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Researching Reform

Researching Reform

Daily Archives: November 14, 2016

England’s Stolen Children – Controversial New Documentary On Forced Adoption

14 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by Natasha in forced adoption, Researching Reform

≈ 105 Comments

The French media have been fascinated for some time by England’s use of Forced Adoption, as a country very much in the minority in how they apply this controversial approach to vulnerable families. The latest documentary from France on this topic has been produced by France 5 and is called “England’s Stolen Children”. It airs tomorrow evening, 7.40pm UK time. 

The documentary makes several claims which portray Britain’s child protection sector as unethical, lawless and profiteering. Information about the documentary includes contentious language, which we’ve translated below:

“This documentary tells the story of the thousands of children unjustly removed from their families. It chronicles families’ terrifying experiences of children taken at birth, the promise of future removal whilst mothers are pregnant and the threat of removal directed at women who have not yet had children, solely on a suspicion of future harm to the child.

The setting for this documentary is not a lawless, tyrannical country where child rights do not exist – these tragedies are unfolding in a State which is bound by European legislation and is  one of France’s neighbours: The United Kingdom. 

The film reveals an unthinkable practice: every year, Great Britain sets quotas for the number of children it must remove from parents in order to facilitate adoptions. If these quotas are not met, the local authorities have to pay financial penalties and their budget is revised and ultimately decreased. 

Private sector companies, sometimes listed on the stock exchange, are often tasked with placing children with adoptive parents. Children are “advertised” by these agencies, their details completely exposed and publicly available, with descriptions which include ‘sellable’ qualities such as positive personality traits. 

Last year, 7,740 children were waiting to be adopted by couples who trawled the internet searching for their ideal child. Sometimes, these children are placed in well-to-do households. Most of the time, these children are sent to live in unstable family settings.  

Maltreatment in the context of Great Britain’s Forced Adoption practices does not need to be evidenced. A suspicion of future maltreatment raised by social services is all that’s needed for a child to be taken away from their parents forever. In Great Britain, child protection has become skewed by a broadbrush perspective which presumes that struggling families and single mothers can never provide stable homes or make good parents. 

This Human Rights scandal in the heart of Europe stays hidden inside Britain’s borders. The law prevents parents and journalists from telling these stories, with the threat of jail if they break their silence. They don’t even have the right to mention the name of the child that’s been stolen. 

In an attempt to save English families from this terrible tragedy, a former businessman and millionaire helps families unjustly threatened with the removal of their children to escape Britain, and resettle in other countries like France.

More than two million children are trapped inside social services across England and Wales, their parents locked inside an administrative machine gone mad. Created in 1989 during a liberal government overseen by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which aimed to liberate the ‘working classes’, The Children Act gives child protection services the power to remove children from parents on a mere suspicion of maltreatment, present or future. “

A debate will also take place after the documentary is aired, and features Ian Josephs who runs the site Forced Adoption (and who we assume is the businessman mentioned in the description), Florence Bellone, an award winning journalist and Marie Claire Sparrow, a barrister based in London.

The documentary has been produced in French, but there may be English subtitles for non French speakers wanting to watch it.

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Question it!

14 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by Natasha in Researching Reform

≈ 2 Comments

Welcome to another week.

A recent article on Non Molestation Orders by Jason Hadden MBE, has highlighted some serious concerns with the court system, and these Orders.

Non Molestation Orders are a form of injunction designed to protect  victims of domestic violence from being harmed or threatened by an alleged abuser.  Victims can ask for this Order if they’ve been abused by someone they’ve had a relationship with, or are having a relationship with, a family member or a person they’ve lived with, or are living with.

An upward trend in the use of these Orders has brought up some difficult and controversial questions.

In his article, Jason refers to Ministry of Justice figures which say that the number of Non Molestation Orders issued rose by over 20% between 2012 and 2014.  Jason suggests that people are using these Orders not just to protect themselves from harm, but more controversially, to secure legal aid as these Orders have now become an entry point for legal applications in Children Act proceedings.

The implication then, is that individuals may be lying about domestic violence in order to access legal support. The latest figures from 2015 however, show that Non Molestation Orders being issued have gone down 5% since 2014. (We don’t know the reason for this reduction, but it could be a number of factors including the use of judicial discretion brought on by resource driven issues or a growing cynicism about the use of this Order).

Jason goes on to highlight other issues with Non Molestation Orders.

These Orders are applied for without notice (‘ex parte’), and can technically be granted for an unlimited period of time. This practice has been criticised for encroaching on an accused’s right to be heard. As a result, the Family Court has had to try to find a balance between protecting victims of violence and the accused’s legal rights.

In an attempt to solve this problem, the President Of The Family Division issued Guidance which recommended that no Non Molestation Order and its terms should be made for an unlimited period of time, and has to state the exact date on which it expires; it should also not be made for more than 14 days at a time where possible, and should also give the respondent a chance to set aside or vary the Order in question.

More difficulties set in at this point.

As the court system continues to struggle with the weight of cases and lack of resources, the above guidance poses several challenges for the system itself. The Red Book, sometimes referred to as The Family Court Practice, a guide used by Family professionals practicing law, takes the view that the President’s Guidance is unworkable, creating more expense for legal professionals, the courts and eroding public funds, as Non Molestation Orders essentially have to be re-applied for once the 14 day period or specified period is up and a threat of harm remains. The Red Book goes on to say that the Guidance also reduces protection for domestic violence victims as well.

Our question this week then, is this: how can we solve the current problems with Non Molestation Orders? 

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