TREVORS LETTER IN THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

[Alison J Stevens]

Broken child protection

SIR – It has come as no surprise to us that more children are being taken into care since the Baby P case (report, March 7). Over the past year, our
caseload has increased substantially as parents and carers seek our advice
and support when falsely accused of abusing their children.

It is apparent that many of these cases are knee-jerk reactions to instances where there has been no abuse at all. The unfortunate outcome in removing
children from innocent families is that these actions severely traumatise
the children involved, even when placed away from their home for the
shortest of periods.

We are deeply concerned that the system is fundamentally flawed. There is an urgent need for a major inquiry into its workings, rather than the
sticking-plaster approach every time there is a serious child abuse case
highlighting its inadequacies.

Trevor Jones
Parents Against Injustice
London N4 PAIN.