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Lose weight or we'll take all six of your children away: Outrage over social workers' 'draconian' ultimatum to parents
Last updated at 16:22pm on 24.03.08Six young brothers and sisters face being taken from their parents and put into care because they are overweight.
Social workers have warned they will intervene if three of the youngsters – including a 12-year-old boy who weighs 16 stone – do not shed several pounds in three months.
The parents have been told they risk losing all their children if there is no improvement in the 12-year-old or two of his sisters aged 11 and three – who weigh 12 stone and four stone – by June.
Should overweight children be taken into care? Scroll down to tell us your opinion...
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The parents could lose their obese children if they cannot help them to lose weight
The family have also been ordered to send their children to dance and football lessons to help them lose weight.
The shocking development highlights Britain's childhood obesity crisis, which has already forced those as young as 13 to seek NHS weight-loss surgery.
Only America has more overweight children than the UK, leading health experts to warn that our current generation of youngsters may not outlive their parents.
But critics last night described the intervention of social workers as "deeply worrying" and questioned their powers to break up families.
Dr Colin Waine, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "This has to be a last resort.
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Anxiety: The parents take their three-year-old daughter for a stroll
"We must understand the health dangers associated with obesity, but the approach I favour is regular monitoring of children's weight from birth to avoid drastic action like this."
Nadine Dorries, the Tory MP for Mid- Bedfordshire and a former nurse, described the measure as "draconian".
"A far more sensible and costeffective solution would be for the localauthority to provide round-the-clock support within the home, aimed at both assisting the children in attaining a healthier lifestyle and educating the parents," she said.
The family, who The Mail on Sunday are not naming to protect the children, say their slimming deadline was set at a meeting with child protection officers last Thursday in which they were warned all six children would be taken away.
If the children are put into foster homes it opens up the possibility they could be adopted, which would leave them unable to make contact with their birth parents until they were adults.
Last night the children's 39-year-old mother, who weighs 23 stone, said: "This is every family's worst nightmare.
"I just can't stop crying at the thought I could lose my beautiful children for ever."
The 12-year-old has developed "anger issues" and has been bullied at school.
His 11-year-old sister has now stopped eating proper meals because of her anxiety over the threat and her parents fear she is developing an eating disorder such as anorexia.
Social workers have also raised concerns about the couple's 21-monthold, who weighs 26lb, labelling him "overweight".
The other two children – a ten-yearold boy and seven-year-old girl – are also heavy, although the parents insist this is "puppy fat".
In an emotional interview, the mother said she and her 52-year-old husband – who weighs 18 stone and suffers from heart problems – were now living in fear.
She admitted: "They keep making an issue about the kids' weight. I don't even own a deep-fat fryer.
"All my food is home-cooked and the kids are not fed junk food at all.
"I feel we are being victimised. Children can carry a bit of puppy fat but they tend to lose it as they get older. Ours are not being given that chance."
Ironically, the family, from Dundee, first came under scrutiny by the authorities when they called asking for help managing their children, including their three-year-old daughter, who suffers from developmental problems.
The constant questioning by social workers has left the children aware that they may be taken from their mother and father.
Last night a close family friend, who has attended social services meetings with the parents as support, said: "They are a very vulnerable family who have simply been picked on.
"If they had just struggled on in silence I firmly believe they would not be in this horrendous situation.
"The parents do both have problems with their weight but the children are spotlessly clean. They are in the bath every night and their clothes are beautifully ironed. You never see them running around with bags of sweets."
Dundee City Council said: 'We are not able to comment on individual child protection issues.' Last year, an eight-year-old girl from the Cumbria area was taken into care because she weighed nine stone.
Reader views (6)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Come on people. This is like a typical family in the USA. I guess your outward appearance is of most importance in the UK. Thank God I don't live there.
What a bunch of judgemental freaks those social workers are! Let's go after the real problems, like abuse and neglect, shall we!
- Greg, Minneapolis, USA
The solution should not be anything worse than the problem...
- Et253, Washington
These social workers have already hit the nuclear button. How about organising a visit to the doctors to determine if there's any underlying disorder that causing them to be overweight, especially as there isn't any hard evidence the children are being fed junk. I don't have the facts and it's difficult to judge from an article such as this, but encouragement, targets (which is now a dirty word thanks to Labour's overuse) and smaller portions wouldn't go amiss first.
- James, London, UK
12 years old and 16 stone! Puppy fat rubbish. The parents are loving their kids to death by letting them eat junk. They might be clean and have well ironed clothes but it is this sort of blinkered ignorance which is causing us to have a fat nation. Just look in the trolleys of these sort of people next time you go shopping...ready meals, crisps, chocolates, fizzy drinks etc etc
- Fly, london
If the parents did drugs or beat the children the SS would do all they could to keep the family together.
Tell the SS to go away in not unclear terms. Anybody dealing with the SS should get a lawyer straight away.
- Les, Essex, UK
Would a sensible person suggest that a twelve year-old child who weighed 16 stone had "puppy fat"? This is most definitely a family with problems but I wouldn't say it justified threatening to put the children into foster care. The suggestion that a couple's children could be take into care and then adopted against their will beggars belief.
- Lmd, North London
