The website http://www.parents-protecting-children.org.uk has not been properly updated for some time, nevertheless it serves as a useful archive for families looking for material to support their defence against false allegation of child abuse because child or family illness, disability, neurological difference, mental health or lifestyle issues have been misunderstood and /or misinterpreted by an over hasty child protection system which frequently lacks compassion, insight and common sense.

The website archive, especially in the DOCUMENTS section, is of particular interest to journalists, researchers and students seeking to understand the myth of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) and its alter ego Fictitios and Induced Illness (FII).

If you are looking for up to date material and comment, please follow this link to our Facebook page: PARENTS PROTECTING CHILDREN UK
http://www.facebook.com/PPPC.UK

Parents, Professionals & Politicians Protecting Children with Illness &/or Disabilities beleives that it is imperative that nothing is done to speed up adoptions or restrict the time allowed for families to prove their innocence in the family courts, until the issue of false allegation of child abuse has been addressed - otherwise very many more children will be wrongfully and permanently removed from their loving but misunderstood families.

Clinicians don't like mysteries, Social Workers and Teachers don't understand intermittent or unusual childhood medical conditions. It is all too easy to jump to the wrongful conclusion that the mother is inventing or causing or influencing her child's symptoms. There are a frightening number of false allegations of MSBP & FII in families
where a child has a difficult to diagnose organic illness, maybe a metabolic disorder in infancy or a fatigue illness such as Myalgic Encephomylitis in a school age child. Sometimes hospitals are refusing to conduct vital diagnostic tests on children, or to provide essential treatment, because there is a note on file suggesting that the problem lies with the mother. These families are then placed under surveillance or broken up instead of being offered much needed support through a difficult period.

New mothers and pregnant women's notes are being scoured for historical information. If any past involvenent with mental health services, however long ago, however briefly and for whatever reason (eg temporary depression following an accident or bereavement) is found, electronic alerts are placed on babies files. Once 'the first gossamer breath of suspicion'* is aroused, everything that happens in the family is seen through accusatory lenses. This leads to tragic misjudgements of these women, who find themselves intrusively scrutinised or even separated from their newborn child at what should be the happiest time of their lives.

Some clinicians, therapists and social workers seem to be using erroneous diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and / or 'Attachment Theory' as a substitute for MSBP or FII - this is particularily dangerous for families in which parent, child or sibling has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psychodynamically / psychotherapeutically trained therapists and clinicians do not have the skills and experience to assess or understand Neurological Diversity. Many wrongful observations are made, which if they find themselves in the documentation of the family courts become 'misunderstandings which take on a life of their own' - often with tragic consequences for families who find themselves torn apart for reasons which they cannot understand. The secrecy of the family courts prevents confused and vulnerable parents sharing these
erroneous reports with Autusm experts who could understand, interpret and assist if only they were allowed to do so.

Inevitably there are cases where an entirely explicable childhood accident, often the result of interaction with a sibling, is presented by panicking social workers and clinicians as non accidental injury by the parents. Children are sometimes removed from home for no valid reason whatsoever.

In a bid to encourage supposed independence, ill trained care workers are misunderstanding the situation of vulnerable young
adults and making false assumptions which lead to the removal of these young people into a care system which they do not
understand and where they do not want to be. One of these in North London made headline news in 2010 when the young person was finally released and reunited with the family. Social workers do not seem to have learned from this mistake and there are others in the pipeline.

On 23 April 2004 (Hansard) Tim Loughton MP used my name and evidence of my correspondence with Harriet Harman and other Labour Ministers, to berate the then Secretary of State for Education for not doing more to stop these false allegations of MSBP / FII and to prevent these children wrongfully entering the care system. In the ensuing six years the then Government did nothing and the situation got progressively worse. Mr Loughton now has responsibility for adoption and has the chance to act to remedy the situation before it is too late.

Parents Protecting Children UK calls for a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate and report on the issue of false and misleading allegations of child abuse and a suspension of any plans to limit family court time or speed up adoption procedures until the select committee report is received and implemented.

Jan Loxley Blount, London, 6th November 2011.

(*'the first gossamer breath of suspicion' is a description used by the psychologist Lisa
Blakemore Brown in early documents challenging the validity of the diagnosis of MSBP)