Legal Action for Women (LAW) are organising a demonstration this coming Wednesday to demand that the UK puts an end to its forced adoption policy.

The UK is one of a minority of countries around the world which allows governments to remove children deemed to be vulnerable from parents without first getting parental consent.

The demonstration is part of LAW’s Support not Separation campaign, which highlights racial and gender bias inside the UK Family Court.

The charity offers the following information:

FACTS:

• Women are primary carers in 90% of households. 28% of children live in poverty.
• There are more children ‘in care’ now than at any time since 1985 – 75,420 by 2018. Children from poor areas are 10 times more likely to be taken. Of families whose children are taken, 75% are single mothers.
• 90% of adoptions are without parental consent.
• While mothers are denied support, it costs £56k p.a. to keep a child ‘in care’.
• 70-90% of court cases feature domestic abuse yet less than 1% of child contact applications are refused – violent fathers nearly always get contact.

USEFUL INFORMATION:

• Courts and social services must prioritise the welfare of the child by keeping children with their mother or other primary carer wherever possible.
• Section 17 of the Children Act (1989) instructs local authorities to assess what resources they should offer ‘children in need’, including what support (financial and other)mothers need to keep children safe in the family. This should happen BEFORE any care plan. If it doesn’t, a lawyer can challenge it (by judicial review).
• Disabled mothers are entitled to further help under the Care Act (2014).
• Victims of domestic violence have a right to be protected in court and NOT to be cross-examined by their abuser. Lawyers and judges should follow the guidelines in Practice Direction 12J.
• Mothers have a right to REFUSE to sign a Section 20 allowing their children to be taken into care. S20 is ‘voluntary’ but once signed it’s very hard to get the children back.No one should sign ANYTHING they don’t agree with.
• Children in foster care are entitled to an Advocate (and possibly their own lawyer). There should be review meetings at least every six months which mothers have the right to attend to discuss how the children are doing.
• Mothers denied contact with their children by Children’s Services, the special guardian, or other parent/carer have the right to go back to court.

The demonstration takes place on Wednesday 3rd April, from 12.30-1.30pm, at 42-49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP.

A seminar organised by Legal Action For Women has been organised to gather evidence on how forced adoption affects children who have been removed from their mothers and separated from other family members.

The event, entitled “Do No Harm”, will be hosted by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP.

Confirmed speakers include:

Andy Bilson, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire, who will offer insight into new research on rising levels of investigation of families by social services and of children taken ‘into care’.

Victoria Childs, Psychotherapy and Counsellors Union, who will talk about the long term impact of separation from birth families.

Dr Radha Kothari, Clinical psychologist, who has been conducting research with mothers in order to improve the support mother receive.

Emma Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children & Families.

Lisa Longstaff, Women Against Rape – who will talk about how separation can be worse than witnessing domestic violence, as mentioned in a New York court ruling.

Anne Neale, Legal Action for Women, Suffer the Little Children & their Mothers. Anne will be offering updated findings from the past year’s self-help case work.

Shoda Rackal, Breastfeeding Peer Supporter, who will offer information about protecting the bond between mother and child.

Jean Robinson, Association for Improvement in the Maternity Services. Jean will talk about how the threat of having children taken stops mothers accessing services.

The seminar will also feature talks by a mother who kept her child, a mother who got her child back, and a grandmother whose grandchild was forcibly adopted.

The event will take place on Tuesday 11th September, from 6-8pm, in Committee Room 14 in the House of Commons. Everyone is welcome, and there is wheelchair access. Please also allow 30 mins to go through security. 

If you’d like to attend you can email  law@allwomencount.net  or call Legal Action for Women on 020 7482 2496.