A video report of a forced adoption demonstration which took place outside London’s Central Family Court has been produced by journalist Tom Edwards, who very kindly shared the footage with Researching Reform. The footage has not yet been published elsewhere.

During the video Tom offers some background about the demonstration which is part of a series of protests organised every month by Legal Action for Women (LAW). In the video, LAW’s Anne Neale talks about the problems inside the UK family courts in relation to forced adoption. Geraldine, a member of the All African Women’s Group also shares her thoughts about forced adoption and the courts.

Very many thanks to Tom for sharing the footage with us. You can follow Tom over on Twitter at @Tom_Edwards1997.

The BBC has produced a radio programme on the UK’s child protection system and the way in which children are removed from mothers.

The website offers further information about the programme:

“With the numbers of children being taken into care in England at a ten year high, we take a look at the women who face the repeat court-ordered removal of subsequent children. We hear the story of one woman who had already had her first two children removed under court orders – and decided to flee the country when she was 37 weeks pregnant with a third child.

Jenni discusses why some women face the repeat court-ordered removal of their children and what support vulnerable mothers require to break the cycle.”

The programme interviewed the following people:

• Sophie Humphreys, child protection expert and board member of Cafcass
• Claire Mason, senior research associate at the Centre for Child and Family Justice Research and social worker
• Paula Jackson-Key, from Doncaster Children’s Services Trust
• Joanne Harris, author of The Strawberry Thief

The programme’s website doesn’t explain that the representative from Doncaster is an agent from Pause, the controversial women’s charity which insists women are fitted with coils before they can receive support to prevent further removal of children from their care.

You can listen to the programme here. 

We will forward comments you leave us to the BBC.