Saturday 27 October 2007

BATTLE TO GET 'LAURA' HOME

Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0492.htm
The unused crib, still in its box and tucked away, tells its own painful story. Rachel Pullen gave birth to baby Laura - not the child's real name - 18 months ago. But the tot has never slept in the cradle. The little girl, born 13 weeks prematurely, was taken into care before she left hospital. Nottingham City Council claimed Rachel, 23, was unfit to care for her child, who had severe breathing problems. Rachel said the news that Laura would be taken into care was broken to her in the neonatal unit at the QMC. She said: "The social worker said Laura is being discharged. I said I would call a taxi and take her home. The social worker said, 'You can't. The child is going into foster care'. They told me to get a solicitor." The authority has now taken matters a stage further and succeeded in obtaining a Placement Order from the family court in Nottingham to put Laura up for adoption, against Rachel's wishes. Rachel claims she was never allowed to have a proper say in what happened to her little girl and is appealing. Her case has been taken up in Parliament by Liberal Democrat MP, and family court campaigner, John Hemming, who believes it could become a test of what he sees as unfair treatment of families in adoption cases. At home in Aspley, Rachel finds it difficult to make sense of what has happened. "I could not see why the council did what they did," she said. "They said if you get a flat and get your parenting skills up I could get Laura back. I did it, but it was still not good enough." The placement hearing took place in August. Rachel described how she sat powerless in a brief hearing in Nottingham Crown Court while the fate of her child was decided by the lawyers. Almost no evidence was put forward on Rachel's behalf, before Her Honour Judge Joan Butler QC gave the adoption the go-ahead.

http://justice001.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi
Why Not Come And Join The
‘Stop Injustice Now’ Forum:

No comments: