MP hits out at adoption policies

BBC News
November 26, 2009

An MP has criticised the the way Suffolk County Council handles children in adoption cases.

Conservative MP for Suffolk South Tim Yeo led an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday night on the adoption of very young children.

He said the manner in which the council put newborns up for adoption was "tantamount to child kidnapping".

Suffolk County Council said they were committed to protecting vulnerable people as a priority.

Mr Yeo said he had been contacted by a number of constituents who were concerned about the number of, and the way in which, young children were removed from families.

He referred to a particular case and said social workers had been so keen to remove the child that he claimed they later changed the facts of the case to justify their actions.

Tim Yeo in the House of Commons: From BBC Democracy Live

"It is a flagrant breach of justice," Mr Yeo told the House.

"They would have had more legal rights and treated more humanely if they had murdered their own child."

Director of children and young people's services for the council, Simon White, said: "The overall effectiveness of our childrens' services has been graded by Ofsted as good overall and outstanding in relation to adoption support and organisational management.

"Our highly trained, professional staff are very mindful of the particular circumstances of each case.

"But ultimately it is the welfare of the child or children which must be safeguarded. We reject any accusation otherwise."

Mr Yeo called for a change in the law relating to the adoption process of babies.

Minister for children, school and families Diana Johnson said a child could not be put up for adoption without a court believing the child is, or would be, at serious risk remaining where they were