Ian josephs, Recently noticed that Luton has achieved it's targets for adoption. In the past it was known to have an abysmal record and no stars. I live in Luton  Also saw a young couple in there waiting in the reception area . I asked are they after your baby ? looking at the teenager who was preganant. She was quick on the uptake I said contact JH there is a Campaign against forced Adoption . She beamed with delight as I gave her hope . I said there is nothing wrong with you they just want your baby. Get out of the Country as you can not WIN.

Oh yes, she is paying the price as we speak.

She stepped right into the fire.

Portia, I agree with you this is why we have decided to expose the LG and Caffcass etc. The contact centers called Childrens Prisons another privatised industry creaming of a profit out of childrens misery. No one is accountable for anything that occurs whislt on the premises .SS have handed over to a franchise . Ofsted do not inspect and I want to know from my MP how much of taxpayers money is spent keeping children deprived in a prison type environment . the Childrens safety is Paramount and it is not guaranteed at all if no one is accountable. In other private establishments like elderly care home they have no human rights charter.

Portia, I think a lot of health checks are needed for these experts we have a child Psychologist in the family . And they say she turns up the worst for wear at family functions. Likes more than the odd glass of wine.Then again the family is dysfunctional comes from a broken home . Her mother a SW need I go on .

Portia, I will look forward to seeing just how far thes individuals will step out of their comfort zone to go that little bit further. It will be worth it to see how far they run on . Then just like th Southall case they will get justice

 The same in USA.

Small Justice follows paralegal Diane Hofheimer and her attorney husband as they represent three women, all loving mothers, who have lost custody of their children to men with demonstrated histories of sexual abuse and domestic violence.

These women, all articulate, thoughtful, educated, are just some of the women who tell of the horror of watching their children ripped from their arms to be handed over to the person who abused them.

New research, personal stories, as well as the letters and e-mails sent to Small Justice (www.smalljustice.com), indicate that the family courts are often biased against battered women and/or ignorant of the manipulations of batterers and abusers.

BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE OF FAMILY COURT INJUSTICE:
In order to understand how and why this can happen, one must look at the system in the family courts.

Where the ordinary rules of evidence do not apply, where there are no guidelines for what should be accepted as "expert" testimony, and where judges routinely take children away from the protective parent and place them in the care of the person the children have named as their abuser.

The frightening, ugly truth is that manipulative abusive people, the kind that have made headlines from Boston to Los Angeles, tend to be great liars.

They are people with superficial charm, who make better witnesses in court, than the people that have been abused.

Without the checks and balances of the rules of evidence and cross examinations, children are frequently handed over to parents who have been demonstrated to be guilty of child rape and acts of deplorable, heartbreaking violence.

Something is terribly wrong.

This is the issue that Small Justice explores.

This is how abusers  pull the wool over the eyes of some social workers, Cafcass, etc and get away with it.

I am working on such a case at the moment.

Only when one social worker spotted and caught the foster carer out, did truth come to light.

The other social workers and the Guardian fell for her charm, and she diverted their attention all the time for 6 long years.

By then Stockholm Syndrome had taken root, and children were attached to the abuser.

You think Eunice Spry was bad, wait till this one hits the headlines.

Portia , there must be a template for the perpetrators to win these cases . I would say that they have inside help from someone who knows the system well.  This was at the start of the case in 2004.It is all in the bag the outcome from the start all that is left is to pay for back sides on seats at meetings. I got told to sit down and shut up while relatives with tags on got unsupervised acesss on the fathers side.

Same here, and the crazy thing is my X did not want contact at all.

He said the solicitor told him to ask for it as it makes them look good in front of the judge.

I bet yours sat there with his head in his hands and the judge went ahhhhhhhh poor man!!!

I am feeling it it the old patriarchal system, where the authoritarian bully is given the gold medal.

Either that, or like the judge said to me- you have to learn to stay in your box, as you are too powerful for a woman.

My eyes nearly fell out of my head.

I see now - on looking back that the solicitors were playing us like pawns on a chess board.

They know the abused will keep fighting for justice, so they support the other violent one.

That way the case drags on for years and the pockets of the lawyers etc are filled.

You did right, step off the chess board- no pawns= no money= end game.

Then you child will ask for the truth soon, and lets see what happens to the thousands of children who were handed over to real abusers.

It may well be an experiment, but it is a dangerous one, because truth always finds a way.

Then there will be many angry teenagers on the prowl, seeking justice.

JUSTICE MUST BE SEEN, TO BE DONE.!

Portia , I got told to play the game by my sons solicitor. I too agree with you why should we leave logic and common sense at home and play mind games in a legal ground that we have no chance of winning. The whole thing is perverse and is about control over people . When and mark my words it will all goes pear shaped. I am in tip top condition without any secure labels on me that matter and have no CRB. My past record speaks volumes for my character why should I lose sleep over something that was done in secret it did me no harm only my son . I had the maturity to know what was happening and deal with it accordingly. Also I had the other son to lookafter and gude through allof this. I remain living a repsectable life bothering nobody at all.My characther apart from the LA holding incorrect and unsubstantiated records and files about me . And to this date will not hand over to me just about sums it all up. However should the information get out to someone else I can take legal action in a civil matter.And most probably will enjoy doing so. I was brought up to take a stick away from someone that they were using to beat you with ! This has always stood me in good stead. Also the leagals are not the only people responsible for changing laws or writing them .For example look at the land Mark Angel Cannings she was only a shop worker at Tescos and achived this with her case. Angelas life is still destroyed her daughter does not want to know they say they are both depressed the father & daughter and cope alone without Angela. My son was of an age to understand I was stitched up he knew I loved him and was fighting for him. My son knew I had to go into hospital and have surgery ,however not the truth major surgery . All the false allegations will hope fully have been worth it to live a lie and force a child to have a relationship with a stranger albet a NRP. Just so long as there is hop with unsuitable characters who have avoided all modification therapy for abusive behaviour . I am sure everything will work out fine.

\is it my immagination or has this topic moved?

Some of these self professed experts have an agenda of their own- you realise.

After all Best Interst of the Child was Hitlers slogan.

Could it be that the concept of removing all children from Natural Mothers is in the consciousness of some people at this time too.

Look at Argentina where the adpoted child managed to get her adoptive parents sent to prison for kidnapping.

This post has been deleted.

I have experience in both life as well as a professional stance on whether children do have a voice/ I believe that there are alot of very hardworking SW out there who may be young or old and I do not feel that age it necessarilly the factor for bad practice. However, I have had had to remove children from their family homes which I have found extremely upsetting for all parties but unfortunately sometimes this is unavoidable. I have on many occassions also fought to keep children at home against the Guardian so have experienced good and as as not so good in their profession. I do attempt to hear the child however, I do also beleive wthat we must be realistsic and understand that sometimes children wish to stay with the very people who abuse them (aniexty attachment) and it is not until they are away from the perpetrator that they can start to rebuild their lives. For instance, I had a mother who handed her children over to me stating that she had no childcare to attend University. The children presented bright and intelligent. They were well travelled and allegedly had access to books and toys. She then waited a few weeks and requested their return. I aquired and Interim Order to protect the children and we began a very lengthy court case. The mother and father were both assessed. She was diagnosed as having a narcisistic personality disorder and he bi-polar there were incidences of DV as well as masses of neglect of the children, all of which were totally denied by both parents. One of the children was diagnosed as suffering with mental health issues which were blamed on SS but actually began along time before our involvement. The day we aquired a Care Order non of the children wished to see their mother due to the abuse she had put them through ( their choice). They are all settled and happy and thriving. I am not saying that this is the case for all children but what I am saying is regardless of whether it is paletable to remove children for mtheir family homes sometimes we do not have a choice. The other point I wish to reiterate is that Guardians are very independant and that they at times agree with the care plans but I would say that it is less than 50% of the care plans.

 I personally do not like removing children from their families but I took on this role to protect children including their rights and I have to make some very very difficult decisions. I am also a mother who has to look my child in the face every night and I know I couldnt do it if I failed in my role for fear I was going to be unpopular.