About this case study
This case study of Levi (not her real name) is based on an interview with Ronny Flynn.
Levi is a social work service user,and mother of seven children.
Ronny is a lecturer in the School of Health and Social Welfare at the Open University. She is currently on a two year secondment to the national race equality charity REU, where she is providing professional support and coordination to projects funded by the DfES to work with Black and minority ethnic parents.
The historical viewpoint
While the failures may be memorable, the history of child protection is generally a positive tale of increasing awareness and support.
Related programme
"It still hurts inside. It never goes away. I want an official apology and the house as an investment for my kids. Then I can move on"
Levi lives in the South Midlands. In 1985 she was alone with two young children, finding it difficult to manage financially. Her family could not help, and there was no support from the children's father. One day when she could not afford food, she felt she had no option but to ask for the children to be taken into care.
"I put them into care thinking I was doing the right thing… because I didn't have enough money to buy food….I thought Social Services was there to help you out, you know, help you budget…."
She could then have a short break and sort out her life.
Levi feels money and support such as food parcels to help stop the grinding poverty, would have helped. She felt she was a good mother – but couldn't take the poverty.
But this was interpreted by social workers as her not being able to cope.
The children went into foster care, and she visited as much as allowed, but not as much as she would have liked. Levi then got a job in a fast food store, and six months later the children were back with her. For two and a half years, she worked flexible hours around the children's needs, and life was without social work involvement.
"That's the only time I felt good about myself…'cause I got off my backside…"
Levi had to give up work, though. Her son Richard had asthma, and the time off she needed made the job unfeasible. She became involved with a man she knew previously ("the biggest mistake of my life") and had a third pregnancy. Sadly, the baby girl was stillborn. At this point, no agencies were involved. Levi moved house and "...just got on with it."
Reaching rock bottom…Her partner was abusive and unsupportive. In April 1994 she had twins, and was allocated a new social worker whom she did not relate to easily. In November 1994 she again became more directly involved with social services.
"...because I done a stupid thing…I'm not proud (of what I did) and I don't feel guilty…it was a cry for help...I needed time to myself...just needed a break "
Levi phoned a hospital some miles away, and told them she had abandoned her twins. She hadn't, they were with her and she had no intention of harming them: "All I wanted was a good night's sleep and I didn't want to put them into care."
The police came and eventually Levi let them in. The next day, the twins were taken from Levi by the police, and she didn't see them for a week. "The way it [i.e. snatching the children] was done –it was something like you watch on the TV"
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