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John Hemming MP, Chairman of Justice for Families and LibDem MP for Birmingham Yardley, has written to the Minister for Children, Kevin Brennan MP and Minister for Justice Bridget Prentice MP calling for the government to stop punishing women who are victims of Domestic Violence by taking their children away from them.
"The Government recently published," he said, "a report which looked at the reasons for care proceedings. If we ignore, for the moment, the fact that some concerns are not well founded when investigated properly, it is quite illuminating to see what the figures are. This report only covered 386 cases, but it does give a rare glimpse behind the secrecy of the Family Courts."
"The report reveals that 51.1% of women who have had their children removed had it done so in part because they were victims of Domestic Violence. The argument the authorities use is that the children are subject to "emotional abuse" because of seeing mother and father fighting. Without disputing the fact that there may be circumstances in which children may need to be in a place of safety because of this, it is wrong to take the children away permanently because mother is a victim of abuse. This creates a situation in which mothers are frightened to report Domestic Violence because if they do so then they will suffer the permanent removal of their children. We should be dealing with the abuser rather than punishing the victim."
"The report reveals some of the other reasons used for permanent removal of children. 58.7% - not doing what the social workers say, 59% inconsistent parenting/emotional abuse, 52.4% chaotic lifestyle (the dirty kitchen issue), 26.4% missing school, 37.2% not doing what the doctors say or missing appointments, 17.4% mum was in care"
"We need a better consideration of when it is appropriate for the state to intervene and remove children permanently from their parents. In essence the current interpretation of S31 a) of the 1989 Act allows intervention in a very large proportion of families and it is therefore the outcomes are pretty random. We should not just remove children, for example, because their mother herself was in care."
"One of the reasons greater openness about Family proceedings is needed is to work out exactly when the state should intervene. The danger in the current system which allows draconian intervention in a large proportion of families is that we end up missing the children at risk of significant physical harm whilst spending time with families who haven't done the washing up when the social worker visits."
11 comments:
Mr Hemming's simplistic analysis is, as ever, fatuous, trite and misleading. Characterising professional concerns as boiling down to parents "not doing what the social workers/doctors say" is inane. Likewise, to state "We should not just remove children, for example, because their mother herself was in care" is of course true, but is not something that happens. As for suggesting that social services are wasting time picking on "families who haven't done the washing up when the social worker visits", Mr Hemming is insulting the intelligence of even his greatest supporters. There is always a great deal more to these cases than the parent-friendly media and soundbite-hungry MPs such as Mr Hemming allow us to see. To suggest children are taken into care because a few dishes haven't been washed up is to insult the vast majority of professionals whose main concern, as mandated by the law, is the protection of children.
Thank you Mr.Hemming,this has happened to me. How do we get any of this government to do anything about it though? People feel so utterly helpless standing by watchign the abusers get away with crime and children and their mums are just left to suffer their entire lives, are this government all on drugs or something? What's happened to good old England? This place is more like a backstreet third world country then the good fair mother country it ought to be. So much hate, tyou'll always have hate if you take children from their mums, it's natural and normal for chidlren to be with mum, and give support if mum needs it, we dont need dictatorship - we had a world war and millions die to stop this dictatorship which is now in place and taken over with too few people caring. One child wro ngly taken is one child too many with state crime against them, it's got to stop please.
DV is routinely being used by Social Services to take children into care.
They need to support Mothers in escaping DV, not using care.
Care is NOT A SOLUTION. 50% of those in care end up in our prisons.
To reduce the levels of crime, we must reduce the number of children put into the care system.
Especially for such spurious reasons as "emotional harm".
It is time to STOP Secret Courts, remove gagging orders of parents and the press, Remove the MI5 powers of Social Services.
John Hemming, you're doing a wonderful job. Keep up the good work. Britain supports you.
[UKSecretCourts, Mothers For Justice]
Domestic Violence Youtube
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy-SZad1GIU
Reduce Crime by Reducing Children in Care Youtube
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uLQuWv5sbZ4
[Mothers For Justice]
Thank you for raising this issue Mr Hemming.
I have been taken to court for seven years by the man who raped me. Although this man has apologised in court twice, both times under oath (and I have the court transcripts to prove it), I have been informed that rapists do in fact retain parental reponsibility for their offspring if the child is born as a result of rape. Sadly, the UK family courts are interpreting the word "responsibility" for "right". I have been threatened with prison during these seven years, which is incredible, seeing that I am the victim of a serious crime. I have been threatened with prison, not for anything which I have done, but just in case I commit contempt of court in the future. It is a horrible way to treat a rape victim, truly horrendous. How can they be so cruel?
I was threatened with prison for not forcing my frightened children to see their estranged father.
I left him after years of violence and physical abuse towards myself and my eldest child.
The judge actually said if the contact does not go ahead as ordered then i should bring my toothbrush to the next hearing as i would not be returning home that day.
My ex was already discussing an application for residency so i was left with no choice but to make them go.
The repercussions since this have been immense, even school reports have made no difference.
My children continue to suffer.
I posted about this blog post on my own blog: Removing Kids from Abusive Homes
Thanks!
Glad to be of service, Scott, though this blog covers a wide range of Liberal Democrat concerns, not just family welfare ones, in Neath Port Talbot county, as well as nationally.
However, we intend to keep up-to-date with John Hemming's campaign.
I have been through domestic violence for nearly 8 years now !! i have numerous injunctions restraning orders on my ex partner, but one thing i have noticed through all this is that there has been no help whatsover the ss cafcass other agencies blame you, there should be help for people who are going through dv and mothers should not be persacuted, I have no contact with my child al though he does want to see me there playing gmes with his head as if he hasnt been through enough, so a big thankyou to john hemmings to bring this matter to light,
Yes, there are social workers who remove children from parents who are or have suffered domestic violence.
I was told by one of them SS that they have to show us who has the power.!!
I have studied these social workers- uneducated, with their own unresolved inner issues which they project at service users daily.
It is the feeling of power which gives them a buzz, but many display a sadistic nature too.
The Law may state protection of children, but have a look at the care system and see the truth of children being abused, raped, prostituted out and NOTHING DONE.
This is truth and there is paperwork to prove it.
Social workers are more interested in feeding their fat ego's that really LOVING CHILDREN.
Many of them have no idea of love anyway, and came into social work in the hope of sorting out their own issues- that is from a professor of Social Studies btw.
We must also be aware that.
BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD- is a Nazi idea- that all children should be taken from parents at birth and given to strangers who think as their leader does.!!!
Moderator's reminder: the comments do not necessarily reflect the views of the blog owners.
I personally do not know enough to support or rebut the statements here, but it does seem to me that education is no guarantee of a person's capability of judging a child's best interests.
Frank Little
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