BY ANGELA DANIELS
The latest research findings by University of Lancaster revealing a huge rise in England of newly born babies made subject to care proceedings is quite disturbing. In 2008, 802 babies were involved in proceedings- a figure that rose even further in 2013 to a record high of 2,018 babies. About half the number were taken from mothers with other children already in care.
Most of the babies would have been removed from hospital- only about 10 percent would eventually be returned to their mothers at the end of the care proceedings. One woman had 16 children removed. The main reasons for these removals can be put down to incompetent parents and/or parents with a background of domestic violence. One pertinent question to ask in relation to the woman with 16 children is why any responsible mother would have 16 children. It makes no sense, and is demonstrative of high negligence and irresponsible living.
It’s not unusual for women to keep trying to replace a child that as been taken away, and because circumstances have not changed, the next baby gets removed too. A third of the women who lose their children became mothers as teens, thereby highlightting the worrying trend of premature motherhood. The histroty of kids having kids is nothing new, but something so stupid it reveals lack of disciple and foresight on the part of these mothers.
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WORRYING
The reaction from the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan that the figures were ‘worrying’ is an understatement. A rise of 1216 in 5 years is much more than worrying. A disproportionate increase of 151.6 percent of babies separated from their mothers, is inarguably tragic.
Although somewhat helpful, the remark by the Lead researcher, Professor Karen Broadhurst that ‘there had been a general trend towards taking more timely action where children could be at risk’, the loose wording of the positive statement attracts the need for further scrutiny of the timeliness, whether the improvement in timeliness was significant and although there was such improvement, whether there were shortfalls that contributed to some of the babies being removed.
The figures compiled from original family court records indicated that 13, 248 babies were taken into care between 2007 and 2014 at birth or shortly after. In 2008, 672, 809 live babies were recorded by the Office of National Statistics, 0.1 percent of them entered the care system. The proportion had increased to 3 percent in 2013 – out of a total of 664,517. What a crying shame! So many children born by irresponsible mothers!
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Any changes in the figures in 2015 are unlikely to be of significance. These figures should represent the current state of the concerns. A massive third of the babies were born to teenage mums, some of the mums themselves with the likelihood of a history of the care system. Issues of drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems and general poor parental capacity are usually associated with this group of mothers to warrant taking their newborns into care for protection.
GUIDANCE POLICIES
Over many years, one government after another has introduced new guidance and policies, new systems and in response to lessons learnt from research and inquiry reports, following avoidable child deaths i.e. from abuse and neglect. While improvements have occurred in the way relevant professionals have worked together and with families, as well as the legal processes, budgetary constraints have been the curse on services to vulnerable families. Cuts in funding and relentless social malaise continue to roll down on children, young people and their families. Many children continue to experience abuse, and the creation of a cycle of removal into care is perpetuated.
Social workers have historically borne the brunt of work- related stress, struggling with scarce resources to support families and protect children and then get targeted by our angry society when something goes wrong.
CASH INJECTION
Last year, Unison, the largest UK union called for urgent cash injection for child protection and mental health services, after a report published by the Centre for Social Justice, Kidsco, saying that children were suffering and left unprotected, because services were being starved of funds. Social work vacancies have soared in the past year by 74 percent. Social work jobs advertised rose from 2700 in 2013 to 4,700 exactly a year later. It’s not surprising that so many newborns have necessarily been taking into care. It’s regrettable that this important research, carried out for the first time, did not simultaneously identify clear reasons for the surge of removal of these babies from their mothers. Lack of resources is likely to be a safe guess for a good percentage.
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