The GOS makes no apology for writing about this matter for the third time. Norfolk Social Services continue to persecute the Hardingham family and show no sign of remorse, compassion or even common-sense. The law's on their side, it seems, so anything they do must be right - and they're bloody well going to do it, come what may.
Just to remind you, Mark and Nicky Hardingham had their three children taken from them because one of them had suspicious fractured bones. The fact is that Brittle Bone Disease runs in Nicky's family, and various relatives have suffered hundreds of fractures over a 60-year period. But because Nicky has not herself been diagnosed with the disease, doctors claim she can't pass it on to her children, so the boy must have been abused. To anyone with an ounce of common-sense this must seem a draconian and blinkered attitude for a supposedly intelligent profession to adopt, and knowing that Nicky's grandmother was free of the disease but still gave birth to an affected child ought to suggest that maybe there's something doctors don't know about this particular ailment …
But no. Doctors know what they know and everyone else must be wrong. The Social Services have the power to snatch any child they think might possibly, by an enormous stretch of the most fanciful imagination, be at risk. And the Family Court, shrouded in secrecy and not bound by the normal rules of proof, was happy to ignore the great damage to all three children and smash the family to pieces just to be on the safe side.
The three children were sent for adoption. There is no appeal and no redress for the Hardinghams, and the parents not only can't see their children ever again, but they can't legally even remember them by their real names.
Nicky then fell pregnant again, and obviously was terrified that Social Services would snatch this child as soon as it was born. The couple fled to Ireland, but Norfolk Social Services contacted their opposite numbers in Ireland who didn't even bother to assess the situation for themselves, but immediately began putting pressure on the unhappy couple. The child was born - a healthy boy who appears to be named "Child D" thanks to the N.S.S. and the Family Court, and the couple have been forced to return to Norfolk.
There has of course been a good deal of media coverage of this outrageous case. Now Norfolk have issued gagging orders to the newspapers and the BBC to prevent them from publicising it any further. They say this is because the publicity is preventing them from working with the family, but of course we know better, don't we? If the family is innocent there's no need to "work" with them. So if Norfolk are to maintain their stranglehold and continue their present attitude of arrogant omniscience, it's very important that no-one proves the Hardinghams' innocence.
Other members of the family have also had gagging orders served, to prevent them from talking to the press. Norfolk are determined to hush the whole thing up - they know best, and the rest of us don't need to know …
However, nobody has served any orders on the GOS, and until they do he's going to keep complaining, because that's what he's for!
Please, everyone who reads this, go to this website, and write to your MP, local councillor or anyone else you can think of who may be able to bring some influence to bear. Do also look at this informative article.
Our previous rants on this subject are here and here, and you can find out who your MP is and how to contact him/her here.
Incidentally, the Director of Norfolk Children's Services is Lisa Christensen. Her address is County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2SQ, and her email address is lisa.christensen@norfolk.gov.uk.
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