Essex County Council Chiefs have condemned articles in the national press
about the work of Essex Children's Services as 'inaccurate and unfair to
both parents and social workers'. Tracey Chapman, Cabinet Member with
responsibility for Children's Services said "There seems to be no link
between the findings of the court and the articles as they appeared in the
Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday."
“The role of local authorities and Family Courts when parents are not
actively hurting but are failing to support their children effectively is a
legitimate matter for the press to debate. To do so by casting dedicated
social workers as pantomime villains – ‘Child Snatchers’ - and by comparing
them to a ‘dictatorship’ is frankly disgraceful.”
“I am genuinely sorry for the family concerned in this case – both for the
heartbreaking situation in which they find themselves and for having their
private details spread across national media. Our concerns are always to
ensure the well being of children, and the Judge in this case made clear in
the judgement that: ‘No Judge would make such an order unless satisfied the
risks to the child were so great that his welfare positively demanded
alternative provision away from his natural family’.
It is not our role to pass judgement on parents, but rather to ensure that
children are safe and protected. Society has placed that responsibility with
us. I have absolutely no doubt the staff at Essex County Council, who
dedicate their working lives to the protection of children, are amongst the
best in the country.
We have recently
undergone our regular inspection by the Social Care Inspectorate and Ofsted
and I am positive that it will find our staff perform to the highest
standards.”
“In the vast majority of cases our staff work to support families through
difficult times and ensure that children remain with their birth parents.
The judgement, which I am having published on our website, makes clear the
high standards of care that Essex County Council provides to both parents
and children, and how carefully all factors are considered when a child is
taken into care. It makes clear the many checks and balances in the system,
and highlights that the social workers are only one of the many groups
providing expert support and advice to families and children.”
Please click below for the High Court Judgement
High
court judgement (67k) PDF
Related articles...
'Couple too slow to be parents'
Steve Doughty (Social Affairs Correspondent)
Daily Mail
14th August 2005
http://www.fassit.co.uk/parents_forced_adoption
Misconduct by
social workers ignored
17 August 2005 By
Tom Parks
"It is not my job to probe allegations of misconduct by social workers
involved in forced adoptions
http://www.fassit.co.uk/tracey_chapman_and_children.htm
