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UN TO INVESTIGATE UK FORCED ADOPTION

20-08-2007

The Stirrer can reveal that the United Nations Human Rights Committee is to investigate Britain's record on forced adoption, following a campaign by Birmingham MP John Hemming who chairs the Families For Justice pressure group.

Hemming believes that Social Services departments in England and Wales are far more likely to separate new born children from their parents than in other European countries - including Scotland (see "Hemming Blasts Government 'Adoption Machine'" here)

The figures seem to bear out his point - in the last decade, the number of under-5's who end up living with new families after being issued with care orders has risen around 150% to more than 2,000 a year.

Now the UN has decided to investigate, bringing delight to Hemming who said:"We really do need to look at why we are taking so many babies away from their parents and placing them with other people.

"In many of these cases, social services talk about potential psychological harm to the child four of five years down the line, and get their paid henchmen to support them.

"But on that basis, we'd need to get every parent to be assessed before allowing them to look after children."

Meanwhile parents in West Yorkshire who've been warned that their child could be taken from them at birth - even though social workers admit it's "at no immediate risk" - have posted a conversation of their case conference on Youtube.

Vanessa Brookes and her husband Martin who live in West Yorkshire took the unusual step of smuggling recording equipment into the meeting, as part of an ongoing campaign for greater openness in the adoption and family courts system.

Officials from Calderdale Council are heard telling Vanessa that she would be allowed "two or three days" with the child so that breast-feeding can be established - but after that she would have to express her milk which would then be taken to her new-born.

The social workers explain that a judge will make the final decision on whether or not the baby is taken into foster care - but this is their recommendation and they clearlyexpect it to happen.