY VERY OWN SON.........SO MANY OTHERS BEFORE ME HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS....I FEEL SO VERY HUMBLED TO HAVE ASSOCIATED
MY TIME AND EFFORTS WITH THEM. ......I JUST KNOW THAT WHEN A MOTHER FEELS THERE IS SOMETHING NOT RIGHT SHE WILL MOVE HELL AND HIGH WATER TO PUT IT RIGHT , ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CONCERNS HER OWN PRECIOUS CHILD.......

its ridiculous, that in the year 2007 with supremely advanced technology and multi-million pound businesses,
people that are, soooo busy making their money........ Many, so self absorbed that the little people dont matter to them
any more.......
by little people i mean, children that are each and everyday traumatized by the state. The social services are
paid to snatch away, extremely distressed children... on many occasions these children have to be literally prized off their
mothers......
before you all shout that some children are rightly and justly taken, because abuse has taken place.......
YES! we know that bit ....., no reasonable human being with half a brain cell would ever ever, condone or try to justify child abuse. To the majority of us,to purposely hurt a child is beyond the realms of our logical and emotional understanding.
It is also something that pops up time and time again in the media, horrifying revolting and angering society, people dig in their pockets,
hastily donating to childrens charities, i guess it makes them feel better......so they, dont have to think about it too much now,
because after all......they gave them their hard earned cash.
It is not about criticising peoples motives for giving to charity, its not about criticizing the charities, because a portion of takings may go on the chief executives new jag ........ Criticism can wait for another day,its about donating in a whole new way, and knowing that money means very little.....
when the little peoples very lives are at stake, traumatised and abused by the very authorities that claim to protect them....so where do s that leave us ? when children can be taken from their families for no good reason and placed with strangers......
Why are our children taken based on the view or hunch, that abuse just may occur in the future........WHAT ???
So people have children removed , not upon evidence of abuse ......but on the OPINION of a social worker......and who pays for
the monsterous, barbaric practices of the family courts ? YOU DO......WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR TAXES GO.........COME OUT OF YOUR LITTLE SAFETY ZONES AND WAKE UP FOR GOODNESS SAKE, .you help to line the very deep pockets of the judiciary , judge, solicitors, expert witnesses,social services, cafcass .......
Anyway my point was, that we still need to invest in the welfare of children, we need to invest time and listen to what they want and dont want and really consider their wishes and feelings, as at the moment we are destroying them.
that isnt me going over the top this is fact, childrens wishes are not considered in the most important places of all i.e. the family courts........
PLEASE VISIT:

iwantmummy.org

--
" Have you read 'The Gulag Of The Family Courts' by Jack Frost ? Orderyour copy here! click on www.lulu.com/content/716689"

care proceedings updates

onlyamum — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:57:03 CDT

So as you may have gathered we are a family in need, i need support to parent my son effectively.
To access the kind of services that will encourage confidence, social skills,speech and language ,
occupational therapy and independence for my son.

yes as you may have guessed, our apparent need has fell on deaf ears, the diagnosis my son
received was met with indifference, people around me put me on a fast track learning curve called .
Local Authorities dont have any money to support families, they much prefer too, take the child into care....
.the more i learned the more i became horrified as to the extent of the problem. i really had no idea........
16 meetings and 3 psychiatric assessments later we are here.

3 days to court....already met the foster carer, they had me meet her with a view to
forming a friendship. JUST IN CASE THE JUDGE DECIDES AGAINST ME....
then they will need me to tell them all about my son, about all strategies i have used
in the past in order to control my sons behavior. >>>

http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/2000/7/12/723066.htm

THEY WANT ME TO HELP THEM RE-INTEGRATE MY
SON BACK INTO MAINSTREAM SCHOOL, AND TO
INTEGRATE HIM INTO HIS NEW FOSTER FAMILY.....
THEY HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED THAT I MUST FOR
MY SONS SAKE KEEP MY EMOTIONS IN CHECK......

Are you watching all this up there ?? hmmmm....sat on your fluffy cloud with your
pina colada and remote control....
Do mankind a favour and look to our children, power and greed infiltrates their
world and uses them for their own selfish gains. The little ones need you.

Today, i am enraged as i feel such a collective pain and frustration all around me.........
positivity is hard to keep up when your constantly knocked by those that are more powerful,
im fighting with every cell in my body to maintain the strength i need for court.......
have you got any spare up there ?? i could sure do with it right now......
im lucky in so many other ways, i have two sons, that love me to bits and have some very special
people around me who know who i am. They work so very hard as they believe in me.....Even if the
worst happens, i will still be so incredibly grateful, as they are true friends.

FII/MSBP PAGE....

onlyamum — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:15:38 CDT

Fabricated Illness?
4th May 2004

Frances Swaine

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy : whose judgment of "significant harm"?

The purpose of this article is to consider the difficulties that can
arise in a legal context when looking at the greater encroachment of
public rights on the private sphere in decision-making when there is a
suspicion that a child may be suffering significant harm (ill treatment
or the impairment of health or development) attributable to his care,
as defined in s.31 Children Act 1989.

Public Rights

We rightly recoil from the stark picture of the forgotten, neglected
and abused child such as Victoria Climbie : her death a product both of
criminal activity on the part of her carers and the failure of
appropriate medical, local authority and education bodies to interact
and recognise her situation in the family home.

In her case we recognize criminal punishment for her carers as
appropriate and welcome an investigation of how she slipped through so
many nets, to ensure such a failure on behalf of our society thus
represented does not happen again. It is easy morally to legally
condone the moves of all those involved in childcare decisions which
result in the removal of the child from the home in such gross
conditions.

In such circumstance one would expect the child to feel protected by
such removal and whatever confusion arose as to ******** as they grew
up, to justify their new situation as a haven from the last.

Legal tests

The burden of proving that a child is suffering (or that it is likely
to suffer) significant harm rests on the local authority; the standard
of proof is the civil test of the balance of probabilities. The
perpetrator of the "significant harm" identified by the local authority
will however, be judged under the criminal test; beyond reasonable
doubt.

Therein lies something of a legal conundrum for those examples of harm
where no prosecution can follow because of insufficient evidence, and
yet the local authority has chosen to pursue child care proceedings to
deprive that child of his family – perhaps indefinitely – and to leave
the family with the social stigma of causing harm – by that child's
very absence from it. At times, as we shall see, the family has not
even had the opportunity to contribute equally to the legal debate, and
as a consequence the balance of probabilities argument as put to the
Court on the part of the local authority, is not part of a fair debate.

Individual legal rights

The Human Rights Act 1988, in incorporating Articles 3 ( not to suffer
degrading treatment) 6 (right to a fair trial) and 8 (right to respect
for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human
Rights, has codified issues of the private and individual rights of the
child and his family which are necessarily set against any legal
interference by a public authority in the social function of that
family. Whilst in child care proceedings the welfare of that child is
always paramount, all legal decisions in those proceedings must now be
taken with an integral consideration of the rights set up by Articles
3, 6 and 8 for both child and family: or those decisions may be legally
flawed.

Medical evidence

In arguments concerning significant harm it may be essential for the
local authority to make use of evidence from the medical profession to
prove that harm. It may in fact be the medical profession whose views
initiate a child care conference. It is for the Courts to weigh that
evidence in the balance when coming to a conclusion about that child's
welfare.

In 1987 Dame Butler-Sloss, when reporting on the Cleveland child sex
abuse scandal, warned of excessive reliance on expert medical opinion
by local authorities in approaching the Courts for a child care Order.
It is, of course, a difficult line to tread when one profession skilled
in a particular area of knowledge, is seeking to influence another in
its decision-making, but it is an ability to look at the family life of
that child "in the round" that the Cleveland report was urging before
any decisions are made about wrenching a child from that family.

The number of ongoing cases before the GMC concerning medical courtroom
experts suggests that the lessons of Cleveland have not been learnt.
At the end of March, one case that had been before the GMC led to a
medical expert on so-called "temporary brittle bone disease" was stuck
off for misleading the courts on the cause of harm to children in
certain cases.

There are many areas of paediatric medicine about which clinicians
themselves are divided in their opinion. Some of these areas involve
illness in the child which is undetectable – or may be seen to have no
physical cause, and which it may be suggested are in reality a
fabricated illness on behalf of the parent/carer or a psychiatric
illness in the child, pandered to by parent/carer whilst treated
physically. Specific examples of this are the divergent views in the
medical profession as to the aetiology of ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
(viral or a psychiatric disorder) and the "diagnosis" of Münchhausen's
Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) in the parent (almost exclusively the mother)
of a child whose illness is either said to be clinically non-existent
(at least it is not diagnosable) or whose illness has been specifically
caused by the parent.

Both a failure in a child suffering from ME/CFS to recover in a year or
two, and the failure of a paediatrician to find a specific illness in a
child whose parent seems to be over-anxious and is constantly
requesting "tests" for a variety of illnesses have resulted in
referrals under s. 47 Children Act 1989 to make an emergency child
protection order, or failing that to call a child care conference. The
local authority's duty to investigate such a referral is
unquestionable. How that investigation and subsequent decisions about
child care applications are followed through is of paramount importance
both to the child's best interests and the rights of his family – for
the consequences of a mistake could be psychologically traumatic for
all concerned.

MSbP

MSbP is a condition in which mothers induce fabricated illness in their
children – a lay person's understanding of the "syndrome" being that
the sick child allows the parent to assume the sick role by proxy, so
that in the attention shown to the child in investigation of the
illness the mother gains sympathy and attention which is what she
craves. One might well ask who is the medical patient in this
scenario. Recent law has set out that it is the child but where does
that leave the rights of the parent1?

The first MSbP case was documented by Professor Sir Roy Meadows in
1977, and as definitions of the syndrome have developed the adopted
view is that MSbP is a form of child abuse. Although accusatory of the
"harming" parent it is a diagnosis to be made by a paediatrician in
examination of his patient (the child) and not by a psychiatrist in
examination of his patient (the adult). We therefore have a parent
accused of a criminal act – harming or intending to harm their child as
a result of an imprecise psychological disorder but for the purposes of
child care proceedings there is no onus on the local authority to
investigate the psychological state of the parent nor to prove whether
or not that parent is suffering from the disorder.

There has been no legal argument in criminal trials that MSbP is in
itself any form of Defence to criminal acts (as insanity, or other
mental disorder might be), nor that those who are sufficiently ill to
be separated from their children (possibly permanently) should only
have this happen to them if there is incontrovertible evidence that
they are suffering from such an illness. The problem for the local
authority, the medical profession and ultimately the Family Courts is
to ensure that the rights of those mothers under Articles 3, 6 and 8
Human Rights Act 1998 are not flagrantly trampled in acting upon the
paediatrician's "diagnosis".

Once s.47 Children's Act has triggered the gateway to action by the
local authority under s.31, attributing harm to the parents, it is for
the local authority to produce the balancing act of rights within the
family. With MSbP this has proved difficult – but those rights all
remain to be protected. Even if the child is the patient of the
clinician, it is the whole family's rights with which the local
authority must be legally concerned albeit with the overriding
objective of ensuring the child's safety.

D-v- East Berkshire Community Health Trust [2003 EWCA Civ 1151]

Public policy was cited in this case as the reason for there being no
common law duty of care to parents where consideration was given to
whether suspicion of abuse could result in the removal of children from
their family home. An acceptance of the encroachment of public rights
on those of the individual. But they did not close the door on
violations of Articles 3 or 8, nor could they.

Unfair trial : Article 6 for parent and child

It may be that the doctor has himself made a mistake in failing to
recognise in a child some of the more difficult illnesses to diagnose,
such as Asperger's Syndrome, Dyslexia/Dyspraxia, Brittle Bone Disease,
Hyper-acuity and Asthma. Yet, once child care proceedings have
commenced the very nature of the MSbP diagnosis prevents a parent from
providing evidence against such diagnosis. For, a crucial element of
the diagnosis is that she will deny harming her child. There are
circumstances where mothers are told that they have to "confess" to
harming their child before they can have any form of treatment, and if
they do not confess they are unlikely to have their children back. If
they do then confess, such confession may be used as evidence against
access to seeing their children or even to their children being placed
for adoption. Such confession - which might of course lead in due
course to criminal prosecution, is therefore, as the Countess of Mar
declared in a debate in the House of Lords in December 2003 (following
Angela Cannings' successful appeal against conviction in a case
concerning MSbP) 2, " equivalent to the stigma of
witchcraft in the Middle Ages; there is no trial, and no one is guilty
until one can prove one is not guilty, and one has no way in which to
prove one is not guilty".

Conclusion
Complication again arises from the fact that these are civil cases and
neither the guilt nor innocence of the mother is what the Family Court
need consider in care proceedings. However, and particularly before
acceding to any sort of Final Order or to adoption proceedings the
context of the accusations is such that the Court must ensure that the
family itself has had sufficient representation and evidence laid on
their behalf. For it is as important not to harm the child by falsely
accusing his mother of MSbP, thereby breaking up the family home, as it
is to protect him from harm

In seeking to encroach still further on family life in an effort to
provide each child with a life free from ill-treatment, it will be
important to consider the Human Rights Act and its implications at all
steps of decision-making – for the child as well as the parent and
close consideration should be given to medical evidence where there is
a severe imbalance between the voice allowed to the local authority and
that allowed to the parent.

Frances Swaine is a Head of the Human Rights Department at Leigh Day &
Co. She specialises in cases involving medical ethics and the impact
of the Human Rights Act on health and community care services

--
" Have you read 'The Gulag Of The Family Courts' by Jack Frost ? Orderyour copy here! click on www.lulu.com/content/716689"

child protection -media induced anxiety

onlyamum — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 03:46:12 CDT

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