Recylcing Children: The £36million Council Child Catchers
WE all know the scene: the expectant mother in the last throes of labour, the nervous father trying desperately to be of some use, the doctors and nurses flitting in and out (if the parents are lucky) and the council staff, waiting in the background to pick up a reward from the Government.
Hang on, the council staff? A reward?
Well, that’s according to the Mail, which reveals that New Labour’s plans to lift more children out of the care system by rewarding councils who hit adoption targets, have seriously backfired.
With £36million in grants on offer, councils are targeting the most ‘adoptable’ babies, with children under the age of four being taken away in the biggest numbers. Indeed, over 900 newborn babies are now being removed from their mothers each year, an incredible 300 per cent increase in around a decade. The Mail also reports that in the past fortnight alone, eight newborn infants have been taken from their mothers in Newcastle and North Tyneside.
Indeed, it is alleged that social workers, eager to bag the bonuses, are even selecting babies before they are born.
Lib Dem MP John Hemming is concerned. Says he: “This smacks of social engineering on a grand scale. The offer of monetary rewards for meeting the targets has created a frenzy among social workers. There are council targets for recycling rubbish and now targets for recycling children.”
Recycling children? So do blonde kids go in one box, and dark ones in another?
Posted: 2nd, July 2007 | In: Money Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
