Edinburgh Adoption Case. Responses in bold italics.

Have i missed anything out before i send it.

Responses in bold italics.

Edinburgh Adoption Case.
Thank you for your e-mail following the media coverage of the City of Edinburgh Council adoption case. Your comments are acknowledged and noted.
You will appreciate that the Council cannot comment or provide any information relating to individual people to whom it provides a service, however, a public statement regarding this case has been released by Councillor Marilyne Maclaren, the convenor of the Council’s Education, Children and Families Committee and Gillian Tee, the Director of Education, Children and Families. A copy of this statement is enclosed for your information.
Media coverage of adoption case
Statement from Cllr Marilyne Maclaren, Convenor of Education, Children and Families and Gillian Tee, Director of Education, Children and Families
It is a tragedy for all children in need of care, and prospective adopters or foster carers, that there has been so much reporting and comment without the full facts being known. As with all cases involving vulnerable children, their interests are best protected by their circumstances remaining confidential. This is the very reason why their identity is protected and that generally, there is a principle of confidentiality covering the proceedings of - for example - family courts.

Confidentiality for protection is understandable but secrecy for control is dangerous. Manipulation of the children and family members must stop now. The families know the child/ren already but social services just blank them out or do you feel the social services should really be a law unto themselves forgetting all other family members.

We only ever intervene in the lives of children where this is necessary to safeguard and promote their welfare.

Our grandparents are afraid to contact social services? Because they are afraid the children will be taken away and they are the first to lose contact with the children in your secrecy policy. The Charter for Grandchildren supports the view that contact with Grandparents is generally in a child's best interest, promoting their welfare should take this into consideration


Our first commitment to children is to promote their upbringing in their own family. Where this isn't possible, we first explore the child's extended family and social contacts to secure a permanent placement for them. Whenever appropriate, we support extended family or friends to legally acquire and fulfill the same responsibilities as those of birth families.

Not in our member’s experience there is no evidence that makes this obvious. “We don’t need to talk to you” is the favourite saying. If ‘The Charter for Grandchildren ’ was mandatory for professionals like yourself it would ensure children have the best that grandparents can provide.

Placement decisions are based on their ability and willingness to care for the child or children, not arbitrary factors such as age, disability, religion, gender or sexuality.

Was the Edinburgh grandparent not suitable with a little support from social services? Council say: Placement decisions are based on their ability and willingness to care for the child or children, not arbitrary factors such as age, disability. The couple said concerns about their age and health had led social workers to consider them unsuitable to look after the children. The grandfather suffers from angina, while the grandmother has diabetes and high blood pressure.
We hear of too many cases where willingness has not been considered. Social Services supporting Grandparents regards their grandchildren are unusual in our experience.

Where we need to look out with extended family and friends, we aim to identify a number of suitable families from which to secure the best possible match. However, there is always a shortage of people able and willing to provide care, whether through adoption or fostering.

There is an army of grandparents out there and most of them would move heaven and earth to make sure their kids are in a stable environment. Our experience is they are not given the opportunity with or without support.

In all cases, approving people as adopters and matching them with children is a very rigorous process. At both stages a panel of experts is involved and typically includes social workers, health care professionals, a child care solicitor and representatives of children's charities. A thorough assessment and extensive checks are also carried out on all prospective adoptive parents.

Are such stringent checks really necessary in the birth family? Social services are famous for already having full dossiers on a child’s family gathered by social workers who are also famous for making errors of judgment. Extended families are usually defensive with social workers because of the erroneous data built up that is never erased even if the claim was false. Don’t you realies extended families fear social workers and have for quite a while nicknamed them SS likened to Nazi Germany. They are afraid to approach your organization.. Perhaps a very fair, honest and open process would be more in the child's best interest.
This is what is expected of us, and rightly so.

Equally, the care of children has never been more regulated or under such close scrutiny. Not only is there national legislation which covers our duties and responsibilities, but we have well-established policies which we stand by.

With so many people complaining about your policies, which you stand by does it not tell you something must be wrong. Social services with their power and arrogance could only come away with a statement like that. “We are untouchable” If they were fair we would be no need to demonstrate. Policies which despite government guidance, ignoreing 'The Charter for Grandchildren’ are not working in the best interests of our children. Chris Bain of the government http://gapukinfo.blogspot.com/ on thios blog under Information has sent me a letter the other day allocating the responsiblity for implementing 'The Charter for Grandchildren' to local authorities.

The courts, which have been involved in this particular case, provide robust support for the actions taken, Inspection of councils by independent bodies, coupled with due legal processes, provide the checks and balances necessary to ensure authorities like ours provide effective care for children. Where there are lessons to be learned, we apply those to our approach to child care. However, we would not introduce prejudice based on sexual orientation any more than we would on age. .

It is well known the courts would not dare go against the recommendation of social services no matter what it was for fear of making an incorrect judgment. That is not judging
It would be of great public interest to know how many children have been placed for adoption by their grandparents when Social Services have been involved. Perhaps you would be good enough to provide that information.


The policies, procedures and people involved in making the decisions about the care of children are carefully monitored and regulated. There is very robust accountability built into the process. We have confidence in our staff and are proud of the work they do in often very difficult circumstances. The problems with recruiting social workers in particular should make it very clear what a challenging role it is.

Is it not the case that people do not want the job because of the general fear and distrust people have of social workers? Once a much revered service that people could turn to, to help them over hard times.. Are you sure all these roles and regulations are not being carried out by social workers that have too big a case load and cut corners to reach their targets? We had a meeting in Kilmarnock with chief social workers and they were astonished and said this does not happen in our area.
You are so much out of touch with your own shop floor workers. It would be much better for families if their education included a common sense approach and some ongoing accountability.

While it may be convenient to reveal the particular circumstances of this case, it would breach an important principle and our statutory obligations, both of which are crucial to the well-being and security of vulnerable children. All we can say is that the professional view is that the adoptive couple will provide a safe, secure and loving environment for these children. They have obviously already satisfied the rigorous standards expected of potential adopters.

The adoptive procedure only looks after the physical side of children. The emotional and spiritual sides are not taken into consideration.

The family circumstances are complex, as is often the case, but we have involved them throughout the process. These are always difficult decisions but we are confident that we have made the right decision and have no reason to doubt that the staff involved have acted with anything other than professionalism and sensitivity.

The whole system is obviously set up like a business. Taken as the usual saying is “Snatch the child into care’. ‘Groom them for adoption’ by telling the child its family does not want to see them again. Then adopt them ‘without consent’ from anyone. If this is not the case why are their so many grandparents contacting us to say the have been by-passed or told by social workers you are irrelevant persons we don’t need to acknowledge you. And if something is not right and say so the are regarded as nonco-operative and ignored.

The Council Leader is entirely supportive of the views expressed here.

Statement from Cllr Marilyne Maclaren, Convenor of Education, Children and Families and Gillian Tee, Director of Education, Children and Families

If you can excuse my forthrightness “what do you know about how the front line troops work? This statement looks well prepared “but it is not what is happening in practice”

We are demonstrating because of the business like policies on adoption are treating children as commodities and not considering the extended family, just to speed up the process. Children need their family, Two parents, grandparents and further extended family to maintain their identity, stability and wellbeing.

It is well know children who lack these basic needs are low achievers, and turn to gangs in their teens for family comforts. They could be the thugs or good citizens of the future depending on how they are treated when young. Good well established roots grow into stout trees.

We are amazed that you obviously cannot comprehend this. Ignore this today and you reap the troubles in the future.

Jimmy Deuchars & June Loudoun
Grandparents Apart UK
22 Alness crescent
Glasgow G52 1PJ
0141 882 5658
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk