Justification for taking children from their families.

Sophie Rises made this Freedom of Information request to Bath and North East Somerset Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Bath and North East Somerset Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Bath & North East Somerset Council,

A. Since 2003 please give a year by year breakdown of which CRIMINAL ACT a parent had contravened when committing a abuse/neglect against their child in order to justify the permanent removal of the child from the parent:

1. Sexual Offences Act 1956
2. Mental Health Act 1959
3. Sexual Offences Act 2003
4. Children and Young Persons Act 1933
5. Infanticide Act 1938
6. Indecency with Children Act 1960
7. Sexual Offences Act 1967
8. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
9. Criminal Law Act 1977
10. Protection of Children Act 1978
11. Customs & Excise Management Act 1979
12. Mental Health Act 1983
13. Child Abduction Act 1984
14. Criminal Justice Act 1988
15. Sexual Offences (amendment) Act 2000
16. Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 1982
17. Asylum and Immigration Act 2004
18. Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004
19. Mental Capacity Act 2005

B. Where the parent has not been convicted of any criminal act in contravention of any of the above Acts please state what reason was given to justify permanent removal of the child:

1. Information from child's medical records
2. Information from Parent's medical records
3. Unsatisfactory Supervised Contact Reports
4. Unsatisfactory Psychological/Psychiatric Report
5. Parent not co-operating with Children's Services
6. Parent placing own needs above children's needs.

C. Of those parents identified in B2 please state if the information related to:

1. Depression
2. Alcoholism
3. Illegal Drug Addiction
4. Prescription Drug Addiction

D. Of those parents identified in B4. Please state if the information related to:

1. Attachment disorder
2. Personality disorder.

E. Of those parents identified in B. how many had the benefit of a Residential Family Assessment Under S38.6 of the Children Act 1989, before a decision to permanently deprive the children of their parents was made?

F. Of those parents identified in B. how many received continuous assistance under s17 of the Children Act 1989 for at least 6 months as a Family in Need and before any S31 Order was made.

Yours faithfully,

Sophie Rises