1. Parents Against Injustice Chris Smith has been PAIN Secretary since 2004. Chris
was caught in care proceedings and sadly lost his
sons through adoption. His only contact now is a
Mission statement
twice yearly update. Chris has campaigned tirelessly
We provide families with the suppor t and unders tanding since joining us in 2003 and as a result has increased
at a time when the y need it mos t much media attention including several major
articles written in the Daily Telegraph. This has
Who are w e? resulted in one county having a full investigation into
procedures.
Parents Against INjustice (PAIN) assists families Trevor Jones is involved on the campaign side of PAIN
caught up in care proceedings and campaigns for highlighting the problems within the present child
reform on their behalf. The group was founded by protection system with letters published in The
Sue Amphlett in 1985 but was disbanded in 2000 Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Observer, Sunday
when vital funding was withdrawn. However the Telegraph and many local and regional papers. He
need for its service remains. The organisation in its has written PAIN submissions to recent government
present guise relies on volunteers who offer their consultations and was instrumental in co-ordinating
time to promote the group. a multi organisational response to the Child Care
The group has dealt with nearly 13000 cases over its history. It helps Proceedings Review in November 2005.
meet the very real needs of supporting and advising parents who find What is being said?
themselves wrongly accused of child abuse or neglect. It helps families
become aware of their legal rights, assists them in finding lawyers and On 4th March 2005, Justice Sir Michael Collins in the Royal Courts of Justice
offers support in trying to recover from an experience of a system made the following statement when he was considering the case of Professor
which often leaves them feeling abused themselves. David Southall, who falsely accused Stephen Clark of murdering his son. “He did
it (accused Stephen Clark) because he formed a view and he (Prof Southall) did
what he (Prof. Southall) believed was in the best interest of the child. It is not in
is the Chairperson and was part of the
Alison Stevens any child's best interest to make an allegation against an innocent parent based
original PAIN organisation. During the late 1980s on limited information, for that child to then be removed from loving parents, that
Alison faced the loss of her own children after is in itself, abuse"
wrongly being accused of harming her son. It had "Doctors opinions are merely that - ‘opinions’. Rarely can a doctor prove his
transpired that her son was suffering from brittle diagnosis with definitive pathological tests. There may be many causes for
bones disease and that she had not caused injuries particular signs and symptoms. But, once a Doctor has made a diagnosis of non-
to her son. Luckily Alison managed to keep her accidental injury, other possible underlying causes are no longer investigated,
such as birth trauma or congenital defects."
children. She felt that without the help and support
Sue Amphlett - PAIN (Parents Against Injustice)
given to her by PAIN that she would not have
survived the ordeal. Since then Alison has “We are facing closed minds in the judiciary and no assistance from any official
campaigned tirelessly on behalf of families and source…if social services find a child in a situation where the adults are less than
lobbying MPs. She has done radio and TV interviews. perfect; they put the child in care”.
Bill Bache – Solicitor for Angela Canning Oct 2004
2. Contact us:-
“Parents who have been through the social services mill talk of hostile social
workers, biased reporting of meetings and contact sessions, failure to supply
memos and records of telephone calls on request and selection of material to
show to the court that shows birth parents in the worst light”. By email:-
Cassandra Jardine – Daily Telegraph Jan 2005
parentsagainstinjustice@hotmail.co.uk
Objectives:
alison.stevens4@tesco.net
We understand that families faced in this situation often fear the worst and all too
often are unaware of their rights and how to cope. By Telephone:-
We continue to lobby Parliament and in the course of this work have had
0116 2602855
meetings with Earl Howe among others.
Our aim is to ensure “fair play” for families caught in care proceedings. We aim to
ensure that local authorities, professionals including doctors, psychologists and
family assessment centres follow strict procedures and treat you with dignity.
Presented by:
PAIN - Parents Against Injustice
We make no judgement about your case. We accept that not all families are
innocent. We take no sides except for the child and we are committed to the
child’s/children’s best interest. However, we are only too aware of families’ rights
which are often overlooked by local authorities and family assessments.
Here to help:
If you need advice or guidance then please contact us. It may save you from the
losing the most important possessions in your life. We are happy to help.
We feel the only way we can fight this is for families to come together with their
cases. This can identify a failing in the system.
You can email your case to us. All identities must be protected and we can add
this to our website.
We need volunteers to assist us in our campaign. You too could be helping other
families in a similar situation.
Please feel free to look at our website:
http://www.parentsagainstinjustice.org.uk
