« St Swithin, Agincourt - oh, and it's raining .... | Main | Musical interlude »
July 16, 2007
Reform of child courts
Watching the news this morning on BBC TV (Breakfast) I almost dropped my coffee when they sat two people down for a short debate on reforming the way the chid protection inductry runs the legal system for children's courts in England. Quite apart from the fact that ten times the number of children taken from their parents on a "risk assessment" by a social worker are then whisked through an adoption process and never allowed to see their real parents again, it is the secrecy with which these so-called "courts" operate that is at last causing major concern.
The way it operates is this. An allegation is made by a social worker, teacher or even neighbour. The child is whisked into "care" while the charges are "investigated", often turning up nothing at all that could be used in any regular court. Then the whole fabric of "evidence" is spun out with "assessments" by a range of "social scientist" "professionals", none of which the accused parents are allowed to see. This is then placed before a closed "court" (Protecting the child's identity is given as the reason!) and the court rules on the future of the child and the fitness of the parent without ever hearing the parents case or allowing them to defend themselves against the slanders very often contained in the "assessments". On this basis one family had three children taken into care and put up for adoption - without the parents being aware of it - on the grounds that the social workers had "assessed" the parents as not being intelligent enough to bring up children!
The figures on this and the difference between England and the other parts of the UK are staggering. Four thousand children taken from their parents on the accusations of social workers - that right, four thousand children! - are not returned and are put up for adoption. Evene assuming that some of these are at risk, at least two thirds, if the same sample is taken in Scotland, are not!
Justice cannot be served behind closed doors. That way lies totalitarianism. Justice MUST be fair to all parties and it must be SEEN in order for it to be effective. The present system has seen so many miscarriages of justice with women accused by unqualified social workers of murder, neglect and abuse, which, whgen supported by medical professionals who should be less certain of their own unsupported and unresearched theories than any other part of our justice system. Why do we demand a standard of evidence that is so high it is almost impossible to fulfil when dealing with a terrorist - but then apply a different and totally unjust rule when dealing with parents and children?
I agreed totally with the gentleman demanding a reform. It is long overdue - and it should begin with the removal of powers from social services to "investigate" in secrecy. The Rules of Evidence must be the same in all cases. The accused has a right to see the full evidence against them, and a right to be heard. They also have the right to challenge the "experts" whose expertise is increasingly being seen as entirely self proclaimed.
I doubt though that it will happen in the short term. There are now too many untrenched "experts" in the lobbies of parliament and in parliament itself. They have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo - biased and unfair as it is. After all, it keeps them in power and in all the gravy sloshing out of the "child protection" gravy train. There is most certainly child abuse. It is not new, and it certainly is pernicious and takes many forms, but I, for one, doubt it is anywhere near as prevalent and widespread as the Child Protection lobby and the media make it out to be.
Time for less hype and more common sense - and proper justice in the family and childrens courts!
Posted by The Gray Monk at July 16, 2007 02:34 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://mt3.mu.nu/mt/mt-tb.cgi/5092
Comments
It is past time to open up these secret SS courts to the light of truth.
It is time to let the people know what goes on in Perjury Palaces all over the country.
Children are the commodity that makes money so it is diffficult to bring about change.
Children have always been second class along with women and now good men.
Violence and misery create billions of pounds and jobs for the boys- so try stopping the gravy train.
However Lady Portia has opened the can of worms so it is not long now for truth to shine ever more brightly and people refuse to be gagged by their archaic laws.
Truth ought to be shouted from the roof tops by everyone who did not receive justice in these courts of Patriarchal man.
We- the tax payer are actually paying these agents of the state to treat our children worse than animals.
We pay their salary and what do they do??
The persecute us and try to destroy our souls and spirit.
Karma is theirs and they are welcome to it as enough is enough.
Posted by: Catherine Sara at July 17, 2007 12:07 AM
Actually its 70,000 children taken into care with 4000 children a year are placed for adoption.
Check out Fassit web site for more information
http://www.fassit.co.uk/
Posted by: Netty at July 17, 2007 02:11 PM