Why so much inhumanity these days? I despair.

Thank you Jaffacake2 for that explanation.

I have to admit I won’t read about baby Finlay as I struggle to put the thoughts out of my mind. I don’t know what the answer is but if I had my way they’d both forego the right to breed anymore. No sentence will stop such cruelty as they don’t think about that when they’re doing the deed.

I’ll no doubt be accused of inhumanity and Hitler will be mentioned. Don’t bother as I won’t come back on to read the comments and I won’t change my stance on this.

Social workers are damned when they take children away from their parent(s) and damned if they don't, or return them to their abusers.

Sadly, good news doesn't sell newspapers. If we truly believed that the news we see in the media accurately represented the life experience of the legendary "average" person on the Clapham omnibus, we would have very good reason to be depressed. In fact, there is little or no balance in what is reported, with priority always given to doom and gloom. I honestly believe that most people are kind, caring and honest, and want nothing more than to be allowed to live a peaceful, harmonious life. So yes, report the bad news by all means, but where is the balance?

Humanity has always been this cruel

We now see it more often due to advances in technology

The judge should be named, shamed and sacked.

A court order is a decision made by a judge in a family court when presented with evidence from social services and heath services that a baby or child is at significant risk of harm through abuse of neglect by its care givers ie parents or guardians. There is a review after a period of time based on reports from frontline workers as to whether there has been an improvement from the parents in their home circumstances, life style and their cooperation at working with social services. The court judge then will decide whether a transition period where the child is returned to the family home for short access visits whilst being monitored.
I worked as a health visitor for 25 years and had to present court reports about the health and parenting abilities together with social workers. This was extremely stressful dealing with parents who were drug users, neglectful of their child and very aggressive to frontline workers.
Very frustrating that a judge then decided the child could return home from foster care in spite of our reports advising against their return.
Remembering these little ones still makes me upset.
But I tried my best to keep them safe.

varian

I do feel sorry for social workers.

They risk being pilloried in the press if they ever remove a child from its parents and even more so if they don't and something tragic like this happens.

My understanding is that social workers had requested a longer period of 'transition', but that they were overridden.

"Child protection concerns meant Finley was taken from his parents shortly after he was born in February 2020.
But later that year, he was returned to their care through a court order following an eight-week transition, despite social workers asking for a six-month period." From the BBC article.

As I recall, we have former Social Workers and Child Protection specialists in our midst.
Could someone please explain about transitions and Court orders in these cases?
Thank you.

The family court judge ordered the baby back to his parents home. The social workers wanted a longer transition period of 6 months to monitor short access visits for the baby to the parents. The family court went against the social workers recommendations.
It is sad that social workers are demonized when it is a complicated scenario where they don't have control over the outcomes for the child.

Just on the news about the little boy now. They refused to let social workers in. Neighbours interviewed on tv said they had raised concerns. In the dock today they sat gazing into space with their arms folded. Evil and couldn’t care less.

Its a mixture of finding out what was previously not so easily available news wise and I think a lot more desperate people out there than maybe 40 years ago.

And Foxie is right about resources:

just on the BBC 1 news now: a commissioned report by the government recommended 5 times the additional resources that they have been given.

We have news every hour, on the hour, day and night. Like the OP I despair at times and feel like weeping at atrocities inflicted on small children, animals, and the helpless and vulnerable in our society. Working in a school I regularly saw letters arrive from Social Care in response to a plea for help for a child with the dreaded phrase 'No action deemed necessary at this time'. Even worse things than neglect, poor feeding, lack of love and care were having to be dealt with. I now have to turn the page or avert my gaze from the TV - otherwise I am haunted by what I read and see.

Yes and the same for little Lola James also killed by a drug addict stepfather. Same thing, filthy house, degrading living environment, lazy, dirty, no risk of actually earning a living, no structure to their lives. Poor little girl.

Forsythia

I don’t understand why a baby would have been returned to those two in the first place. Look at the state of the living conditions. Look at his evil face. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Drug addicts with a defenceless little baby. Not working, dirty, lazy, no daily structure, high as kites. Poor little soul.

I so agree. Why do they return children to these people who should never have a child in the first place? They seem to bend over backwards to return children to their natural parents, why?

The poor little soul should have been adopted from birth, to a couple who really wanted him.

I'm afraid social work is in the same mess as the NHS. A friend recently took a very senior role in a very big LA, she is a hard working talented woman with huge experience but she is faced with an absolutely huge deficit in the budget, a very demoralised staff and an increasing shortage of experienced social workers because they have left in droves. Another friend's daughter qualified last year and was immediately put into situations way beyond anything that a newly qualified person should face even with good support and there was none. She resigned and is using her skills in another setting! I despair everything that is supposed to support the most vulnerable in our society seems to have fallen apart.

I only watch the news occasionally now. I get too upset at some of the items and feeling powerless to prevent it I simply drop out.

It was ever thus - throughout history.

BlueBelle

I think it’s maybe always been but it’s so MUCH more now and so much more in your face The press has a lot to answer for and so does social media

Are you saying it should be hushed up then? That these vile acts shouldn’t be exposed?

Forsythia, I fully agree. It distresses and infuriates me ! Poor little soul indeed.

I do feel sorry for social workers.

They risk being pilloried in the press if they ever remove a child from its parents and even more so if they don't and something tragic like this happens.

I think it’s maybe always been but it’s so MUCH more now and so much more in your face The press has a lot to answer for and so does social media

I have just read a book about how to avoid anxiety and depression. One of the first suggestions is to stop following the news. My husband and I tried what we dubbed “no news November”. We both felt happier by November 30th.

I just read this. Horrible.

I don’t understand why a baby would have been returned to those two in the first place. Look at the state of the living conditions. Look at his evil face. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Drug addicts with a defenceless little baby. Not working, dirty, lazy, no daily structure, high as kites. Poor little soul.

Ginny, I tend to believe the same but, unfortunately, bad news is apparently more sensational than good news and there certainly is a lot of bad around at the moment. Mmmmm....sad times all around us. Don't think even a change of government will help that. I'm going to concentrate on my inner circle where nice things are happening and I'll count my blessings. Think it's called escapism.