http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Dudley Liberal Democrats en-GB Dudley Liberal Democrats http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2010 Dudley Liberal Democrats 2010-08-01T11:33+01:00 United Kingdom http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001228/stop_forced_adoptions.html Let's put a stop to Forced Adoptions. Write to the Chief Executive of your Local Council, write to your local Councillors, write to your local MP and your local papers expressing your concern at this scandal. Together we can stop this injustice. Only if children are being abused should they be removed permanently from their families. For details of Dudley Council go to www.dudley.gov.uk. If you have problems finding names and addresses contact us. 2010-07-30T17:41+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001227/family_justice_review.html The Family Justice Review is a review of the family justice system which under strain, with rising case volumes and lengthening case durations. The cost to the State is now over £800m each year. Long and complicated legal processes are emotionally and financially draining for parents and distressing for children. Fathers and grandparents do not feel well served by the current system. The agencies and professionals directly involved in the family justice system are all in scope for the Review, including: 2010-07-27T20:06+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001225/forced_adoptions_scandal__the_care_system_does_not_work.html We have recently met a young Mother from Dudley who had her 6 week old baby taken from her and is being put up for adoption. The Mother herself was taken into care when she was 7 where she was sexually abused by a male foster carer and unbelievably got pregnant whilst she was in a childrens home! This baby is probably the best thing that has ever happened to her and she desperately wants to keep her baby. Her baby is now with foster carers who are paid around £400 per week to look after him - as we have mentioned before why don't they spend that money helping this young Mother to keep her baby whom she clearly dotes on. It certainly can't be in the best interests of the baby to be taken from his Mother at such a young age and if the baby is adopted it will destroy the Mother. 2010-07-22T11:55+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001226/birminghams_shahjalal_housing_coop_is_a_model_for_community_inclusion__mep.html Lib Dem Euro MP Liz Lynne has praised the Birmingham-based Shahjalal Housing Co-operative as a model example of a community initiative for affordable housing. 2010-07-22T11:50+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001224/county_euro_mp_regrets_vote_to_axe_three_warwickshire_fire_stations.html A vote by the Conservative-led County Council to close three of the county's 19 fire stations marks a sad day for the people of Warwickshire, says Euro MP Liz Lynne. 2010-07-21T16:53+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001223/forced_adoptions_scandaltime_to_bring_family_law_to_book.html Christopher Booker in The Sunday Telegraph this week again writes about the seizing of children by social workers from loving families on what appears to be the "flimsiest and most questionable grounds" Children are then put into foster homes where the foster carers receive £400 per week per child. The question has to be asked - why don't they use this money to help the Mother and the families instead of tearing families apart? One family of five Sisters has been in foster care for the last 15 months in Dudley - 3 of them have now just been moved to a foster home in Gloucester - we are told at extortionate cost (out of Borough placements we are told are far more expensive because outside agencies are used). The children are extremely unhappy about this move and leaving their school friends in Dudley and just want to go home to their Mother who has never harmed them (they were removed due to her ex partner abusing her eldest daughter - he is now serving a long prison sentence). Add to that the barristers fees; court costs; solicitors, Judges, psychologists reports; assessment centre and contact appointments; etc .... No wonder our Childrens Services Department is way over budget. 2010-07-20T18:17+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001222/forced_adoptions_scandal__class_action.html Class Action - Now have an acknowledgement from the International Criminal Court and a case reference number. Now is the time for everyone to push this Class Action in the United Kingdom and get more people to sign up! Click on the link below - They will need: Your Name; Your full postal address;The case Number (this will be on all court orders; if there is more than one case number, please supply all of them); a brief (2-3 line) description of the reasons given for the Orders. Spread the Word. If you have been affected by forced adoptions or your children/grandchildren put into foster care for no good reason then please forward your details:- 2010-07-20T17:36+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001221/liz_lynne_welcomes_european_parliament_support_for_lib_dem_plan_to_reform_cap.html West Midlands Euro MP Liz Lynne has welcomed the overwhelming support of the European Parliament for a Lib Dem blueprint to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). 2010-07-14T17:24+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001220/forced_adoptions_scandal__class_action.html We have now been contacted by a young Mother whose 7 week old baby was taken from her - he is now 9 months old and Dudley Social Services are applying for an Order for him to be adopted. We will be doing all we can to reunite Mother and Baby. 2010-07-13T18:45+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001219/forced_adoptions_scandal__children_removed_from_their_school.html Just when you thought it could get no worse Dudley Council, who cancelled the contact between three children and their Mother recently (see earlier story below), have now removed the three children from their local school THREE WEEKS before the end of the school year. 2010-07-04T12:02+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001218/liz_lynne_welcomes_tougher_eu_cap_on_mobile_roaming_fees.html LibDem Euro MP Liz Lynne has welcomed even tougher rules to limit charges for using a mobile phone in another EU country, which came into force on July 1st. 2010-07-03T16:29+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001217/forced_adoptions_scandal__contact_cancelled.html We were horrified to learn last week that a Mother had a note pushed through her letter box by Dudley Social Services at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday evening cancelling the contact with her three children the following day. She was extremely upset as it was her daughter's 10th birthday and she had made a cake specially and bought lots of party food to enable them to have a celebration at the contact meeting. No doubt the children would have been very upset too. If the Mother had cancelled contact at such short notice she would no doubt have been highly criticised by Social Services for letting her children down. Despite the fact that we tried to intervene and ask Social Services to re-consider their actions they refused. Was this in the best interests of the children - we don't think so. 2010-07-03T14:06+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001216/no_threat_to_eggs_by_the_dozen_says_liz_lynne.html Lib Dem Euro MP Liz Lynne has spoken out to reassure businesses and consumers that there is no threat of a ban to sell eggs by the dozen. 2010-07-01T14:11+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001215/chiropractors_deserve_more_support_from_europes_health_ministers__liz_lynne.html West Midlands Euro MP Liz Lynne is backing a cross party call for Europe's health services to recognise the huge benefits of chiropractic and extend access to the specialism to patients in all EU countries. 2010-06-30T14:58+01:00 http://www.dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/001214/forced_adoptions_scandal.html We were contacted at the end of April to assist a young Mother in trying to get her two young children reunited with her. They were taken from her by Dudley Social Services and put up for adoption because the eldest child was allegedly injured by the Mother's ex-partner although he was never charged with the offence and walked away scott free. There is no evidence that the Mother ever harmed her two children and she terminated the relationship with her ex-partner two years ago. Despite the fact that we took this case to the Court of Appeal in London we were unable to stop the forced adoption of these two children who should have been returned to their mother. We are now in the process of taking this case to the European Court of Human Rights. 2010-06-29T16:26+01:00