Children, Families and Social Services
Articles compiled by "Creature S"
Paediatrician David Southall was struck off
the medical register after twice accusing parents of
murdering their children. He was called before the GMC
again over a further series of allegations, which were
found to be proved last month. Five mothers whom he
wrongly accused of deliberately hurting, and in one
case killing, their children, gave evidence to the
hearing. Their accounts gave a chilling insight into
the consequences of so-called "sleep study" tests that
he conducted on 4,500 of his young patients during the eighties and nineties.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=499740&in_page_id=1770
Controversial paediatrician Dr David Southall has been
struck off the medical register after being found
guilty of serious misconduct. About time. Yet he is
not in jail for all the experiments and lives he
destroyed. Also, why are they not discrediting the
idiots that believed him without looking into the
evidence? Sheep have a better thinking process.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2999992.ece
More on Dr Southall.
Lawyers acting for the Attorney General are currently
examining the 4,449 special case files at the centre
of the GMC hearing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7108879.stm
When hospital staff pulled the curtains around her
son’s bed and asked: “Poor little baby. What have you
been doing?” Victoria Ward knew something was
suddenly very wrong. After being suspected of child
abuse, the Ward family are out to change the family
justice system.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article3021139.ece
Lawrence, 20,
is one of the five cases at the heart of
the allegations against Dr David Southall. His parents
had to go to the high court to clear their name of the
false child abuse charges from Dr Southall. Their
lives have never been the same.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7108910.stm
Southall believes that he has been treated unjustly
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article3019148.ece
North families who had children removed because of
evidence from discredited paediatrician David Southall
could have them returned, we can reveal.
http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_headline=hope-for-families-who-lost-children&method=full&objectid=20223711&siteid=50081-name_page.html
Dr Southall's supporters gives us an idea of the many
medical professionals out there who don't think it is
monstrous child abuse to destroy families and perform
dangerous life threatening experiments on children and
babies.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article3029385.ece
Dr Patricia Hamilton, president of the Royal College
of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPH), defends
Southall. Pathetically going on about protecting
children from their parents when the evidence is there
and public about the lives he has ruined and
experiments he inflicted on children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7126189,00.html
Prof Southall received several expressions of support
after the hearing.
Dr Evan Harris, MP, said the ruling was "a serious
miscarriage of justice". I would worry about anyone's
intentions or mentality who supports this monster.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/05/nsouthall104.xml
What Professor Southall didn't want you to see.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b17_1184619566
If the above link does not load try this one.
What Professor Southall does not want you to see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sD4UWGt91w
Fran Lyon has left the country to bring up her child
away from the officials she says have made her life a
misery. The decision to take the child into care made
by a Northumberland County Council child protection
panel was based on an assessment from a doctor Ms Lyon
says she has never met. Now 33 weeks pregnant, she
said her decision to leave the UK
because of the way her case had been handled by the
council.
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2007/11/26/i-had-to-go-to-sweden-or-they-d-take-my-baby-61634-20160303/
Fresh evidence casting doubt on the conviction of a
woman for the murder of a boy she was babysitting, has
been uncovered by BBC Newsnight . The investigation
into Kyle's death was led by Det Supt Tony Hutchinson
of Cleveland
police, an officer with 50 murder
inquiries under his belt. The police did not take
written statements from either of the two surgeons who
saw Kyle in 2004. Suzanne Holdsworth has been
disciplined by the prison authorities for talking to
the BBC and her ability to talk to her family
restricted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7129962.stm
Expert witnesses are on trial — again. This time their
role has been put under the spotlight by two jurors
who broke cover to speak out and question the
conviction of a childminder for killing an
11-month-old baby in her care.
Keran Henderson, a mother of two and respected Scout
leader, was convicted last month of shaking Maeve
Sheppard so violently that she was left blind and and
irreparably brain-damaged. The baby died days later.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article3078027.ece
Lawyers are privately worried that the view is gaining
ground that the mother of two should not have been
prosecuted after two jurors questioned her conviction
for violently shaking Maeve Sheppard to death.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3085228.ece
The role of expert witnesses in baby death trials was
called dramatically into question last night after two
jurors spoke out to challenge the conviction of a
childminder for killing a baby in her care. Senior
judges and law officers faced calls yesterday for a
fresh review of the role of expert witnesses in
baby-death cases.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3071113.ece
Jailed in 2000 for the manslaughter of baby Patrick
Ms Harris - now Mrs Allen - was prevented from
attending his funeral, and was then to lose a second
child.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7139385.stm
Wrongly accused of sexually abusing their children -
two girls and a boy all under 10 at the time - the
couple were finally vindicated and reunited with their
little ones. By then their children had spent two
agonising and utterly unnecessary years in care. And
now, more than a year after their children were
returned to them and they were absolutely vindicated
in the High Court, a damning report is to be released
listing 32 recommendations that might ensure such an
appalling blunder by a social services department
never happens again.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/15/pain-of-social-work-sex-slur-family-89520-20253085/
Two restraint techniques used on children in custody
have been suspended by ministers after medical
concern. The so-called nose distraction, involving a
painful upward chop against the septum, and the
"double basket", whereby the arms are crossed and held
behind the back, are banned while their safety is
checked. It comes two weeks after a visit to England
by the European Committee for the Prevention of
Torture to discuss the use of restraint with
ministers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/20/youthjustice
Thousands of assaults are being carried out each year
on children in custody by the people employed to look
after them. Hundreds suffer cuts and bruises and some
require hospital treatment for dislocated or broken
bones.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article3293987.ece
TAKING a child away from its parents is one of the
worst things the state can do to a family.
http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/tm_headline=time-to-end-kids-8217-suffering&method=full&objectid=20223677&siteid=50081-name_page.html
Two MPs have put down an early day motion in the House
of Commons to bring attention to what they believe is
a miscarriage of justice. It notes that a man named
Charles Roy Taylor, a 71-year-old with a heart
condition, has been sent to prison for 20 months for
being in contact with his stepgrandson.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article3042581.ece
Brandon Webster was christened in front of his
long-suffering parents Mark and Nicky and scores of
family members, neighbours and friends in tiny St
Martin's Church at Cromer, Norfolk.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=500628&in_page_id=1770
A HORRIFIED family have slammed social services after
three girls were sexually abused. The authorities said
that Mark William Morris was safe to be around
children, yet this week he was jailed for seven years
for a catalogue of sexual offences. A family member
said: “We feel like we were the ones on trial.” Two
girls, as well as their mother’s unborn baby, were
immediately placed on the Child Protection Register.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/merthyr/2007/12/06/family-s-fury-with-social-services-over-child-abuser-91466-20212042/
A Dutch couple has sparked outrage by giving up a
seven-year-old South Korean girl they adopted as a
baby – after claiming she didn't "fit in" with their
life-style.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=501281&in_page_id=1811
A diplomat accused of “dumping” his adopted daughter
flew home yesterday after triggering a row about the
ethics of Europeans adopting Asian children.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3048747.ece
Baby smother mum or wrongly accused and set up to
prove MSBP parents are everywhere and children must be
taken?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/04/baby-smother-mum-gets-five-years-89520-20199342/
How do social workers decide when a child should be
removed from its mother? And are some social workers
putting babies into care too quickly? Jane's joined by
John Hemming MP, chair of Justice for Families, and
John Coughlan, from the Association of Directors of
Children’s Services.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/03/2007_48_mon.shtml
Alice, who first came to the attention of social
workers as a toddler, is the subject of a public
inquiry next month into the system's failings when
dealing with young people with mental illness.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/19/mentalhealth.socialcare
SS failing to help a family, who obviously need help
again. And why is it a single mother from Camden, who
has five younger children was possibly facing jail
(Nov/Dec 2007) because her son refused to go school
and be bullied there, yet there are so many children
not attending and nothing is happening? No help, no
teaching the children they must take responsibility
for their actions, no teaching parents better ways
than hitting.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/15/truancy-slap-dad-convicted-89520-20253379/
Another neglected child left by SS while they keep
snatching the healthy happy adoptable children from
loving parents.
A man who says that social workers left him to suffer
the most cruel abuse at the hands of his brutal
parents won £25,000 damages yesterday in a case that
broke new legal ground.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3048480.ece
Still promoting "contact point as helping children"
yet until the corruption in the family courts and SS
is corrected this system will be in the hands of
people who have their best interest in making adoption
targets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,2225776,00.html
The plan is to lead to school-based speech and
language therapists, social workers and children’s
health care as well as help with housing and benefits.
It could also lead to police officers being
permanently stationed in schools to provide positive
role models and prevent antisocial
behaviour............just scary. Children will be like
robots in fear of being snatched and work will go
downhill, parents will be blamed and they will still
be snatched.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article3031406.ece
Fears over the security of millions of child benefit
records have been heightened with the revelation that
more than 8,500 HM Revenue and Customs staff have
access to the entire database.
The civil servants, most of them junior, can log in to
check on full details about 25 million individuals,
including bank information.
HMRC, which admitted last month that two computer
discs containing 25 million records had been lost,
said it was looking to reduce the number of staff with
access to the database.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=FXCFNOJD0KTZRQFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/12/23/ndata123.xml
The planned database containing the details of all 11
million children in England should be suspended
because it is insecure and will put children's safety
at risk, an alliance of independent school heads and
privacy campaigners warns today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/06/children.schools
In November 2006, a ruling by the lords of appeal
reinterpreted section 38 (6) of the Children Act 1989,
and removed the legal obligation for local councils
and primary care trusts to pay for "psycho-social"
treatment along the lines of the Cassel.
Jones and
Kramer argue that the change has removed any incentive
for already cash-strapped local authorities to pay for
anything beyond an initial assessment - meaning that
even if a family is deemed to need therapeutic
intervention, treatment is increasingly unlikely.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/dec/05/guardiansocietysupplement.children
Wirral Council has paid £10,350 compensation to two
foster carers for failing to support them after an
emergency placement.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/12/11/106737/wirral-council-pays-out-10000-to-foster-carers.html
A Social worker has been disciplined over her handling
of a case involving the baby of junkie parents. Neath
Port Talbot Council employee Tracey Lee Wood had
denied charges of misconduct put to her at a Care
Council for Wales
conduct hearing. Sounds like they
used her as a scapegoat to cover the corruption of
neglecting children while stealing healthy happy
children for adoption targets.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=161818&command=displayContent&sourceNode=161644&contentPK=19149972&folderPk=88499&pNodeId=161375
The Care Council for Wales
has cautioned a Neath Port
Talbot Council social worker for failing to follow
child protection policy and guidelines. Following a
conduct hearing last week, Tracey Lee Wood was found
guilty of two out of three charges brought against
her, and the admonishment will stay on her public
record for two years.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/12/03/106664/care-council-for-wales-cautions-neath-port-talbot-social-worker.html
Council officials report the increase in young people
becoming involved with local authority services was
similar to rises across Scotland.
Of the 502 Highland
cases, 227 are in supervision at home and 275 away
from home. The majority - 113 are with foster parents
- followed by 65 with kinship carers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7133369.stm
In the new strategy, Getting it Right for Every Child
in Kinship and Foster Care, the Scottish government
reiterates its support for local authorities to pay
foster carers national minimum allowances of between
£119 and £198 a week but says it has “no immediate
plans” to use existing legislative powers to enforce
this.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/12/07/106726/scots-fostering-plan-leaves-out-allowances-and-placements.html
It is estimated that more than 2,000 children in
Scotland
are cared for by relatives because the
youngsters cannot be looked after by their own
parents.
The relatives will be eligible for a weekly allowance
of up to £198. Cannot be looked after or have been
separated from?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7126660.stm
More than 150 children are being referred each day to
the Scottish Children's Reporter, which hears child
protection and youth justice cases, according to the
body's annual report.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/12/04/106666/scottish-childrens-reporter-rise-in-referrals-sparks-concerns.html
A former Labour council leader has been barred from
holding public office for two years after thousands of
pornographic images were found on his three office
laptop computers.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2980414.ece
A South Wales social worker has been removed
from the
social care register after being convicted of child
pornography charges.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2007/11/08/106402/social-worker-banned-after-child-pornography-conviction.html
This story is not to do with children's issues but
shows how easy it is for companies to get a warrant to
enter a private home without evidence of why.
A Private Member's Bill currently being discussed in
the House of Lords reveals that there are 266 powers
on the statute book that allow people to enter private
homes. The powers have grown up piecemeal from EU
directives and regulations. They allow the use of
force and some carry draconian penalties for
obstruction, including heavy fines and up to two years
in jail.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=502541&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&ct=5&expand=true#StartComments
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