adapting my identity

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The British tourist arrested in Crete for allegedly choking her baby to death moments after giving birth has been named.

Leah Andrews is said to have gone into labour in her hotel room after a night out drinking.

When her older sister and her friend arrived back at the room they were sharing at about 5am yesterday, they reportedly found her trying to clean up the blood.


The 20-year-old was using a sheet with the baby's body inside as a makeshift mop to wipe down the floor and furniture, a police source said.

'The sister and friend saw a sheet with something inside it but they did not open it. They called the police.

'The police came with an ambulance. They opened the sheet and they found the baby,' the source added.

Coroner Manolis Mihalodimitrakis said: 'When the baby was born, it was alive and breathing. After that, someone killed it violently.'

Andrews is under police guard in hospital in the Greek island capital of Heraklion, where she is being treated for heavy blood loss.

She has been told she will be charged with killing her newborn child when her condition improves sufficiently, according to British diplomats.

Police sources said the woman kept her pregnancy a secret from her friends despite expecting a baby within weeks.

The Londoner is said to have two other children who were not on holiday with her. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm a British national has been detained and will be charged with the murder of her baby in Malia, Crete. We are providing consular assistance.'

Under Greek law, infanticide is punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/

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The third Safeguarding Children report from the joint chief inspectors was published on 8 July 2008. The report is published every three years under the direction of the eight agencies inspecting prisons, care homes and other institutions involved in child protection. It seeks to assess

* the effectiveness of the overall safeguarding systems and frameworks that are in place
* the wider safeguarding role of public services
* the targeted activity carried out to safeguard vulnerable groups of children. This includes updated evidence on the groups considered in the previous report, including asylum-seeking children, children in secure settings, looked after children and children treated by health services
* the identification of and response to child protection concerns by relevant agencies.



This report found that improvements have been made across a range of objectives but there are still areas of concern. For example, wIth regards to looked after children, they found that 1 in 10 children’s homes and fostering services are not adequately keeping children in their care safe. The inspectors also found that the choice of placement remains limited for most children and some children feel it is hard to influence decisions that involve them. With regard to secure accommodation, it found that the use of restraint was not being recorded or assessed properly and the inspectors made several recommendations for how these issues could be addressed.

The full report can be down loaded here

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Europe to begin investigation of secrecy in family courts. This is brilliant news. Hopefully this will be the start of our children and families finally seeing protection placed exactly where it is needed.

Britain faces an investigation by Europe into secrecy in family courts, amid growing political pressure to overhaul the system.



The Council of Europe has stepped in after allegations that gagging laws designed to protect the rights of children are allowing miscarriages of justice and children to be removed unnecessarily from their parents.

The Times has been running a series of articles this week about the consequences of the system that keeps reporters and the public out of many family court hearings and obstructs people from seeing evidence against them or obtaining copies of judgments. Opponents of the system say that judges can be too ready to side with social workers and experts who want a child removed but whose evidence is rarely made public.

Family courts in England and Wales hear 400,000 cases a year, mostly divorces and child custody cases. In about 20,000 cases a year, however, local councils apply to remove children from parents on the ground that parents are abusive or neglectful.

The council's investigation was initiated by Paul Rowen, the Liberal Democrat MP who is one of Britain's representatives, and will begin in September. It could involve hearings by a committee that will take evidence and be able to visit courts.

It will come at a critical time for campaigners who are fighting to open up the system. The Government has promised to respond to a long-delayed consultation after the summer.

Three years ago the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee said that greater transparency was required and restrictions on the discussion of their cases by parents should be removed entirely.

Moves to open the courts up were quashed by Lord Falconer of Thoroton in one of his final acts as Lord Chancellor in June 2007. He stated that a survey of 200 children had shown that many would be anxious about the presence of the press in the family courts. You can read the full article here

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The murder of ten year olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in August 2002 prompted one of the largest missing person investigations in British history. Few will forget the image of two best friends wearing matching Manchester United shirts or the thirteen days spent hoping upon hope that these girls would turn up safe and well. With the news that the bodies of Jessica and Holly had been found came the how and why.
The answers shocked the country. An inquiry later revealed that there were many lessons to be learnt from the Soham murders.



School caretaker Ian Huntley, 31, received two life terms for the murder of Jessica and Holly. After sentencing it emerged

# Nine allegations of rape, indecent assault on an 11-year-old girl and sex with underage girls while Huntley was living in Grimsby were not shared between Humberside and Cambridge forces
.
# No record of Huntley's past had been retained by Humberside Police, even though he was charged in one of the rape cases before it was later dropped.

# Huntley had confessed to having sex with one underage girl in 1995 but was not charged or cautioned because she did not want to prosecute.

He could have been cautioned though. And if he had, his name would have been on the national database for at least five years.

# Huntley's name was, however, logged on Humberside Police's own local computer system. In 1999 PC Michael Harding wrote a file on him, saying he was clearly a "serial sex attacker".
But the report was deleted during a review of the database a few months before Huntley applied for the job at Soham Village College.

# Chief Constable David Westwood conceded their intelligence system had "failed almost completely" and admitted he had been wrong to blame the Data Protection Act for the vetting process.

# The force also failed to update Police National Computer (PNC) records to include Huntley's alias surname of Nixon, so the response to any checks would have been "no trace".

They had twice been told Huntley and Nixon were the same person.

# Staff responsible for vetting job applicants such as Huntley were not able to access a database with information about sex offences and children.
Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Police Tom Lloyd said his officers had not vetted Ian Huntley properly and its systems contained "weaknesses".

Two specific human errors were also made during the vetting process.

One staff member entered Huntley's date of birth incorrectly into the Child Access database, while another only looked on the national database under Huntley's alias surname Nixon.

Head teacher of Soham Village College Howard Gilbert said he did not follow up any of the five references Huntley provided at his interview, two of which were undated and three of which were almost 18 months old.
The director of a firm doing background checks for the Local Education Authority said she ticked the police check forms to say she had verified Huntley's personal details, when she had not done so.
# A senior social worker failed to link three underage sex allegations made against Huntley within one month in 1996.

Phil Watters investigated each case, and also failed to connect them with an earlier incident in which Huntley admitted sleeping with a 15-year-old girl.

# Mr Watters also admitted a letter from a local deputy head teacher raising concerns about Huntley had not been passed on to police.

# Deputy director of the council's child care department Martin Eaden said he thought the social services' handling of one specific allegation of underage sex was "totally inadequate in every sense".

The case was closed without the girl having been seen, her whereabouts established or her welfare assured.

in August 2002, a report by Sir Michael Bichard made 31 recommendations to the police, Home Office, Courts Service and other bodies. The proposals were part of a package of measures to make greater use of technology to monitor known dangerous people. Six years later and nine of the 31 safety measures needed to protect our most vulnerable have still not been implemented. A package was put together to make a solid structure. Together they form a connection but it only takes one missing link for a structure to collapse.
Time may have passed but the memory of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells hasn't. Didn't their death mean anything.

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Kamran Rose 15 months died of appalling injuries on May 10th 2007. Nicholas Kirnon, who had been looking after him battered the toddler to death in an “explosive rage”. Kirnon from Birmingham was jailed today for life with a recommendation he serve a minimum of 17 years.



Mr Justice Butterfield, said: “This is a tragic case. No sentence of mine can reflect the value of the life of little Kamran". Det Insp David Wallbank later referred to the injuries suffered by the little boy and said: “I was present at the hospital and the post-mortem and I have never seen anything before coming close to it. “This was someone trusted to look after him, that is the terrible thing about it.” Of Kirnon, he said: “That sums it up. That is what he was like at the hospital, a man with an explosive and violent temper that he was prepared to use on a 15-month-old toddler. Birmingham Evening Mail

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The mother and stepfather of a seven-year-old girl who allegedly starved to death have been charged with five counts of cruelty to children.



Khyra Ishaq was found dead at her family home in Birmingham where she lived with her five siblings. Angela Gordon, 33, and Junaid Abuhamza, 29, of Handsworth, were already charged with "causing or allowing" her death.

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If any one wants to argue the case for how wonderful adoption is I beg you to read Adoption Undone by Karen Carr. I read this story through a haze of tears and choked with anger. When Karen and Jon Carr adopted four-year-old Lucy as a sister for their six-year-old birth daughter Hannah, they though they'd completed their happy family. But the adoption was fraught with difficulty, and the turmoil that followed brought the whole family to breaking point, forcing Karen and Jon to do the unthinkable.



Once we'd made the decision, we were very excited. We would have a new family, and a sister for Hannah. We'd always wanted another child, a playmate, but by the time we got round to doing anything about it Hannah was six, which we felt was too big an age gap. By adopting, we'd be able to choose a girl just a couple of years younger to be her sister. We thought that, with love, everything would fall into place. We'd just returned from holiday in 1999 when Valerie, the social worker who'd assessed us for adoption, contacted us to say that a child had been identified who matched our hopes: a little girl called Lucy, aged four. Within days, Lucy's social workers were sitting in our living room, drinking tea and discussing her history. We were shown a photo of her aged two, and saw a video of her around the same age. They said she was a bright child and that our situation was ideal because our family replicated her two previous homes, with Lucy being the younger of two sisters. (Lucy had been living with a foster sister, Shahida, who was two years older than her, and she also had an older birth sister, Jade.) We had no reason to doubt this logic. From then on, the introductions had to be done in haste, as her foster carer, Tracy, was being admitted to hospital and the social workers didn't want Lucy going to a new carer for just a few weeks. Instead of the usual fortnight introductory period for adoptions, we were given two days in which to meet and bond with Lucy. Tracy had said that Lucy wouldn't be particularly bothered by the move; she'd walk away without a backward glance. It amazes me now that this wasn't considered a problem. So we met Lucy on the Friday, took her for a picnic on Saturday and on Sunday she came to stay for good. That was it! We didn't know any of her routines, likes or dislikes. It was a huge disruption for her with very little preparation: she'd only been told two days before that a 'new mummy and daddy' had been found for her.
Both Jon and I went into the adoption assuming it would work. We both wanted it 100 per cent. And at the start, Lucy and Hannah seemed to build up a good relationship and would play outdoors together. Things were slightly difficult for Hannah, though, because Lucy felt allegiances to her sister Jade, with whom she still had face-to-face contact, and Hannah felt she was being shut out. Lucy was supposed to meet Jade about five times a year, but if she mentioned she was missing her we'd arrange it – she was her sister, after all.
'When I told Lucy that she had to move out, she just wanted to know when and counted the days on her fingers, "Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday"'
From the start, Lucy was a very demanding child and craved my attention, always wanting to sit on my knee. She was also loud. Day in, day out, it was draining. But what became apparent quite early on was that Lucy and Jon weren't bonding. Their relationship was distant. If we went for a walk, Lucy would always hold my hand, determined to be next to me. Hannah felt sorry for her dad because he was being left out, so she'd take his hand and they'd walk ahead. I'd tell him that he shouldn't let this happen as it just encouraged Lucy's clinginess.
It got to the stage where every night we were arguing about Lucy's behaviour and his reaction to it. After she'd been with us about six months, I rang the social worker for advice about the distance between Jon and Lucy. She said, 'Well, she can't stay there if she's not bonding with one of the parents.' But I was determined to make things work so I reassured her and said, 'Oh, it's OK. I'll make sure she's fine.' So it was left at that.
Lucy had some funny habits. She insisted on wearing short socks all the time, and would put dozens of slides and pony tails in her hair in the morning. It was a constant battle to get her to look more acceptable for school. One day I was trying to negotiate with her, and Jon said, 'You look stupid, Lucy! Take them out!' That evening, I blew up at him, saying that he made things worse by talking like that. He'd sometimes call her a 'nuisance'. He was never cruel to her, but offhand and sharper than with Hannah.
Of course, I didn't help matters by not disciplining Lucy enough. Even when it was her own fault that she fell out with Hannah, Lucy was the one who would end up on my knee. I just felt sorry for her. Jon and I spent hours discussing her, but the arguments were getting worse so, at the end of 1999, we sought support from a charity called After Adoption.
They recommended 're-nurturing' to build an attachment. This meant simulating experiences that occur naturally in birth parent and infant relationships. For example, tightly wrapping Lucy in a shawl and rocking her while keeping eye contact. And giving her a piece of soft cloth to keep in her pocket, which she could touch at any time and know we were thinking of her. It helped up to a point, but Jon felt foolish doing some of the exercises, and didn't feel he should have to work so hard to have a relationship with his daughter.
He really did try. Occasionally he'd spend time playing on the computer with her, and when she was seven he took her on a caravan trip because our After Adoption worker suggested they might both benefit from lengthy quality time together. During this break, Lucy mentioned that she'd noticed he spoke to Hannah differently, and Jon discussed her behaviour with her. When they returned they were both positive and he felt emotionally closer to her. But after a while things just went back to how they were before.
By now, her relationship with Hannah had worsened. There were a couple of incidents at school where Lucy had been incredibly disloyal to Hannah – befriending a girl who'd been mean to her and, along with some other girls, pushing her into the mud while she was wearing her new coat. Although we didn't realise it, Hannah's self-esteem was rapidly declining and she was depressed. She wouldn't play with friends and stayed in her bedroom for hours. She would call herself ugly and fat, and we noticed she wasn't eating much.
I always blamed Jon, not Lucy, for the lack of a bond and now I realise that was unfair. Lucy probably should have had therapy of some sort before coming to us. In hindsight, I think that her abrupt separations – from her birth mum and then her foster mum – led to some sort of attachment disorder, preventing her bonding easily.
We didn't seek help for Lucy till towards the end. The GP referred us to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, but the adoption broke down before that got under way. We were already having family therapy: in fact, despite our problems we decided we wanted another child, and in August 2003 I became pregnant.
Eventually the adoption didn't break down because of Lucy or Jon, but because of what happened to Hannah. Just before Christmas 2003, Hannah showed me a mark that she'd scraped on her stomach with a pen. She sat on my knee and cried, saying that she got worried and angry. She didn't blame Lucy explicitly, but she did say that she liked our time after Lucy had gone to bed the best. I resolved to give Hannah lots of attention over the holidays, and Jon and I decided to take her to the doctor after Christmas.
Then on 10 January 2004, when Lucy was in bed and I was running a bath for myself, Hannah ran ahead of me to jump into my bath water and I saw two new scratch marks on her belly about six inches long. She ran into her room and pulled the quilt over her head and wouldn't speak to me. Eventually I coaxed it out of her. 'I can't hurt Lucy so I hurt myself,' she said. 'If I go to you, you tell me to be more tolerant, and if I go to Dad it starts arguments – so I just hurt myself.'
As I sat crying in the bath, it suddenly became clear. Despite our best intentions, our whole family was in tatters. Hannah was so distraught that she was turning her anger against herself. I told Hannah that night that, despite our attempts to make things better through family therapy, her dad and I had decided that Lucy would have to leave. She was horrified and kept saying, 'She won't go to a children's home, will she?'
I reassured her she wouldn't. Then I told Jon. He protested – he was determined we could make it work – but I threatened to leave with Hannah if he didn't agree. The truth is that my need to protect Hannah overrode my need to care for Lucy.
It took a month for Lucy to leave because, at first, the local authorities said we just needed support. We discovered later that they didn't believe what we told them about Hannah, and were convinced that we wanted Lucy to go because I was pregnant with a 'miracle baby'. They didn't realise I'd always been able to conceive and had chosen to adopt instead.
Eventually, Jon threatened to bring Lucy to their offices and leave her there. The result of this was that they rang one Friday and said, 'OK, we'll come and get her on Monday.' In tears, I begged for more time to prepare her but they were adamant. So, again, she was to have an abrupt separation.
It was the worst day of my life when I had to tell Lucy she was leaving. I was crying and saying, 'I'm so sorry, Lucy,' and she said, 'Do I have to move?' She'd guessed.
When I said 'yes' she just wanted to know when, and counted the days on her fingers, 'Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.' Then she said, 'I thought I was going to stop breathing and die when you said that.'
I said it was because of her dad's relationship with her – which I know was wrong, but we didn't want her blaming herself and we were trying to keep Hannah out of it. We didn't want either girl to blame the other. Over that weekend, Lucy's reactions changed constantly. She'd been told that the reason her birth mother couldn't look after her was because she was ill. 'But you're not ill!' she'd say to us, accusingly. Then she'd wonder about the place she was going to and was almost excited, saying, 'They might have loads of money.'
On the day, Hannah decided she wanted to go to school but Lucy stayed at home. We must have spent a great part of that day packing, but it's a blur to me now. My only recollections are of Lucy sitting next to me on the sofa and asking me the time frequently, and then asking, 'So how long have I got left?'
At 4pm two social workers arrived to take Lucy. Then she was gone. I used to say I don't feel guilty, because guilt is attached to wrongdoing. But I did and still do. And I grieved. I noticed a massive gap after she left.
In hindsight, there were some crucial errors that meant the adoption was bound to fail. The two-day introductory period just wasn't enough. Also, although we knew that Lucy was used to being the younger sister when she came to us, we didn't realise that she'd had two very competitive relationships with older girls.
Her birth sister Jade was allowed contact with their mum while she wasn't (because Jade was six years older and the court ruled that her attachment was therefore greater); that must have made her feel terrible. Then there was an older girl in Lucy's foster family, Shahida, whom her foster carer was adopting; again Lucy must have felt unwanted. She should never have been placed in another family with an older sister. We later found out that in the last year Jade had been passing her messages from their birth mum saying that they were her real family and that one day they'd all be together. Jade's influence must have confused Lucy about her sense of identity and who she really belonged to. Jon firmly believes that, had she not maintained contact with Jade, everything might have been different.
I'm still very pro-adoption. For many children it provides years of fulfilling unconditional family love. But anyone considering it should arm themselves with as much background information on the child as possible, and make sure the introduction period is handled properly. Wanting to do 'good' is not enough.
Lucy is with a different foster carer now but still feels like our absent daughter. Because we adopted her legally, we continue to hold parental responsibility for her, but it's not in any real sense, just on paper. She's 12, which makes her chances of being adopted by anyone else very slim as people tend to want younger children. We send birthday and Christmas cards but last year didn't get a response. I've been told that she talks about us affectionately, but who knows? We've since had Macy, who is four, and Hannah is now 14.
In Lucy's file we've placed a letter saying that if she ever wants to contact us we'd like to hear from her. Perhaps the story has not ended after all.
All names have been changed. Karen Carr's book, Adoption Undone, is available from baaf.org.uk for £7.95. For more information on adoption, visit BAAF's website or call 020 7421 2600
There is so much I want to say about this story but I don't want to respond to it with a rant of anger and venom towards the vile selfish adopters. The point is this isn't just a story, this is a child's life. No thought or consideration was given to her needs and interests. This was a child who was little more than a designer convenience to fill a selfish whim.
Every single person involved in the child's adoption, from the adopters to case workers and agencies should be charged with child neglect. Right down the line people neglected to protect her best interests. What is the saddest reflection of all is that without exception from the adopters down to the officials on every level all feel a tremendous sadness and all have praise for the adopters bravery and courage in telling the 'raw' and honest account of their heart ache.?? Anger, WHY are there no feelings of anger.
Am I really just a hurt and bitter angry adoptee... NO, and that I am sure about. These people didn't only crush this child's mind and heart they have gone on to make money out of the situation in the form of a book.
Adoption is wrong.

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Every year more than 50,000 children in England and Wales have their fates decided by the family courts. When divorcing parents cannot agree on how the children they produced together should be looked after, a judge from the family courts will adjudicate and enforce a particular way of dividing those children’s time between their two parents. Equally, when officers of the state (usually social workers) believe that children’s interests would be better served by being taken away from their biological parents and given either to a new couple to adopt, or handed over to the care of a state-run institution, it again requires a decision from a judge from the family courts, a decision which will be irrevocable. Secret justice-private-hell

The outcome of a family court hearing can result in a far greater 'sentence' than any criminal court. A sentence handed out by family courts WILL often be a life sentence to both children and parents alike.





Unlike the British judicial system though the proceedings of family courts are shielded from any out side scrutiny due to the veil of secrecy. A secrecy it is claimed that protects the child.

The blanket that covers what takes place in the family courts is so impenetrable that there is no systematic research about the effects of their decisions: no one except the judge, and the affected family (occasionally not even the family) is allowed to read the secret court documents.

A system of any sorts in reality can only be as effective as the measures put into place to ensure correct procedures are followed, implemented and held accountable. Far from edging towards any sort of openness and fairness in family proceedings the secrecy veil appears to be getting much darker. The scope that social  workers have to cite as grounds to remove a child is forever widening.

It is not  necessary to show that a child has been damaged in any way at all. All that is necessary is the claim that, at some point in the future, the child might suffer emotional damage — a claim which is of course impossible for any parent to disprove.

How many more families have to be wrongly ripped apart.  How much longer will our child protection secretly go on protecting the enforces. Maybe it would be easier to ask how long is a piece of string.

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Malawi, not a signed member of the Hague convention agreement. Malawi does have one adoption 'law'. The adoptive parents must be from Malawi or spend at least 18 months as residents of the country. Madonna and Guy spent nine days in total.

Child trafficking and illegal adoptions would fail to exist without the people eager to take these children. More and more countries are realizing the importance of protecting the rights of children and are joining the Hague convention.

It is time to ask, did these celebrities choose their countries of adoption through ignorance or did they choose them because they could take their pick with rapid collection. All that's left now is to see who wins their latest purchase in the divorce settlement.

[ Source:www.nowmagazine.co.uk ]

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[ Source:www.guardian.co.uk ]

The UK are constantly failing their own children. Should we be surprised then by these latest figures. I am more surprised that there is an admission or acknowledgement to this situation.


The UK largely deny child trafficking and prefer to think in terms of illegal immigrants, meaning that many children are deported at the first opportunity.

According to records from 16 local authorities around England's ports and airports, an estimated 408 children disappeared between July 2004 and July 2007. They are known by officialdom as unaccompanied asylum seekers and child protection campaigners believe most have been trafficked. It is thought that many escape only for traffickers to send them on for exploitation in other parts of the world, particularly Italy and Spain. Only 12 children have been traced and returned to care. "We are shocked that the numbers keep rising," said Christine Beddoe, the chief executive of ECPAT UK which campaigns for greater protection for trafficked children. "These figures come in spite of the government's action plan on trafficking and show the need for an urgent inquiry into separated children who go missing. These vulnerable children need to be given independent guardians as soon as possible to ensure they are protected from traffickers who we know target them even while they are in care."

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Next month will mark the 17th anniversary of Ben Needhams abduction. July 24th 1991 21 month old Ben was abducted from outside his family home on the Greek Island of Kos.

Ben's' family haven't been abandoned by the UK Government in their search for Ben. The UK Government has NEVER shown any interest or inclination to support the family.


Three Priministers later and still nothing. John Major, Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown, doing sod all to help a UK citizen.

Abduction for the purpose of illegal adoption is not some far fetched mystical Greek legend. The trade in illegal adoptions is Greek fact. A Greek fact that no one seems prepared to confront.

Gordon Brown and his fellow parliamentary haven't been afraid to interfere in Portuguese law nor have they been shy in showing support towards official suspects in a child abduction case. 17 years is long enough to ignore the plight of one of its' own children.

It's time our Government left the Portuguese authorities to continue unhindered in their criminal investigations. Instead they need to offer Ben's family the full backing and support of their country and develop a firm relationship with Greece to ensure that every possible avenue is explored and explored again until Ben's' whereabouts are known.

For anyone who finds themselves in Greece this year I ask you to please keep Ben in your thoughts. Of course Ben is not that chubby faced baby any more, he is a young man. The image below is a likeness of how Ben should look now.
http://www.benneedham.net/index.htm

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Help Scotts mum and family get the justice they deserve.

Please sign the petition

http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/justice-for-scott/signatures-page1.html

Scott Burgess was found stabbed to death on 06-09-07. Steven Price, Irene and Karen Duncan had planned how to murder him, then did so in his own living room! They stabbed and tortured Scott with knives then watched as he bled to death a long lingering horrific death. They showed no compassion or regret, they even took their photos with Scott's corpse. Not even the girls phoned an ambulance this was an evil crime yet all Irene got was 27months, Karen 7 years and Price a 15 year recomendation. For this evil barbaric crime these sentences are far too Lenient.

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On Sunday - Father's Day - North Wales Police were alerted to a car off a hillside road
near Llanrwst by a passer-by. Inside they found a brother and sister from Cheshire lying dead with their father.
Brian Philcox, 52, from the Windmill Hill area of Runcorn, was a member of Fathers for Justice.

Mr Philcox had picked up Amy aged 7 and Owen age 3 from an arranged access visit on Friday. They had been reported missing on Saturday night and police in Cheshire had been looking for them.
Why Brian Philcox killed his children I dont know. All I know is two more children have died in a battle over child care. Full story

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MTV are about to promote adoption!

ACT NOW

We try so hard to have our voices heard, yet no one listens. Short of crying tears of blood I am at a loss of what to do. Here is the email I have copied from writing my wrongs outlining MTVs plans.
NCFA Lends a Helping Hand to MTV’s True Life Adoption Documentary

The National Council For Adoption is lending a helping hand to the producers of an adoption documentary for the successful and popular MTV’s True Life series. Previous True Life documentaries have dealt with substantial subjects such as autism, schizophrenia, and war-weary veterans returning from Iraq.

The adoption documentary will follow three or four young unwed birthmothers on video as they go through difficult and emotional decisions in developing adoption plans for their babies.



According to the show’s producers, the goals of the True Life adoption documentary are "to help de-stigmatize the adoption process and to show that adoption is a choice that loving, responsible mothers make when they believe it’s best for their child. We also hope to express the range of emotions birth mothers feel as they go through this process."

These goals coincide with the mission of NCFA’s new iChooseAdoption public awareness campaign to "create a more pro-adoption culture in which everyone, including women facing unplanned pregnancies, can consider adoption freely without fear, bias, or misunderstanding" and to "promote a culture that respects and appreciates birth mothers, honors their decision-making process, and supports their choice of adoption."

MTV is conducting a nationwide search for prospective birth mothers for the True Life adoption documentary.

If you know of any expectant birth mother who you feel would make a good candidate for this documentary, please contact the producers directly at adoption@mtvstaff.com, or by calling 718-422-0705.

We expect the True Life show to bring the adoption process more into the public limelight and provide a viable and important link to the target audience we are trying to reach with our iChooseAdoption message, namely young unwed expectant birth mothers who are facing difficult decisions concerning the future of their babies.

Thank you.

Chuck Johnson

We have to be the voice for these babies. Adoption hurts children, we know because those hurt children live inside us. The influential rich and famous are doing a good enough job already when it comes to promoting ignorance. I'm sick of seeing celebrities swinging their latest purchase on their hips. The money they paid to buy their 'must have' ethnic baby, could, if they truly cared, probably have supported the baby and its entire village for a lifetime.

Obviously bored with the multicultural theme another trend needs to be found. Once again the words 'best interest of the child' will be used to exploit and damage the lives of so many. For what? entertainment.

Please email Chuck Johnson at adoption@mtvstaff.com and make your voice heard.

Here is the email that I have sent:

Chuck;

I'm writing from the UK with regards to your True Life
adoption documentary. Please, if you genuinely care
about the emotional and long term well being of
mothers and children don't help to promote adoption.

The Internet is full of yesterdays adoptees all trying so
hard to be heard. We come from all over the world, all
walks of life, all religions and one thing in common.
Hurt.

Adoption is not about children nor is it about the
loving selfless act of a responsible woman acting in
her child's best interest. I wont use the word birth
mother because if you look into the history of adoption
you will discover that 'birth mother' was manufactured
for the purpose of letting the mother know that 'birth'
was where her role ended. It was also to reinforce the
idea that the adoptive mother was the real mother.

Adoption for a child and mother is about loss. While
the adoptive family celebrate their joy at becoming a
family, somewhere there is a mother crying. All the
love in the world does not stop the empty feeling that
grows stronger with time in the child.

Please take the time to listen to other adult adoptees.
The full impact of adoption only surfaces when we are
adults.

I would also ask you to consider what effect your
documentary will have on the children involved. I cant
emphasise enough the pain that we go through
searching for answers. No adoptee should have to sit
and watch that moment of separation. Adoptees don't
just hurt for themselves, they hurt for every tear their
mother might of shed.

Thank you for your time.

tina

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The UK Government and local authorities have, for the past 3 years denied setting adoption targets.

10th March 2008 the London Borough of Hammersmith announced: they are pleased to get £500,000 from the government for hitting the government adoption target of 101 adoptions.

The Government target, known as a Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA), challenged the Council to successfully achieve 101 adoptions or secure placements during the last three year period in return for £500,000 of funding.

Once again our Government told no lies. Once again the have they have scrapped an offending act and immediately reintroduced it with a different title.

Society in general has undergone many changes over the years. Like wise Government spin have also changed to reflect this. The one thing that hasn't changed over time is the UKs Governments ability to decieve in order to do what ever it feels like.

http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/

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This post is off topic but is well deserving of a mention.

I would like to wish Stephen Jones every success with his launch of a new football tournament The Rhys Jones Memorial Cup. Football with an anti-gun message. A fitting tribute to his son Rhys.

Stephens' son Rhys, an only child, was shot and killed while walking home from football practice in my home town of Liverpool last year link .He was just 11 years old. Rhys, like most Liverpool kids, was football mad. As every Scouser knows your either a Red (LFC) or your an Evertonian (EFC). Rhys was an Evertonian through and through.

Although no one has yet been charged with Rhys' murder his mum and dad still maintain a quiet dignity. My complete respect goes out to them.

Liverpool FC and Everton FC have both got involved with the new football tournament that is open to all under 12s Merseyside teams. Stephen hopes that the tournament will encourage more kids to join teams rather than gangs.

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"I wouldn't say it is anybody's fault," he told a journalist. "There were a number of factors that led to [the failure to identify JR as a child at risk]. Some of them were to do with systems the agencies were operated [sic], and also, we must remember that within these organizations there are individual human beings and where their core role, the day job, isn't primarily concerned with protecting children, and is concerned with providing support or treatment to children…and, in some cases, adults, and it's human nature to be optimistic about situations where there's nothing definite to go on."

These were the words of Chris Few, independent chairman of the LSCB Following publication of a review of "Child JR Born September 2005 Died November 2005" by Northamptonshire's Local Safeguarding Children Board.

Of the 30 or more 'professionals' that came into contact with the baby during the last 10 days of her short life every one managed to absolve themselves of any blame. 'Optimism' is obviously the new word for 'forget her, she'll be alright'.

Not one photograph exsists of Jessica Randell in life. No one ever bothered to take one. Her 54 days of life consisted of continual sexual and physical abuse by her father. 20 or so fractures, new and old, blood clots, bleeding and bruises, cuts and abrasions, all corrupted her under-weight frame. Any physical signs where invisible through the glow of optimism it would seem.

A paediatrician contacted a GP and health visitor because of "welfare concerns". A child protection nurse was told that social worker involvement would "compromise" the health visitor's relationship with the parents. Oh forever the optimist! Yet another innocent babe failed by Social Services.

Rest in peace little Jessica, in your name I will keep fighting for change.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/02/17/do1707.xml

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http://www.victimsofchildren.com/index.html

I don't know if this site is for real, all I do know is how it makes me feel. Sick to the stomach. If it is a genuine site it is sick and if its not, well I was going to say even sicker but you don't get much sicker.

This has to be stopped right now. For the sake of every child that has ever suffered abuse we need to get the plug pulled on the site.

Registrant:
Vexes Media, LLC
2519 McMullen Booth
Suite 510-323
Clearwater, FL 33761
US
727 595 0206x1
Domain Name: VICTIMSOFCHILDREN.COM
Administrative Contact:
Master, Domain domain@vexes.com
2519 McMullen Booth
Suite 510-323
Clearwater, FL 33761
US
727 595 0206x1
Technical Contact:
Master, Domain domain@vexes.com
2519 McMullen Booth
Suite 510-323
Clearwater, FL 33761
US
727 595 0206x1
Record last updated 07-18-2007 07:15:09 PM
Record expires on 07-19-2008
Record created on 07-19-2007
Domain servers in listed order:
NS0.DIRECTNIC.COM 69.46.233.245
NS1.DIRECTNIC.COM 69.46.234.245

Even if the addresses turn out to be false I urge you to act and report the IP address.

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Mr Justice Munby at the High Court said no baby could be removed "as the result of a decision taken by officials in some room". A voice of sanity in a web of madness. The baby boy was born healthy and taken from his 18 year old mother about two hours after his birth without any court order having been made.

Hospital staff were apparently shown a "birth plan" prepared by local authority social services. The plan said the mother, who had a troubled childhood and suffered from mental health problems, was to be separated from the child, and no contact allowed without supervision by social workers.

The judge said the removal of a child could only be lawful if a police constable was taking action to protect a child, or there was a court order in place. Mr Justice Munby said that without the appropriate order and given that the mother was still in hospital, mother and child should be reunited.
At last, Social Services have been made to follow the Queens Law and not its own law.

BBC NEWS

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The ex-girlfriend of monster Ian Huntley is PREGNANT! Maxine Carr, just five years after helping Huntley lie about murdering 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman says she is overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a mum.

Carr 30, a teaching assistant at their school, was jailed for 42 months for giving Huntley a false alibi. She served just half that time and was released 2004. Carr was given a new identity by the courts and given round-the-clock protection. She has been moved to at least 10 different locations for protection since leaving jail... all at the tax payers expense.

News of Carrs pregnancy will almost certainly haunt the parents of Holly and Jessica and cause even more pain for them. She should never be allowed to have a child but this is the UK. A land where monsters can bring up children and a place where innocent families are ripped apart to meet targets and annual budgets. Something is not right.

What of Carrs baby. Whatever the feelings are towards Carr her soon to be child is an innocent. An innocent who will be brought up by the tax payers and under police protection. That is no life for a child. You can read the full story from the People Sunday paper here

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Police target child crime gangs

Police raid Slough property
The raids began before first light and into the morning
A baby less than a year old was among 10 children taken into care after a police operation targeted gangs who used youngsters to pick pockets.

Officers from several forces, including the Metropolitan Police, raided 17 addresses across Slough, Berkshire.

At least 25 adults were held, accused of immigration breaches, deception, fraud, theft and pick-pocketing.

The inquiry surrounds child trafficking from Romania and the welfare of the children involved.

Police suspect poor families in eastern Europe may be forced into allowing gangs to take their children into the UK to carry out offences such as pickpocketing and thefts near cash machines.

The gangs are believed to have taken the children into west London to commit the crimes.


A police officer takes away a child
Our main focus in this operation is on the welfare of the children who are potentially being exploited
Ruth Bagley
Slough Borough Council

The youngsters, who ranged from as young as the baby to 17 years old, are being cared for by Slough Borough Council.

Detectives will investigate whether any of them were involved in suspected offences and whether they were taken from their families and illegally trafficked into the UK.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said many of the raided properties, in the Chalvey area of the town, were "high occupancy" with large numbers of people inside.

Commander Steve Allen, of the Met Police, said the operation was about "targeting those behind organised crime networks on the streets of London and the criminal exploitation of children".

He added: "With promises of a financial return, some poor families surrender their children who are subsequently forced to commit crime.

"We continue to work closely with, and share intelligence with, the Romanian authorities."

'Reunite families'

Supt Pete Davies, of Thames Valley Police, said: "I appreciate many residents would have woken up to a rather large police presence in Chalvey this morning, however it is our intention to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

"Members of the neighbourhood policing team are on duty and will be able to address local concerns."

Officials from Slough Borough Council accompanied police on the planned intelligence-led raids.

Ruth Bagley, chief executive of the council, said: "Our main focus in this operation is on the welfare of the children who are potentially being exploited.

"We will ensure that any children who are presented to the council, receive the appropriate level of care, and efforts will be made to reunite them with their families."

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Balthous Galtricia was two years of age when she was stabbed to death by her mother in 2007. Just six days earlier Social Services had cleared her mother as fit to care for her.

Balthous had not been on the child protection register and was not in care. Social services were not involved with the child at all even though her mother was a patient of the Mental Health Trust.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=475243&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

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Lois Lazenby was two years and three months old when she died on 8 November 2004

John Charles Rees QC, prosecuting, said: "The little girl was systematically abused, tortured and ultimately killed.
"When she died she was found to have 13 fractures to various parts of her body, a cigarette burn, crushing injuries to both her hands and numerous bruises to her head, body and limbs.

Little Lois was on the child protection register, Protection that never materialised as she was being shook so hard that she suffered a brain hemorrhage and died two days later. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7049529.stm

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Tony Blair should not be president of Europe, two former French leaders have declared in response to the backing the former prime minister has been given by Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France. Bravo and well said.

How on earth Tony Blair could even be mentioned in the same breath as EU is beyond me. For him to be President of Europe would be an insult, not only to the children of the UK, who he has failed miserably, but the rest of Europe.

In ten years Mr Blair did absolutely nothing to change the UKs opt out status, once again believing the UK superior to all and so retaining it's special status in the fields of justice and home affairs.

We need to send Mr. Blair exactly where he has sent so many of our children and that is 'the road to nowhere' and hopefully take his friend and allie Mr Bush with him.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/18/nblair118.xml

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At the end of the last year I was ready to give up. Not kill myself. Just give up. I was sick of how I was feeling, I was hurting proper bad. My eating disorder had come back with a vengeance and I just felt alone and stupid.

I don't think I will ever get over the fact that people who supposedly loved me convinced me 100% that I was borderline schizophrenic rather than be honest with me and also allow me to keep what where in fact memories. I often have to stop and remind myself that I am not nuts and that people are not noticing that I am (hard to explain). Christmas gave me a much needed wake up call. My daughter had asked me what her friend had said when she called at the house few days earlier. I couldn't remember word for word but told her she was going to call again on xmas day.Ten minutes later my daughter came back in and asked me if I was sure that she had said xmas day. That was it. My head started working over time. Questions, questions, questions. Had she said xmas day or had i imagined it. As quick as I went into 'disguise my panic' mode I was snapped back out of it... By my daughter. 'mum switch ya head off cos ya not mad she probably did say that'.What a fuck up! My own daughter having to remind me I'm not mad (or ever was). That's just not right. My weight was 6st 1lb I cried more than I smiled and instead of time healing me it was consuming me. Why, What for? A past I can never change. I know I wont be able to control those lapses in believing in myself over night, God I have lived since I was 16 trying to avoid people from noticing and knowing I was mad , in fact I had done such a good job of it people thought I was really level headed and had my head screwed on! fuck me though I did, I just didn't know it. However much it hurts sometimes the fact is I will never get justice and I will never have my childhood back,The two things I need. Looking at it like that tells me I am null and void because if there is a purpose to life then my purpose was a red herring and my wounds wont heal till my reason for being and purpose touch. I don't want to be null OR void. I want to be someone. I'm not asking to be any one special, just someone. Me. I just want to be me. Valid. I'm not going to give up because there is a purpose,guarded by government but a real purpose. My purpose has to be this:- The hope and possibility for healthier and happier minds for today's kids. I want politicians to start waking up and realise what pain they are storing up for our kids and actually listen and hear and above all understand that WE are the living breathing result of their false beliefs and mistakes of the past. Let them try and tell me that my hurt and the hurt of every misplaced, separated abused or mistreated child of their past is not important enough to learn from and to change. My reason:- Validation for all the children that cry inside us.

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I have been surfing the net most of the day, nothing unusual there haha... Oh... but there was! I came across something that has had me bursting out laughing ever since...

Now I have know idea who wrote this I found it on the front page of link
Family Pages. Here goes, this is it.

But oh,the laughing children,whose hearts have been set free;
when the gate swings wide to heaven,
I can take them in with me!

Sorry I am still laughing. It has struck me that maybe it's me... Maybe I am more twisted than the author! The name of the site 'forever families' (I went to it thinking it was a humorous adoptee blog) misled me (not a hard thing to do) but I quickly realised it is serious. I couldn't get past the front page for fear of wetting myself! So I know I am not supposed to find it funny. I take adoption matters very serious. In adoptee city the majority of us have a wicked sense of humour but their is an unwritten rule (not sure that's the right term... it will do) fellow adoptees can make jokes about adoption and we just 'get it' if the same thing was said in a light hearted way by a none adoptee a siren goes off in our heads! and we are genuinely offended, I'm saying we but I could well be more delusional than I think! Normally I would be highly offended to read that any child was thought of as having been scooped up from the gutter. I'm laughing again. Do people really think 'arh that's lovely' after reading such drivel haha. Please someone anyone, I don't even care if you are madder than me, please tell me you found it funny.
I have printed it off and hung it on my wall. Whenever I find myself getting too serious and deflated about adoption I will just read the poem.

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Talks in progress to make Madeleine McCann film. That is today's latest news from Guardian Unlimited.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2237213,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11
According to today's article Gerry and Kate McCann have been in talks with IMG and a spokes person for the McCann's has said any film made would help to replenish Maddie's fund.

So, here is where I risk the wrath of my fellow blogger's. A risk I feel is worth taking to express my thoughts. Firstly I want to say I hope with all my heart that little girl is found. I , like every body else has my own personal opinion as to what has become of her. Then again that opinion changes like the weather and the media reports. The one thing that hasn't changed is my feelings on the whole package.

Maddie has been in the news constantly since her disappearance, as she should be. As should any child who goes missing. Her parents, middle class, well educated professionals. The picture perfect family. Donations for the McCann's have poured in from everywhere. Offers to pay any legal fees have been made by the likes of Richard Branson, millionaire. Gerry McCann has said on one of his numerous Gerry McCann shows(cough) how the funds are dwindling fast. The one million pound fund pays for PR Guru Clarence Mitchel A former Foreign Office official and government spin doctor. THE LAWYERS, They are Rogerio Alves, President of the Portuguese Bar Association; Carlos Pinto de Abreu, President of the Portuguese Human Rights Committee; Angus McBride of Kingsley Napley; and Michael Caplan QC, who once defended ex-Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet against extradition. THE FORENSIC EXPERT Dan Krane, a DNA specialist from Ohio. Krane, a biology professor from Wright University in Pennsylvania, has taken part in more than 60 judgments where DNA evidence was crucial to the case. It also pays for Gerry's brother John McCann and sister Philomena McCann and their friend Esther McVey, who acts as spokesperson for the Find Madeleine Fund. John McCann has given up work to concentrate solely on the Maddie Fund. The package reads like a military honours list.

Ben Needham. 21 month old. 1991. Kos, Greece. missing. Media attention was fierce at first but quickly faded. Kerry, 19 year old single mum, had zero support Either from her Great British home land or the Greek authorities. People have made many comparisons between Maddie and Bens disappearance. They are two beautiful children, both from the UK, neither home where they belong. There the comparison ends. Ben went missing in broad daylight from the front of his home where he was being cared for by his family. Maddie went missing from her bed at night while her parents where out having a meal with friends. Just typing that sentence sounds harsh and callous, but the truth often is harsh and callous.

Any mention that it happened at night from her bed brings the sound of 'aarrh, the parents have suffered enough'. I'm sorry but NO. Maddie has suffered, it is Maddie who is missing, it is Maddie who suffered just being alone.

The treatment of the McCann's is an insult not only to the likes of Ben Needham but also to all the families in the UK suffering at the hands of our closed family courts and facing forced adoptions. If your neighbour went out tonight and you found she had left her 2 year old twins and 3 year old daughter alone in bed what would your reaction be? I would hazard a guess that outrage would be one reaction. Social Services surely would be failing in their duty to protect children if they did nothing about such young children being left alone. If Maddie was the daughter of a single unemployed mum living on a council estate claiming benefits found or not, her siblings would be in the care of Social Services by now for neglect.

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Over the past week I have been asking everyone I know one question. What is child trafficking? Everyone knew it was illegal, few actually knew why it was illegal and ashamed as I am to say it a few even said they weren't interested! The lack of interest rightly or wrongly mainly stemmed from the image they had of illegal trafficking

The UK media rarely touches on the true picture of trafficking, prefaring to distort the facts into acts of illegal imigration. Until recently our Government didn't accept its exsistance here.We care too much about children to allow it to happen here (Oh yes Mr, Minister). We hear stories now and again, stories too big to be ignored, of bodies being found in frieght containers and container lorries. Imigrants being brought illegally into the country for vast sums of money, only to end up starved of oxygen and no way of identifying them. What we dont hear is the truth or the scale of it.

If I am honest I didn't have a clue about child trafficking and how it goes diguised in the UK until Feb 2000. Victoria Climbié was 8years old when she came to the media attention. malnourishment, 128 separate injuries, 'It was the worst case of deliberate harm to a child' pathologist Dr Nathaniel Carey said he had ever seen.
As the details of Victoria's short and tragic life emerged a world I didn't know exsisted opened up. Victoria had been born 1991 in the Ivory Coast. She was the fifth of seven children, had started school at six and showed great promise. In 1998 a visiting relative offered to take Victoria back to France with her on the promise of a good education and a better future. Victoria's parents agreed to the idea and sent her off believing their daughter would have a wonderful life. It was not uncommon for families in the Ivory Coast to send children to relatives abroad for education and financial reasons.
At the time I thought it was far fetched to be expected to believe that it was an accepted and common practice for parents to willingly and happily send a child halfway around the world to live with a distant relative. I now know different. From the late 1950's the UK saw a heavy flow of welcome imigrants from Africa and the west indies. Enticed here with promises of a better life and jobs. The UK had it's own agenda if the truth be known. Cheap labour for the worst manual jobs. Many of the nigerians to settle here did the unexpected and instead of the manul labour jobs they sought careers and enriched the middle class communities. Extending their fortune and chance of education and opportunities to relatives from their home land was a natural progression within families.

Of course not all stories where sucess stories, and the economic decline in the later 1970's brought hardship and increased explotation. For some bringing a child relative here under the pretence of providing a better life was the meal ticket that they needed. Distance prevented the childs family from knowing the truth and far from a better life many children became nothing more than slaves, neglected and abused but a source of welfare benefits for the family.
It is not known whether Victorias Aunt initial intentions where genuine. She was enrolled into a school in France on first leaving the Ivory Coast but what ever the initial intention things changed when she arrived in the UK with her Aunt.

Victoria was brought to the attention of Child protection and social services on numerous occasions before her death but no one ever questioned why or how she came to be in the care of her Aunt or about her family in the Ivory Coast. Victoria was not enrolled in school for most of her time here yet that also was not questioned. Victoria's life could and should have been saved. The laws put in place to protect children were ignored by every official to come into contact with Victoria. A situation like this 'should never' happen again it was said (oh yes Mr. Minister).

It is still happening here in the UK but it isn't child trafficking! it is illegal immigrants (Oh yes Mr. Minister). Once these children have passed the age to be eligible for child benefits and cannot get jobs due to lack of education and often social isolation they are discarded. Entering the country as EU citizens, no immigration record of their arrival exists and of course they have no identifying documents. It doesn't take long living on the streets to court the attention of the authorities and for a whole new nightmare to begin. Their stories are seldom believed and they are treated like criminals.

This is the UK. This is the TRUTH. Forget the cargo containers and lorries. Children who are victims of this very real and illegal trade are inside houses, behind closed doors and very much in the UK.

The Victoria Climbie inquiry can be found http://www.victoria-climbie-inquiry.org.uk/finreport/vicstory.htm

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Over the past two years I have been to Internet adoption sites almost daily. Adoption related forums give great insight to how adoption effects people. It soon became clear that laws and issues surrounding adoption differ from country to country. One thing that surprised me was how the UK was perceived. The majority believing that the UK has no adoption problems. Well, I know from where I'm sitting there is a problem or three!
I decided to take a trip around the adoption web world with foreign eyes. It didn,t take me long to understand why the UK could be seen by some as a country that had got 'IT' right.

What has taken place in the UK is a rather clever political decoy tactic. In plain English, a sneaky, devious, corrupt way of getting what they want just by a different method..
Looking over all the discussion forums, when it comes to the UK, the majority of disgruntled adoptees who post are pre 1975 adoptees. The reason for this is simple. When adoptees where granted access to birth records in 1976 the law differed for anyone adopted prior to 1975. Instead of automatic access to records the pre 75 adoptees could only have access to records after counselling and through a social worker. What information we received was decided by the social worker. Many adoptees found that their records had either been 'misplaced' or so much had been blanked out that they were not worth having.
From 1976 the access to records meant adoptions and procedures had to be more concise (wouldn't want anyone thinking something untoward had happened). This also meant for the adoptees from 1976 onwards they didnt have the problem of finding their identity (on paper), so no grumbling on forum boards. In the late 70's Politics seemed to turn it's attention to our childrens homes. They closed all the larger homes and replaced them with much smaller run homes. These homes also became home to 'problem' kids. It wasn't long before most of the 'childrens homes' became 'young offenders' homes. It is strange to look back at those days because I didn't even notice it. We didnt have any 'childrens homes'. Lumping all the kids together in young offenders allowed the politicians to drive attention to the rise in kids wayward behaviour and away from the foster and adoption mess they had previously created..
The government tactics of new policies for dealing with young offenders worked for good while. An excellent job was being done with our young. Unfortunately (for them) the children of the eighties started to emerge as adults. As adults they started to speak of the abuse that went on in a lot of the 'homes'. They needed another ploy to deflect from the rising number of ex-care kids who had obviously been damaged by the care system.
Deflect from the damage they could not but going back to good old fashioned policies of morality without the public opinion they could. So the birth of Closed Family Courts! Adoptions could get back on track with targets and incentives. Moral policing of families could be enforced and the best part, silence of the objectors.
If the UK appears to have go 'IT' right with our kids, that is exactly what it is 'appearance'. Our adoption rate is rising. In 1995 950 adoptions took place involving children under one year of age in 2006 that number rose to 2,120.
3,700 adoptions took place in the UK in 2006. All these adoptions involved children who had been placed in care.

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