This week I’ve learnt so much… I’ve learnt that the system is more twisted than I ever thought possible… I’ve learnt that within that system there are big fat stinking rats that only feed off money.
Personally, I’ve never really needed to deal with social services (SS). Yes, I’ve dealt with the child sen team and the education welfare officers, but social workers… No!
You see, I did once request their help. When your child has a disability and you have no respite… you request it… Of course I was turned down.
Then I discovered a friend of mine who is suspected to have a very mild learning disability, was being made out to be a bad parent. Why? Because she escaped a bully of a partner and requested help from SS as a single parent.
She did all that they asked of her. Parenting assessments, meetings, counselling. She was now in her own flat, her daughter (a toddler under 4) was in a great routine. She loves her child so devotes herself to making her happy.
SS come to the door regularly, she always lets them in. Why not? She has nothing to hide.
Then at a child protection conference they tell her that her child is too advanced and therefore at risk of emotional abuse in the future.
They also tell her that despite her being happy and away from the abusive father, its another reason her child may be at risk of emotional abuse in the future.
My friend feels that the parenting assessment she agreed to will save her. But it doesn’t! Instead it is 60 pages of hideous lies and over exaggerations.
They tell her to be prepared for the worse! They ask her family to prepare and consider whether they may want to care for her child. Yet there is no guarantees they will even be allowed too.
The child has never been hurt, abused, ill treated or emotionally abused! Further more my friend does not smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs… But this countries twisted child protection laws mean that she may well still lose her.
I, convinced this couldn’t be right, searched online for something to ease her mind. But I couldn’t find anything. All I see is report after report about SS targeting single mothers, especially those who have been in past abusive relationships or have a learning disability.
These are mainly mothers of children under 3 years…. Mothers who’s children tick the adoptions most wanted boxes and therefore find themselves at risk of forced Adoption .
Now, I’d heard bits about the family courts when it came to secrecy. But I was at the most part extremely naive and found myself shocked to discover how 200+ mothers are jailed every year when they try to speak out about their case. They are gagged, the human rights act suddenly doesn’t apply. Mothers, fathers, families…suddenly Lose their freedom of speech something we are meant to be entitled to as living human beings.
Did you know that we are the only country who operate in such a horrifying way. Families are not given a fair trail, children are removed without crime and us parents can’t speak a word of it!
How is this happening… How is this allowed to happen?
Some may ask themselves why women stay with violent partners (or vis-visa)? Why don’t they call the police? For fear the children will be removed from their care… That’s why!
Some may wonder why so many parents fear the SS… Because cases like that of my friend… That’s why.
If you have ever been abused, have a learning disability or even a past mental health problem, then the SS can state your child is at risk of emotional abuse, and apparently risk is all it takes for them to take a child away from its loving parents forever!
You may think there has to be more to it! SS don’t take away children from loving mothers/parents without good cause. I used to think the same!
The only reason we think this is because we know no different! Why? Because every parent who leaves the family court is gagged… And that’s why the gag needs removing!
Instead of finding something to ease my friends mind, I’m now scared for her… I’m scared that SS will rip apart a loving family that have done nothing wrong but ask for help!
I’m also scared that not enough people know what’s happening behind closed doors and because of this they are in danger of it happening to them too.
Be careful… They are everywhere
A boy with Asperger's 
Thanks everyone for your comments and thoughts. It is most shocking that this is allowed to happen in a country that claims that we are protected by human rights, only punished when crimes are committed, receive fair trails, not discriminated against or judged as parents due to mental health or disability. The gag needs removing from these parents. To have an injustice done to you that is of such great scale and then be told you cannot speak and if you do you will face jail… Is an outrageous scary miscarriage of justice and I cannot understand why it is allowed to continue.
I am utterly shocked social services bothered to get involved! I have children one of which has Asperger’s syndrome. I do not have a learning disability, however, when I plucked up the courage to report my violent husband I was basically belittled by the authorities. The police arrested and released him with a caution. Then allowed him to return to the family home! Plus carry on the violence towards both myself and the children! Social Services were initially involved, but decided to drop the child protection case. Eventually to protect the children I plucked up the courage to leave.
I read in the newspaper about social services not protecting vulnerable children and in my experience I am not at all surprised!
This sounds like the worst kind of cost saving and pandering to right wing voters – presumably the idea is to get the ‘feckless’ single mum off benefits by giving her child to a ‘nice’ middle class couple to adopt! Very angry and upset to read this especially on the day of the children’s referendum in Ireland – some people have been saying that voting it in will give the State the right to bring forced adoptions in here 😦
Unfortunately social workers are too cynical for their own good! Because they’re told to be by the powers that be. My husband committed one act of domestic violence and they came down on us like a ton of bricks! We’ve been lucky, but I have a friend who hasn’t. If you look at the areas where more children are removed for little things, I can guarantee you those areas have recently had big cases like Baby Peter and are on guard to protect their jobs not the children!
Your friend should never have been taken to child protection. I would suggest you get her legal representation now and try and get an independent report on her parenting skills,
I hope this helps. Xx