The process of having a child removed throws you into a swirling storm. Your role as a parent is, in all but name, stripped from you. Lawyers, social workers, panellists – these are all voices which carry a tremendous amount of weight and which you need to hear with intense focus and clarity. It’s utterly daunting and confusing. You’re blown about in so many different directions that, at times, you don’t know which way is up and which way to turn.

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Inside this issue we will hear from Fiightback, an organisation set up by parents, for parents who have been falsely accused of FII, a very very rare from of medical child abuse. We are delighted that these brave parents have chosen to share their stories with us and raise awareness of this aspect of child protection which has been rapidly on the rise.
We will also hear from Julie Falconer at the Family decision making team, and hear about the work they do with children in care.

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More and more children are being drawn into children’s hearings, child protection investigations and a rising number are being taken into care. Scotland has the highest rate of children in care in the UK. Mostly the reasons that social workers give are “neglect” or “emotional abuse”. Parents often report finding that they are not heard. It seems as though professionals often start from a position of automatic belief in parents’ guilt. Some parents are completely cleared of causing any harm to their children – but only after going through the most harrowing and stigmatising experience that any parent can suffer. Some parents have asked for help with domestic violence, illness, stress, and poverty but then find that they get no help, instead their requests are used against them as evidence of guilt.

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