Democrat Governor Wants In-Home Surveillance of Newborn Babies

a reply to: riiver
The "Call the midwife" TV series sums up the history, these health visits by community nurses for mothers are such a part of British psyche now, it would be worrying for the community nurse if a mother didn't let them in, even worry for the mother that she might be in an abusive relationship, they care for the welfare of both mother and baby. Our community midwifes are a massively respected group of people, they are a lifeline for some mothers.
They are duty bound to report criminal neglect or whatever, but aren't we all as humans equally bound. They will work with parents in all sorts of ways, even more in the social care side than medical. I couldn't imagine not having a service like them.
Nanny state eh, weak woman who can't cut having twins and dealing with it all by myself afterwards without a visit say every week or so. Those visits were priceless.

a reply to: SarahConnor



I highly doubt this program will have nurses or even people that are able to give aid - either in terms of advice or services.

The child welfare workers in the US don't have any medical training and they don't provide advice or aid. The only thing they do is take children away from their parents.

This program is going to target the poor and any group deemed socially unacceptable but not illegal. (A few decades ago it would have been gays - today it's right wing religious - tomorrow it might be gay again)

Real abusers certainly know how to cover for a visit.

a reply to: Daughter2
Gosh that sounds so tragic and bleak for new mothers in the US. We take the community midwife/nurse service as a national institution, they are trusted and care for people with love. I can't imagine not having such a service caring for mothers and babies.
Different worlds.

a reply to: SarahConnor
It's not tragic or bleak for new USA mother's. See there is this funny thing that happened s when The state is not holding your hand. People actually become independent and empowered. They grow a backbone and survive. LMFAO, tragic?? The tragedy is you admitting you cannot handle life without having a babysitter. Now that is tragic.

Me and the Misses are five kids deep, barely ever used Grandma twelve years on. We figure it the # out like adults are supposed to do when they grow up. Now I can forgive e you some if you were still a teenager when this all happened. But if you were at least in your mid twenties, no excuse.

Do me A favor and please explain to me if I refuse any of this Good blessed services the UK gov provides to you. Is it mandatory, and what are my consequences if I refuse and refuse hard. I bet the answer is very close to use of violence to kidnap the child right???

a reply to: chiefsmom

Sounds to me its a deterrent to put people off having babies to help the depopulation agenda.

And this will only be for the working class and the poor.

Makes sense... I guess leftists in power need to make sure parents are not treating baby boys as boys and are bringing them up in a proper genderless household. That will be next... take the kids away if the parents treat a boy as a boy.

a reply to: worldstarcountry
I got dumped by my long term partner who moved in with a girl he had been cheating with. This was 3 weeks before I gave birth to twin boys. I had no family locally so was on my own. Do you forgive me now?
I'm happy for you that you have the support of a stable loving relationship, we're not all that lucky, the community midwives were a practical, emotional, and mental lifeline for me, but carry on criticising, you seem unfriendly.

As for mandatory health visits in the early weeks of a babies life, I don't know, but anyone would think it was suspicious, I've never heard of a mother refusing their help, support and medical checks on their new born. I'm guessing it would raise red flags because why would you not want a free healthcheck on your baby? I'd be suspicious if a mother did that, every mother welcomes the caring midwives calling to their homes.
Different societies is all, it works for us. I'm sure you will some snarky comment to make about socialist Britain though.

a reply to: SarahConnor
Well that is a really #ty circumstance you were put in, and its great it helped you out. I have seen the same story play out here though, and the women gets the financial assistance that they need, without the mandatory spook that will threaten to kidnap our children with violence for daring to be a survivor, independent and empowered. Health checks are what the doctors are for.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Never had a penny from the father, he's just a loser and has never been interested in the boys but I've always held a door open for him if he wanted to, he is their father after all.

It is kind of unclear with the law, but I found this...

"Although health visitors have no legal right of entry, they do not make a habit of pointing this out to clients"

A young woman, expecting her first baby, hears a knock at the door. She opens it, and the woman standing there says she is a health visitor, and can she come in? The woman asks why, and the health visitor says, "Just to see how you are". The woman says she's fine and doesn't need a health visitor, thank you. The health visitor replies, "If you don't let me in, I shall report you to Social Services."

The young woman is the daughter of an AIMS member, and an official complaint has been made. We've also suggested that she access her records - the health visitor has very likely put something on them - and this will almost certainly be recorded as a 'non-access' visit, a red flag for potential risk to children.

www.aims.org.uk...

I guess it means if the health visitor has concerns about possible child abuse they can refer it to social services who do have legal right of entry. A child assessment would then be done. Social service budgets here have been slashed so you need to be a really bad parent to get your kids taken into local authority care.

In Cornwall, a couple who had given birth to their second bonny child without the attendance of a midwife did not take up an offer of health visiting by the midwife who did the postnatal check. They said they would call for medical help if they needed it. Staff at the Primary Healthcare Trust believed that refusal of health visiting was an automatic cause for referral to Social Services and acted on that assumption - although the Trust has since denied that this is their official policy.

So it seems refusal in itself to let them in is not a green light for referral to child protection but a more bigger picture is looked at into the circumstances, say a midwife was refused entry to a house with broken windows and dog poo all over the yard that would influence their feelings of child safety, but it is a grey area.