Social workers arrived at hospital to take woman's baby while she was in LABOUR over concerns for its welfare
- Social workers arrived at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary with a court order
- Baby Victoria was taken away shortly after the birth in August 2011
- Kelly McWilliams, 36, is demanding an apology from Doncaster Council
- Victoria, now aged 18 months, was returned to her mother after three months apart
By HELEN LAWSON
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A mother is demanding an apology from social services after her baby was taken away from her as soon as she was born.
Kelly McWilliams, 36, claims that social workers arrived at her bedside while she was in labour and took her newborn daughter Victoria into foster care.
Ms McWilliams, from Scawthorpe, Doncaster, says that she was separated from her baby for three months and allowed to see her for only six hours a week under close supervision until a court ordered that Victoria should be returned to her mother.
Now the mother-of-five wants an apology from Doncaster Council's children's services - which has been heavily criticised in the past by Whitehall officials.
Kelly McWilliams is demanding an apology from Doncaster Social Services after her daughter Victoria, now 18 months, was taken into foster care after her birth
She says that two social workers turned up unannounced at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary as she was in labour with a court order to take the baby into foster care because she was unfit to care for her.
Ms McWilliams said: ‘They literally just walked in very coldly and said as soon as I had delivered my baby two hours later she was going to get placed into foster care.
‘I was in labour when they came in. I was being induced went into labour and two social workers walked into my room and told me.
‘To be honest I didn't actually believe them at first I thought it was some kind of joke.
‘I literally just asked why and she said “because you're not well”.
"I think they were going back to my previous mental health problems which I had five years ago.
‘I said that I was better and asked her to check it out.
‘Her next reason was that I never attended an appointment the year before.
Victoria was taken away shortly after the birth on August 23 2011, and Ms McWilliams was allowed to see her daughter for supervised visits two hours, three times a week.
A court ordered that Victoria be returned to her mother on December 9 that year.
She said: ‘That felt absolutely awful because I had people watching over my shoulder as if I was some kind of murderer.
‘There had never been a problem and they admitted it that I wouldn’t harm a child - that's never been the question.
‘There is no further action that I can take because legally by law they did nothing wrong even though it was fundamentally wrong and it was against my human rights .
‘To me they have got more power than the police. They can do what they want when they want.
Miss McWilliams has since been reunited with Victoria, now aged 18 months
‘Nobody can make up for what they have taken away from me. I missed her first smile I didn't get to bring her home.
‘I wanted the sleepless nights, I wanted the sick and the crying and I never got that.’
‘They need to change the way they do their work because it can't happen to anyone else.
‘I was an experienced mum and yet I had to be supervised all the time that I was caring for Victoria.
‘I am constantly terrified that there will be a knock on the door and that someone will come to take Victoria away from me.’
Ms McWilliams believes that social services based their judgement on her previous medical history.
She had a stroke 12 years ago and suffered from severe depression following the death of her 10-year-old son in 2008 .
A report by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support in February last year found: ‘There was no pre-birth assessment or initial case conference commissioned by the local authority in this matter. Had there been, these proceedings may not have been initiated.
‘The first contact made with mother was during her labour when she was told that her baby would be removed from her care whilst assessments were made in relation to her ability to care for Victoria.’
Ms McWilliams' solicitor Sarah Young said: ‘I think it's a shocking example of a massive over reaction by social services in Doncaster.
‘I do appreciate that social services have a very difficult job to do in difficult circumstances.
‘They have to try and do the right thing but in this case they did hugely overreact and they just didn't ever apologise or explain.
‘During the night, without any warning to Kelly, Doncaster Council obtained an emergency protection order from Doncaster Magistrates' Court.
‘This is a clear case of a local authority wrongfully taking a child away from her parents, given the lack of social services' involvement before Kelly gave birth.
‘No one disputes that the referral to social services should not have been made. Kelly and her family have had difficult times.
‘There was no pre-birth assessment or initial case conference commissioned by the local authority in this matter. Had there been, these proceedings may not have been initiated.’
Last November a highly critical Ofsted report said Doncaster Council had inadequate arrangements in place to protect children.
Miss McWilliams was in labour at Doncaster Royal Infirmary with her daughter Victoria when social workers arrived to take her unborn daughter away
The service has been criticised in the past over the deaths of seven children, and failures that led to two boys being tortured in Edlington.
The council said at the time that it was dealing with an 'overwhelming' number of children and struggling to get experienced staff.
But Ms Young said: ‘In 2009 I acted for the family of a little boy who died in respite care in Doncaster and was the subject of a serious care review.
'At that time it was clear that Doncaster Social Services was in crisis.
‘Nothing seems to have changed and I believe that if radical steps are not taken soon there will be another tragedy in Doncaster’.
Chris Pratt, director of Doncaster Council’s Children and Young People's Service, said: ‘It is inappropriate for us to comment on cases involving individual children.
‘However, when any matter of concern is raised with me I do ask for this to examined and I have done that in this case.
‘We are reviewing this case and will have concluded that by the end of today.
‘Senior officers would then like to meet Ms McWilliams to discuss her concerns.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2289027/Social-workers-arrived-hospital-womans-baby-LABOUR-concerns-welfare.html#ixzz2Mn3zFEoX
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