LETTERS TREVOR JONES PARENTS AGAINST INJUSTICE

[Alison J Stevens]

Lord Falconer is wrong to state that more than 200 children who had given their views on opening the courts during consultation "overwhelmingly rejected the idea" (U-turn over plan for media in family courts, June 20). It is clear from the response paper published in March that most children agreed that it should be up to the people involved in the case - there certainly was not a clear agreement on banning the press from all or part of the proceedings. The proposals to open up the family courts come at a time when the public's confidence in the system is at its lowest ebb. Twenty years ago only Parents Against Injustice was actively supporting falsely accused parents who were having their children wrongly removed by the courts. It is a sad reflection of our times that there are now over two dozen such organisations helping hundreds of families each year cope with a secret court system more reminiscent of Guantánamo Bay than Britain.
Trevor Jones
Parents Against Injustice.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/jun/27/childrensservices.c...

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8J3Y3es1jjoC&pg=PA209&l...

Children in need 

I could not believe my eyes when I read that, at long last, Margaret Hodge has concerns over adoptions and that mothers may have been coerced into giving up their children (News in Brief, last week). Then I discovered she was referring only to adoptions of Cambodian children. If the Minister for Children returns to her post, she must ensure forced adoptions are substantially reduced and a more open adoption system is introduced. 

Trevor Jones 
Parents Against Injustice 
London N4 

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/apr/24/letters.theobserver

Adoption injustice

I applaud the efforts by the MP John Hemming to lift the secrecy surrounding children taken from parents and placed for adoption (News, July 8) but am appalled by the lack of interest by the majority of other MPs in this grave injustice.

The lack of transparency designed to work in the interests of the children has clearly led to miscarriages of justice but this is not the only problem. Parents unfamiliar with the legal process choose local firms who will often rely on local councils on another day for work. This means that outside scrutiny is essential when conflicts of interest are endemic within the system.

Trevor Jones, Parents Against Injustice, London N4

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/3641326/Letters-to-The-S...

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-sunday-telegraph/20100627/282656...

 

Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR  Published: 17 April 2008   Tragedy raises questions • THE inquest hearing on Salma ElSharkawy’s tragic death (Salma’s car defective, April 3) raises many questions surrounding her case, not least the costs of intensive supervision of children in care which run well into six figures a year.  The cost of replacing a bald tyre pales into insignificance beside figures of that magnitude, the result of outsourcing care to the private sector, .  It is comforting to read that staff concerned in looking after Salma now use tyre checkers to measure the tread. So hopefully this type of tragedy will never happen again.  But, as professional carers are given a second chance, sadly parents are often not even given a first chance.  We have advised many parents who have not harmed their children but have had them removed on the grounds that they might harm them in the future. From this month, new guidance has been issued for social services to prioritise working with the family if there are concerns over children, rather than placing them in care.  This trend is also reflected in the Children and Young Persons Bill now going through the Commons, which is designed to improve outcomes for children in care. The principles behind the bill are fourfold: first, to ensure good parenting from everyone involved in these children’s lives; second, to improve the stability of their experiences; third, to give children a greater say over decisions that affect them; and, fourth, to bring about a culture change where all those involved have greater ambitions for these children.  Trevor Jones National co-ordinator  Parents Against Injustice Hornsey Lane Gardens, N6 http://www.thecnj.com/camden/2008/041708/letters041708_16.html https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_dat...