If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
Obese boy might be taken into care
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6396457.stm
As often in these cases, a tough one. Although it should always be the last resort, I don't oppose children being taken into care if the parents' negiglence is putting them in danger.
Though not many cases are clear cut. I'm not sure that's the case here. If the mother is trying to make the kid change his eating habits (a little too late perhaps, but better than never) at least it's a step in the right direction... If the mother still gave the child what he demanded however it might be a different case...
As often in these cases, a tough one. Although it should always be the last resort, I don't oppose children being taken into care if the parents' negiglence is putting them in danger.
Though not many cases are clear cut. I'm not sure that's the case here. If the mother is trying to make the kid change his eating habits (a little too late perhaps, but better than never) at least it's a step in the right direction... If the mother still gave the child what he demanded however it might be a different case...
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
0
Comments
Perhaps if social services in North Tyneside spent more time helping parents who can't cope rather than scoring political points there wouldn't be this mess. The first thing this boy's mother has heard from any health body has been some rent-a-gob from the Anti-Fatty Commission (or whatever the hell its called) slating her for her abilities and saying she should have her kids taken off her. I'm sure she's well aware that she's made a bit of a pig's ear of it, but what she (and he) needs is support not public vilifcation.
Nobody is arguing that the kid is a nice safe healthy weight, and that his parents haven't made an utter balls-up of it.
But take him into care because of it? Please. He isn't an animal, he won't forget the trauma of it after a week, and he isn't being abused so much that care seems like a better alternative.
The child needs some serious help, but whoever the rent-a-gob was who suggested care should have his kids taken off him, just for being a pompous cock.
He and his family need decent support, from social services, from the medical profession, and from his school......
Bring on the flying pigs.
I don't think taking the kid away would help in this case. But like Fiend says the mother is largely to blame here and perhaps needs to take a couple of coaching lessons on parenting.
I'm not in favour of taking him into care, but something seriously needs to be done. Maybe you (kermit) should go round and spank her.
The way she has allowed her son to become this is utterly shocking and disgraceful, but taking him away seems like a short-term treating the symptoms rather than addressing the cause.
Absolutely. And I'm sorry, but her arguement of 'oh, he won't eat anything green' is BOLLOCKS. It's really very simple, stop all of the chips etc, remove it from the house and replace it with good quality, nutritious home made food. When he is hungry enough, he'll eat it. And in the meantime, he'll drop a few pounds which can only be a good thing.
As many others have commented, the major reason for failure seems to lie squarely with the mother - there will have been many efforts to educate her, clearly to no avail.
A final point on this, social workers are under strict data protection guidelines not to speak publically about any case, which is why no-one ever gives the social workers' view in the media and small-minded myths about 'child-snatching social workers' etc are allowed to proliferate.
A case in point, where my wife works, they took a 6-month old baby into care, after his nursery reported anal injuries and two independent doctors confirmed the child had been raped. His family were up in arms, ran a huge 'Free Baby George' campaign (name changed!) and even got the local press onside - without telling anyone about the medical details,of course, which they were obviously aware of. Social service staff were of course unable to speak publically about why they had removed the child, so anger swelled in the community, culminating in a huge barricade of social services offices and the pelting of social workers (inc my wife who had nothing to do with the case) with fruit and veg. One lady ended up with a broken nose.
:yes: Are there courses of some sort for parents like her?
Hospital does seem like a better option than care - he needs to be educated on food and nutrition.
I think that was mentioned on Tonight With Trevor McDonald last night and I'm sure said that something like that is cruel so she just gives him the food he wants; not what he needs.
That has high hopes of providing a long term solution and is far less likely to end up with the child in care long term.
That said, the only person who was actually proposing care was that pompous cunt from the Fatties Must Die Authority, or whatever they're calling the anti-fat campaign this week.
err... thats what social workers do. Are you really saying that a better solution would be to let an unqualified 'foster-carer-type person' try to succeed where the qualified person has already failed?
Unlikely to work, imho
A foster carer type person (who may be unqualified but has been deemed a suitable person to look after vulnerable children) could work soley with that one family (like they would be if they were caring for that child) and educate the child and his mother and thus improve both lives and form a long term solution.
My thoughts exactly.
Foster parents arent necessarily going to do a better job........but fuck me, could they do it any worse?? I doubt it.
I caught the documentary. Poor kid, couldnt even tie his shoe lace. On the morning of his birthday his nan gave him his presants etc because she couldn't be arsed getting out of bed, she stayed in bed having a fag.
Don't forget, this was in front of a whole TV crew, you would her expect to at least pretend when everyone is watching!
If she can't be arsed getting outta bed for the morning of his birthday - why would she be bothered to make sure he eats right.
Waste of space, lock her away.
I didn't see the program but of course there are worse things than being fat.
There's fat and then there is seriously ill. 15 stone @ 8years old - which 1 do you think ?
There is much more to this case than the media have, or will ever, report. "Bad Mum" and "Look at Fatty" are great news stories. "Mum struggling to cope" isn't.
What do you guys make of this then? Should this girl be taken in to care?
At Fat Camp the kids are taught how to cook real food and learn to play sports and exercise.
I cant see how this boy is going to loose weight at home with his mother or in social services hands.
yup i agree
and i think that over feedin ur child is basically child abuse cus your just helping to put them in an early grave so yes the parents should be punished