By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
LONDON, United Kingdom – Britain faced a political scandal when three children were removed from their foster parents after a social worker discovered the couple’s membership in the right-wing party, UKIP, which supports the independence from the European Union.
Although various reports determined that the three migrant children were happy with the couple and no concerns were raised over the care provided, the Rotherham Borough Council in Northern England ordered the removal and defined the parents as unsuitable to provide foster care.
Joyce Thacker, the director for children and young people’s services at Rotherham Council, reasoned that the children were placed with the couple solely for emergency purposes and were never meant to stay with the English couple permanently. Thacker continued, “If the party [UKIP] mantra … is ending the active promotion of multiculturalism, I have to think about that. I think they [UKIP] have very clear views on immigration.”
On the contrary, UKIP party leader, Nigel Farage, said authorities “clearly have no understanding of UKIP and by their actions, clearly no desire to know.” He believed that the council was “partially backtracking” by allowing the couple “to adopt. But by the sounds of it, only white children.”
The UKIP party’s stance on immigration says “the tide of mass EU immigration has pushed down wages and restricted job opportunities. Only by leaving the EU can we regain control of our borders.” The party desires a freeze on immigration for 5 years and believes immigrants “must be fluent in English, have minimum education levels and show they can financially support themselves.”
The Rotherham Council decided that the three children were not “indigenous white British” and “social workers had raised concerns about the UKIP political party’s stance on immigration.” However, after great criticism, the children’s removal will be reviewed.
Education Secretary, Michael Gove, stated that the social workers made “the wrong decision in the wrong way for the wrong reasons” and he will investigate the decision. He continued, “we should not allow considerations of ethnic or cultural background to prevent children being placed with loving and stable families. We need more parents to foster, and many more to adopt.”
In addition, Rotherham Council Leader, Roger Stone, announced that the Department of Education will investigate and “will focus on the information, advice and evidence gathered before making this decision, the nature of the decision itself and how it was communicated.”
For further information, please see:
Postcode Gazette – Sheffield does not ban foster carers over political views – 26 November 2012
The Independent – Council will investigate why children were removed from Rotherham foster family who were Ukip members after Michal Gove and Ed Miliband weigh in to row – 24 November 2012
NBCNews – Kids removed from UK couple over support for ‘independence’ from Europe – 24 November 2012
RT – Politics over parenting: UK foster family’s children removed over ‘racist’ party support – 24 November 2012
