MY CO WORKERS LETTER PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

[Alison J Stevens]

Safeguards are needed against social workers

SIR – For over 25 years we have been supporting parents subjected to unfounded allegations of child abuse and we echo Christopher Booker’s concerns (June
20) that the system has swayed too far in favour of social services when
they wish to remove children from loving families.

It is worrying that not only are applications to remove children growing as a result of an overreaction to the tragic Baby Peter case, but there is a
strong suggestion of a postcode lottery in existence. Whether a child is
permanently removed should not rely on where he or she lives. An appropriate
mechanism for reversing incorrect decisions needs to be in place so that
children can be returned to their rightful place.

To this end Britain should implement, as a default, what works overseas: open adoptions which allow regular contact between birth families and their
children, so that if things have gone wrong social services would not be
able to block a return by arguing that the child would be returning to
strangers.

Trevor Jones
Parents Against Injustice
London N4

Value-media.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/7855197/Those-who-go-to-...