Mother has two-year-old son snatched by social workers after refusing doctor's advice to feed him j

Mother has two-year-old son snatched by social workers after refusing doctor's advice to feed him junk food

www.dailyma il.co.uk

Like many toddlers Zak Hessey was a 'fussy eater' who regularly refused his mother's healthy home cooking.

Concerned about his falling weight, his worried parents took him to see doctors for advice and triggered a shocking chain of events that led to the youngster being put into foster care for four months.

(visit the link for the full news article)

So this is how they force you to eat unhealthy stuff. Maybe those people who are responsible for this act should go to Africa and take some action over there! This development shows that this isn't a "fourth Reich" in progress, but a cooperation that rules this world! This is the price we pay for democracy and capitalism!

www.dailyma il.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Eat Zis Tvinkie, or it iz the camp for you! MACHT SHNELL!!

Holy ho-ho's batman! I wonder what goverment super-villian at child protective services signed off on this one.

That is absolutely rediculious. I have a 4 year old daughter whom i take care of myself. She is also a terribly pickey eater. So much that sometimes she has to go to bed a little hungry because i wont feed her chicken nuggets everyday. Kids will be kids there is no doubting that. And they deffinatelyt wont starve to death. They will eat if they are hungry.

I have noticed a trend tha whne one of these so called "experts" says something, it is taken as total gospel. They destroy lifes of innocent people while letting the bad ones slip through. This is rediculious and i believe that some of these people should find different jobs. Perhaps McDonalds so they can see what junk food actually does to people.

Guess it must be nice to know everything about someone and not actually have to know them as people first.

MessOnTheFED!

I'll admit if taken at face value it's more than extreme but this in the comments section sums up my thoughts nicely after reading it, remember this is the Daily Mail we are talking about.

Hmmm they don't look that healthy, in fact they both look overweight. Possibly more to this story than this one-sided version of events clearly designed to demomise social services? Possibly?

This does not look like the face of healthy eating:

hang on just one second, the doctor did his duty reporting that the child was losing weight and the parents weren't following medical advice. the social services did their job and took the child in to access his needs.

it's a pain that, once in a while, good parents have to endure a bit of heart break when they didn't deserve it, but overall, i'm glad there are people out there keeping an eye out for children in danger from their parents.

if there was a report in the papers about a child that starved to death despite doctors having reported his condition to social services, you'ld all be screaming for blood.

'They said I should just feed Zak chocolate, cakes and junk food just to get calories into him. But I objected saying that was only a short term answer and not a proper solution to his problem.
OP

She's right and it sounds like the doctors would have simply treated the symptoms and not the problem. Even though his weight was in the normal range, doctors "orders" would have had this kid eating junk food to his hearts content, indefinitely.

She was taken into a room with a nurse and social worker who told her: 'We would like Zak to go into foster care to assess how he feeds.

'You have legal rights but be warned if you oppose this we will go straight to court and have all your parental rights taken away.'
OP

So no, you really don't have any rights or choice in this matter

Mr Hessey added: 'People need to be aware if they go to hospital for help this is what can happen to them and their children.'

~snip~

A spokesman for Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: 'At all times our concern was for Zak and whilst we understand and appreciate Mr and Mrs Hessey's distress Zak's welfare was paramount and we believe we acted in his best interest.'
OP

Once again we are at the mercy of government intrusion into our lives, because as we all know, government can solve all problems. This so called doctors solution was to feed the kid junk food and call social services. I wonder how much he charged for that? [/sarcasm]

It would be funny if it wasn't so terrifying.

reply to post by pieman


You hang on just a minute.. While i realize that the civil services are an important thing, they do help many children in need, they are apparently putting themselves up on a pedestal. Just a little higher than us common folk. Fortunately for us them not paying close enough attention to the kid is not our problem here. Our problem is thes social workers being given complete rule over our own parenting skills. They aren't infallable. They make mistakes and this is just one of the many that they make on a regular basis..

MessOnTheFED!

Originally posted by Goathief
. . .

Hmmm they don't look that healthy, in fact they both look overweight. Possibly more to this story than this one-sided version of events clearly designed to demomise social services? Possibly?

This does not look like the face of healthy eating:

You're right, they look like they were brought up on the type of diet that Child Welfare was trying to force on their little boy. Perhaps they want their son to have a better upbringing than they had.

(When brought up with little exercise, and a high-calorie low-nutrient diet, it's bloody hard to lose weight later.)

Do you seriously suggest that the parents' weight problem means they should feed their son lollies and fast food when ordered?


I don't know the English system, but in Australian child welfare, (HACS) you earn promotion by breaking up lots of families.

If Obama care goes through, this is one of the things that you have to look forward to. Your doctor won't be an advocate for you, he will be an advocate for the government.

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


so you think that they should just believe parents who say they aren't neglecting their children? that'll work, because we all know that the freaks that neglect their children normally just admit to it immediately.

Originally posted by pieman
reply to post by MessOnTheFED!

 

so you think that they should just believe parents who say they aren't neglecting their children? that'll work, because we all know that the freaks that neglect their children normally just admit to it immediately.

Somehow I doubt that the parents who are neglecting their children are bringing them to a doctor for assistance.

These parents showed their concern by doing just that, and the doctor should his ineptitude by telling them to feed a child of normal weight unhealthy food and passing the buck to child services.

reply to post by pieman


I completely understand where you are coming from. A bad parent isn't going to admit it. But if these parents were neglecting there child then they wouldn't have even noticed or cared to take him to the Dr. to find out what was wrong. They were doing what a GOOD CONCERNED parent would do. I feel for them. Their child is a terribly picky eater. I don't believe the Dr. gave professional advice, but I will say this...if my child was starving himself you better believe mommas gonna snatch up a happy meal for the little bugger! It is ok once in a while, just not all the time. I hope the mom can find some healthy foods that the boy will like, because if she doesn't, then him being underweight isn't going to be the problem for that much longer.

reply to post by pieman


Not at all. What im saying is maybe instead of just taking someones child away, someone who shows enough concern to take the child to the hospital, maybe they should do a little investivation instead of listening to some "expert". Maybe its time to take big brother off his pedestal and take a little responsability for ourselves. Maybe instead of looking away in neglect cases people shoud do something instead of having an "expert" hold their hand. Some people dont deserv the right to have children. I know it, you know it and they know it also.

MessOnTHeFED!

[edit on 2-12-2009 by MessOnTheFED!]

reply to post by pieman


No you wait one moment. On one hand they are threatning to take children away from thier parents, for being over weight, or not putting thier child on a balanced diet.

Now they are threatning and taken away children from thier parents, whom refuse to feed junk food to thier children.

Can you not see how stupid this really is?

Complete nanny state. About time those in England done something about this.

reply to post by pieman

so you think that they should just believe parents who say they aren't neglecting their children?

You believe the burden of proof should be on the parents? You support a system that gives the Government so much power that they can remove your children without due process or any significant reason.

Has there ever been a Government that hasn't become corrupt. History has shown that Governments have been the worse abusers of children. Often turning them into slaves or soldiers and that is if you are lucky enough to be under their "care".

Originally posted by Goathief
I'll admit if taken at face value it's more than extreme but this in the comments section sums up my thoughts nicely after reading it, remember this is the Daily Mail we are talking about.

Hmmm they don't look that healthy, in fact they both look overweight. Possibly more to this story than this one-sided version of events clearly designed to demomise social services? Possibly?

This does not look like the face of healthy eating:

What incredibly stupid, egotistical and judgmental comments. So you think the aneorix shallow nukis on telvision are healthy. ONLY A SADIST WOULD WANT TO SLEEP WITH A FRAGILE STARVING WOMAN.

This couple looks like real people do, especially post children. AND AFTER HAVING 4 KIDS SHE WILL NEVER HAVE THE YOUNG LOOK AGAIN.

Now do the real thing that counts: LOOK IN THEIR EYES. Nice couple, integrity and goodness.

Yours, I don't have to look in. Grow the hell up!!!!!!!!!!!

And get over this nazi fanaticism with judging others.


[edit on 2-12-2009 by Unity_99]

When do people believe that the government should step in, if at all?
I mean, I am for less government in our lives, but I also feel for the innocent children whose parents treat them worse than dogs.

I know of a family (actually the father is a very very old boyfriend of mine), the parents are extremely overweight. They have 2 kids, who are 5 and under 1. Both are extremely fat. The 5 year old wears clothing sized for a 10 year old. She is constantly getting in trouble at school because of her being teased. She is teased for being so fat, and she ends up hitting the kids who do the teasing. They are allowed to eat anything they want and as much as they want. They sit around and are not participating in any physical activities.

Its all disgusting to me. Every time I see pictures of those kids stuffing their face, I want to cry and scream at those parents. It is abuse, IMO.
Not only are their self esteems being ruined, but their health too!

So, is there a line that once crossed, the government must step in?

Abuse does not just come in the form of hitting and causing blood and bruises or sexual abuse. Not properly caring for the health and well being of a child, is abuse IMO

What is the answer? Allow the abuse or step in?

[edit on December 2nd 2009 by greeneyedleo]

They should step in when a child is constantly receiving physical wounds, and/or there is indication, usually from the child themselves, that they have been abused sexually, AND, after an investigation the primary caregiver is responsible, or IF one of the parents is abusing the other, or IF, there is a sign of heavy hard drug use.

And for no other reason.

I have 5 boys, 4 are very thin when young and 3 still are, naturally, like my father, wirey and thin, and always underweight. They eat varying amounts ranging from eveything in site to small picky amounts to be that thin. One is plump. All have been given food choices that involve a variety of healthy and semi healthy (depending on incomes), and some treats too, kind of balanced diets. Not one of them had to go without for refusing to eat something but could in the end chose a bowl of cereal or something else depending on what we had.

Your child won't starve, as long as you offer them choices, they will chose to eat when they need, AND, if they're not being fed junk food all the time, then their own bodies will select what they need the most nutritionally. Though going through stages where they look like they arent eating much is common around 2. VEry very very common. Surprised they found a nazi doctor. All the doctors I've had here in Canada have been up to the latest info and they themselves told me not to worry and what was normal.

This had nothing to do with the child's wieght but was NWO, the leaders trying to be agents of chaos and tell us they have control.




[edit on 2-12-2009 by Unity_99]

Sad but ultimately typical really, I'm surprised people even bat an eye at such occurrences anymore. I used to be shocked by such stories but I've long since learned that its fairly typical in some parts of the world for the government to call all the shots for people and the people just lay there and take it. Just one more reason to drop out of society all together really...