Child development and any subsequent events in a child’s life which may cause disruption to that development, are hugely complex areas in which even cutting edge knowledge today is still not sophisticated enough to offer a clear pathway in these fields.
It is no surprise then, that in a system which is understaffed, under resourced and unable to offer its professionals the latest research in a fast and efficient way, mistakes about the cause of a child’s deteriorating mental health are made.
And whilst it can be the case that a child entering the care system has suffered terrible psychological damage as a result of their home environment, the care system itself can and does makes children’s mental health worse.
Former Liberal Democrat MP, John Hemming has recently highlighted this issue in a blog post, and offers research and data on the topic. What he effectively says, is that if we agree that there is a specific period within which children need to form attachments in order to avoid significant disruption to healthy development, then the data available suggests that a large proportion of children are being taken into care during these critical periods and suffering psychological damage as a result. John explains that the numbers don’t give any indication as to what is causing the damage during these critical blocks of time, but he does suggest that the system is either not responding to children’s needs efficiently or actively making things much worse by adding to any existing problems.
The post is worth a read to get a sense of the numbers and what the research says about the potential effects of taking children into care, particularly if systems are not properly set up to really support and nurture the children it takes in.
Researching Reform 
When a Local Authority wants to remove a loved one.. you as a dedicated parent MUST co-operate or you will branded and treated like a Criminal and your loved one removed using false blanket reports/statements/assessments.. your loved one live is then destroyed with sub-standard, uncaring and diabolical care which the biased Judges accepts and applauds. You the can do nothing as you are gagged and NO one cares to launch an investigation into how can this be humane and just. While the Governing Bodies boasts of great British Family Law is.. they say “It is the best in the world” while, this nothing further from the truth. This is what we call Democracy in the UK.
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Yes without a doubt. I have looked at the child’s side and from the parents point of view to looking directly and involved in observing their behavior of cruelty by evil acts. Linda
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This must be correct. Children brought up in the ‘care’ system have the worst life chances and a more likely chance of ending up in prison. This should have been studied in far more detail ages ago and Judges, social workers and all those involved made fully aware that putting kids into care is no panacea for problem families.
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Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
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‘Damned’: Watch a clip from Jo Brand’s new social work sitcom
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2014/06/11/damned-watch-clip-jo-brands-new-social-work-sitcom/
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all kids when taken into care are surrounded by an army, firstly they have to be seen by the doctor dentist optician and in comes the bills for money, then the social workers and when a kid in care they can have umpteen different social workers then we have the court lawyer cafcass the court experts the anger management team along with advocates these can be from charities if the kid is at school there are certain people in the schools who have meetings with the kids, also there are the clinical social workers then we have the foster carers, SO TELL ME who ever gives the kids a hug love bedtime stories, and most families are not allowed to show any affection on a contact so is it any wonder that kids from care end up on the streets my god I have seen and filmed them and if I had one chance all of them from governments who state IN A CHILD’S BEST INTEREST I would drown the bloody lot of them in the River Thames, Poor little kids although they have an army they have no where to turn to or to speak of the abuse, and many kids from the care told me we were told we were in care because our families did not want us and for this we had no contact, what a sick government Britain is ruled by.
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I totally agree my grandchildren were placed in “temporary ” foster care, s.s. applied for care order this was granted based on a statement from s.w. which had false accusations, lie after lie an what little truth there was had been twisted to reflect badly on there mum,s parenting. At first we were allowed to see the children once a month (2times in total as visits were stopped for all of us because there mum could not control her emotions in front of the kids) but also on the last contact my granddaughter told me how scared she got more so at night time an how she crys for mummy but is then told to be quiet to shut up, on the visit i felt she was withdrawn scared even to give anyone a hug. S.s. have tried to pass this of as if its nothing implying i misunderstood my granddaughter. We are living in a draconion country its wrong the way family courts social workers etc have all this power to destroy families who only want to love an care for there children iits all wrong.
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I’m so sorry to hear this. It’s really not acceptable.
Please excuse the edits, they are due to legal and reporting restrictions in place.
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The system of child welfare /protection is now all in the same department. Both of these have totally different aims, which has caused a clash. Professionals are so intent on having their views to be used, they forget about the families. As soon as you take a child away from its environment, you cause trauma. The system doesn’t take account of the important role that extended families play in helping a child develop and grow. So in answer to your question, the system is causing more damage to the development and growth of a child. Staying within a family that has problems is better for the child. Families often need support not judgment from professionals. This sometimes means using different methods and ideas to support that family. In adult care person centred care has shown that applying individual solutions has good outcomes, so by applying the same principle to child welfare better outcomes can be achieved
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Many thanks for your comment, Ann.
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There is no such thing as child protection, anymore than there is pensioner protection. Specific groups in society are not identified as being in need of special protective measure.
The notion that there is such anything as child protection is the big con.
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Abolish social workers and court appointed experts then leave the police to deal with crimes against children and others.
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This is what I always say as child abuse is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE then why the hell do social workers whose role is to ‘support families’ think and behave like police?
Despite having no arrest powers or investigation training this only aiding perpetrators and must stop. It is why child perverts are able to thrive as ‘family court’s’ aid the abuser by not making them accountable thereby enabling abuse some would say ‘aiding and abetting’ the only ones that suffer are the children and none abusing parents its a disgrace KNOW YOUR ROLE SS YOU ARE NOT POLICE?
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None of you even know what child development means (s.17(11) Children Act 1989 and Part 1 Children and Young Peoples Act 1933).
Child development is of the mental faculties in the mind of the Reasonable Man, the legal standard applied by the courts.
In Part 1 of the Children and Young Peoples Act 1933 physical health means causation in the law of negligence and moral health means proximity in the law of negligence.
In s.17(11) Children Act 1989, physical development is in understanding causation; behavioural development is the duty of care to strangers; intellectual development is reasoned expression; social development is of the competencies in social relationships and emotional development is the capability to safely and reliably take opportunities for growth and welling.
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P.S. The mental faculties of development are applied to informed decision making following the process of s.3(1) Mental Capacity Act 2005.
For a person with parental responsibility, mental capacity to make declensions is extended to parental capacity to make decisions in respect to the child by Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Informed decision making requires the information on the child’s learning and development (s.41(3) Child Care Act 2006) and health and development (s.43(1) Child Care Act 2006).
From this information a child’s needs assessment is conducted as a CAF Assessment. All this information is kept secret from parents. Social workers conclude, in fact accurately, that parents are unable to meet the child’s needs and take the child into care.
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Reblogged this on .
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Reblogged this on | truthaholics and commented:
“Reactive Attachment Disorder and the Care System
I am currently highlighting the question as to whether the psychological damage caused to children who have been taken into care at a young age is caused by the care system or by their treatment prior to entering care.
The research that is relevant to this is summarised here and basically says that reactive attachment disorder can be avoided if a stable attachment is achieved from between 4 and 6 months. Previously I have seen an argument that the key period is 6-18 months and that not having a stable attachment established in that period causes lifelong problems.
Some information is difficult to find, but some information is not so difficult to find. It is possible to find out the ages of children taken into compulsory care. In the year 1st April 2014-31st March 2015 (the last period for which the detailed information is available).
1,190 children were taken into care in the first week of their lives
1,576 children were taken into care in the first month of their lives
2,000 were taken into care in the first 4 months.
270 were taken into care in months 4-7
and 2,740 babies of 1 or under were taken into care.
2,800 children aged 1-4 were taken into care
2,680 children aged 5-9 were taken into care
2,360 children aged 10-15 were taken into care.
220 children aged 16 and over were taken into care.
It is not unreasonable to say that 2,180 children were taken into care by the age of 6 months. Hence any RAD suffered by those children occurs as a result of their treatment after being taken into care. It is not a difficult logical concept.
It is, however, a simple conclusion that many children are damaged by being taken into care. Exactly how the damage occurs is a separate question, but the logic is unavoidable.”
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your conclusions are spot on any rational thinker knows it … nature/nurture common sense/humanity knows damage is caused when the young are taken prematurely from parents that this causes stress they know Mum’s smell voice face etc its primal and social workers would have to be robots not to admit to causing emotional abuse by their actions.
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I am afraid that, whilst emotionally attractive, this is completely untrue. The principle of minimum intervention in the family means that the state can have no such view. Children’s proceedings are governed by the welfare principle, how the child as an individual will be provided for, clothed, fed, housed, educated and kept healthy. The default position is that the natural parents are given the first chance to do so for the creature.
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What would be interesting to know is how many kids are or were taken into care from the Lords Sir’s MPs and the rest of the Elite, Cameron left his kid in a pub the MaCanns left 3 kids on their own whilst they were in a pub, so is it only the working classes who lose their kids to a system, well of course it is, and this has been from dot, got have little dollies for the Elite to play with cant play with educated little dollies they may open the box of truth.
CHILDRENS HUMAN RIGHTS STATE
Article 1
States Parties shall prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography as provided for by the present Protocol.
Article 2
For the purposes of the present Protocol:
(a) Sale of children means any act or transaction whereby a child is transferred by any person or group of persons to another for remuneration or any other consideration;
(b) Child prostitution means the use of a child in sexual activities for remuneration or any other form of consideration;
(c) Child pornography means any representation, by whatever means, of a child engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes.
Article 3
1. Each State Party shall ensure that, as a minimum, the following acts and activities are fully covered under its criminal or penal law, whether such offences are committed domestically or transnationally or on an individual or organized basis:
(a) In the context of sale of children as defined in article 2:
(i) Offering, delivering or accepting, by whatever means, a child for the purpose of:
a. Sexual exploitation of the child;
b. Transfer of organs of the child for profit;
c. Engagement of the child in forced labour;
This information on the rights of a child our children are still being sold by the agencies and at the same time creating millions of jobs, why are the agencies advertising BIG TIME for social workers. All agencies are selling kids in a Child’s best interest.
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I wonder how the care system will be viewed by future generations. What started as a noble idea has turned into a money making industry that treat the children as commodities. I don’t think it would be a proud memory.
To remove any child from their family should be a last resort and only when all avenues have been explored to keep the child within it’s own family. Children’s early trauma from the birth parents has often been cited as a reason for the failures of the teenage child or adult but i don’t believe that is the sole reason for teenage and adult mental health issues. Traumatised children have gone on to recover whilst in the care of their family but those who are removed often never recover sufficiently to lead “normal” lives. Those that do I believe are genetically programmed to do so with or without any outside intervention. Most are not so lucky.
It’s not as if they don’t know that the children are being deeply harmed, after all enough children have gone through the care syatem to get a true picture of what is happening. It’s the sheer scale of it that poses the real problem. Those working within the system would be redundant if the system was no longer operational. That is what is keeping it alive and growing. The children are simply a means to an end. No wonder they are damaged. Money rules!
The system is in desperate need of a change in direction on every level. Recording or videoing meetings should be mandatory. Support & education & therapy should be offered to keep the family intact. Ongoing support for the family to pick up any problems. Closure of the family courts!
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agree with everything you say here spot on … closure of family courts is the only route to go child protection (as a criminal offence) is what it should go back to before the dreaded SS.
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We have become obsessed with the idea that big is best – like comprehensive education and academies. Grandiose titles for something that should fulfill the educational needs of children and young people wherever they are in the country.
Those with money and power have nothing to fear, but those who suffer problems relating to money and health will experience the unsympathetic faces of the law and social services.
The problems that face society have just got too big so individuals get lost and meet the impersonal and too often contemptuous faces of ‘The System’ or ‘The Establishment’.
Far too little money is spent on health, education and welfare while too much is devoted to armaments and overseas aid in the form of money in the pockets of corrupt officials.
Too many concessions also exist for those who sit in Westminster. I’ve just been reading an enlightening article about the alcohol consumption of those ‘Honourable Members’ who historically imbibe so freely at the expense of taxpayers in addition to their considerable expense-allowances and free travel-concessions on supposedly fact-finding missions and conferences that seem to occur with fascinating regularity on the slightest pretext.
Perhaps it’s time for The Establishment to think a little more about their country, those of us living in it, and less about the jingle of money-bags in their pockets or bank accounts.
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Reblogged this on Musings of a Penpusher.
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The local authority put 2 of my boys in care (16 months and 6 years) There was nothing wrong with their development while they was at home with me. Two months after they got took away I was told my 16month old was under developing even though ha was age and stage appropriate when he was at home. The local authority refused to let my 6 year old was refused contact with any of his family and his behaviour started 2 deteriorate then he was separated from his brother and not had contact with any of his family. Now I’m told that his maths and reading level has gone backwards by two years and has developed an attachment disorder and now waiting for psychotherapy. So yes the care system is definitely to blame.
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I’m so sorry to hear that.
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misleading information , misunderstandings , misinformation , disinformation, confirmation bias , and bad attitudes that go with these are big part of the problem that causes ”Psychological Damage” and can be found in abundance in this world,in peoples minds/thoughts,false teaching/miseducation and no less in the so called ”care system”maybe one day we will learn to discern the difference between words, a thought, imagination,an idea, a theory, a belief and knowledge and maybe we can learn to balance our feelings with what is natural, logical and true and maybe one day this country will set the world an example and build homes and lives for families where loved ones living together is held much higher in the priorities of all especially the people in positions of much influence ???
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to balance our feelings with all else that is natural,logical and true and with the help of all that is truly good maybe our feelings will become more reliable, true, balanced and good and anything else they should be ??
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Yes it is thr fault. All emotional and mental harm is caused by caused by removal of child without arranging home visits 1st, jst makes the back load of work n forcing court intervention straight away before anybody knows what is happening.!! It’s a complete train wreck the system.!! Causes more psychological harm then good to all involved. The whole system needs to change.!! Xx
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My daughter was taken into forced foster care, whilst she was with me she had no hatred for men she was never assaulted by anyone and a physchologist stated in a report that what me and my partner were doing with her stopped any physchological damage in the future for her. Since being in ‘care’ she has been assaulted by foster ‘carers’ was manipulated by the social services not to say anything to the police – she retracted out of being manipulated by them then the police told her off! Her emotional wellbeing is being severely abused neglected made worse by the so called ‘social services’ system in the Falkland Islands. She was alienated away from me as when I came to uk to seek second opinions trying to get her back my home down there was taken away from me – without a court order. So the same government who legally kidnapped my child from her mother from her home based on lies and perjury in court by officials who is suppose to work in the best interests of the child in their care also made her mother homeless 8000 miles away from her – so I couldn’t go back – she ultimately deteriorated even more to the point where she has mentioned to the social workers that she wants to throw herself in front of a car. This whilst being in a social services run ‘unit’. I have recordings which is not illegal of evidence of the decline in my daughter and the abuse of us as a family endured at the hands of these people due to the fact there is no data protection in the Falkland Islands – this case is corruption to a high level – and we have the proof. I want my daughter back but she will need a lot of support from ‘professionals’ I have no trust in anyone as myself and my daughter have been physically and mentally abused for the past 2 odd years at the hands of so called professionals who have abused their positions. At this point I will state that the head of social services is also on the housing committee who kicked me out. The social services went into my home without a court order and stole my belongings – myself and partner made complaints to the chief of police who is apart of this charade and he never anything – we have been black balled. What happened to us has nothing to do with keeping a child safe it’s about the overpaid contractors who go to the Falklands (self governing) for 2 year contract who don’t abide by British laws who then break major human right breaches then leaves the Falkland Islands government promotes this as by the time anyone can make a complaint the contractor has left which in the end no one brings the Falkland Islands government to justice. All the while they pick on innocent families who have disabled children. And all the while the British government ignore what goes on by promoting self governance, we have got ignored by the Falklands government and the British say they can’t do anything – well if that’s the case why do they have British military down there paid by taxpayers in the uk!
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I really am sorry. My thoughts go out to you and your daughter.
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its time the entire corrupted system was investigated the SECRET family court is the only court in the land that allows false reports perjury and assumptions as evidence in criminal courts everything has to be proved or it is not allowed in the case family courts allow data protection to be abused and children to be emotionally abused stripping them and the entire family of any human rights real criminals have the right to defend themselves while parents that have committed no crime whatsoever are sent to prison for trying to get the truth out in to the public domain criminals have the right to visits with family and friend while parents and children who have not commit ed any crime are lucky to get four visits a year or a letter per year under strict rules of exactly what they can and cannot say or write or the luxury is removed
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The child protection process has been designed to deliberately disturb children . Disturbing social workers , psychos calling themselves court guardians , people dressed in pantomime police uniform and all manner of looneys visit the child at home and intimidate , threaten and bully them first before they are put through the trauma of being stolen from their parents and taken into care to be abused . The care process has absolutely deliberately disturbed many children .
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It is scientifically well documented that when baby monkeys are removed from their mother at a young age they become emotionally disturbed . The ” Child Protection ” court judge even put in her judgement that if she did not remove my child she would not have the trauma of being removed from her mum and family pets who she loved .
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The babies and children who have been kidnapped have medico legal claims against LA`s for sub standard health care and educational neglect . They are being alienated from their parents and are being passed from one mystery doctor to another in ” care ” and are being forced to have unwanted dangerous pharma drugs and vaccines without their consent and without their permission . Denying people the right to claim compensation is to deny them the right to own property or have wealth . When people are also denied the right to have human rights and their children are stolen to use laboratory monkeys and for the purpose of sexual abuse this makes them slaves . This is a form of modern child slavery . It is entirely illegal and is a Nazi war crime ..
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