By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:02 PM on 22nd October 2009


An obese couple's seven children are all to be taken into care after their newborn daughter was removed over fears she would become dangerously overweight.

Three children had already been removed by social services before the infant was taken from her mother within hours of her birth.

Now her 'heartbroken' parents have learned that their three other children will be taken away from them too.

They say the children of the so-called 'fat family' are being removed over fears they would also become clinically obese.

The family last year before social services removed any children

'Heartbroken': The family last year before social services removed any children

Before she became pregnant, the mother, 40, who cannot be named for legal reasons, weighed 23st.

At that time one of her children, a toddler, weighed 4st, her 13-year-old son weighed 16st and an 11-year-old weighing 12st.

On Monday afternoon, the mother gave birth to a girl by Caesarean section.

And 28 hours later, social workers arrived at the maternity ward to take the baby into care, after serving child protection papers on the patents.

Yesterday morning, a meeting of the Children's Panel of Dundee Council decided the three youngsters still living at home should also go into care.

They are expected to be removed from the family home before the end of the week.

Yesterday the mother pleaded: 'I just want my wee girl home. She's only a day old.'

The 18st father, 54, who was at the Children's Panel hearing, said: 'The panel members wouldn't listen to me.

'They would only listen to the social workers. They were accusing me and my wife of physical and emotional abuse and physical neglect – and we deny all that.

HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED

MARCH 2008: Family claim they are told their six children could be put into care because they are overweight. They say social workers have warned they will intervene if three of the youngsters – including a 12-year-old boy who weighs 16 stone – do not lose weight within three months. His sister, 11, weighs 12st and a four-year-old sister weighs 4st.

JULY 2009: Report reveals Dundee City Council plans to spend £114,000 on hiring a team of specialists to stop the family from overeating. Three full-time professionals will advise the parents and their six children on general health issues, diet and lifestyle choices.

SEPTEMBER 20: Two of the children, aged three and five, taken into care. Eldest child already in care.

SEPTEMBER 30: Parents fail in an attempt to have their children returned. Children's Panel hearing decides they should be kept in care, pending a family assessment by health workers.

MONDAY: Mother gives birth.

TUESDAY: Infant is taken away.

YESTERDAY: Children's Panel decide the three youngsters still living at home should go into care.

'I have lost all my children and I am completely devastated.'

Speaking about his wife, he added: 'She doesn't know what to do next. The family feels that they have done enough to help their kids and try to keep their weight down.

'They love their kids so much and this is a mother's worst nightmare.'

Earlier, he explained he had been visiting his wife and baby daughter at Ninewells Hospital on Tuesday when social workers served him with a child protection order relating to the infant.

He said: 'My wife left the hospital. The social workers wanted her to stay another 24 hours to look after the baby, but she couldn't do that, knowing she wouldn't be able to bring the baby home.

'I kissed the baby bye-bye, but my wife couldn't because she was so upset.'

He added: 'We never thought they would come to hospital and take the baby away.'

The father continued: 'I can't understand why they are doing this to our family. Of course we are good parents.

'We love our children. We might overspend on them and give them too much, but that doesn't mean we are bad parents.

'What they are doing is heartless and cruel. They are going overboard and we are suffering.'

The family first came to the attention of social services in March 2008 when they asked for help in caring for the children, including the three-year-old girl, who has developmental problems.

But social workers who visited the family were shocked at the size of them - including a 21-month-old boy, who they claimed was overweight at 1st 12lb.

The council then took the radical step of threatening the mother and her husband that, unless all the children lost weight, they would be removed from the family home.

They were also ordered to send their children to dancing and football lessons to help them lose weight.

The family say they were also warned that their six children would be take into care if they failed to lose weight.

In July this year, it was reported that Dundee City Council had signed a one-year £114,000 contract with private 'minders' to stop them from over-eating.

At the time, the mother said of social services: 'They keep making an issue about the kids' weight. I don't even own a deep-fat fryer.'

On September 20, two of their children, aged three and five, were taken into care and joined their eldest who was already there.

Now their remaining children at home could be taken away within a week.

The family's lawyer, Kathleen Price, said that the family had not been given a fair hearing, and had not been kept informed about the action taken by social workers.

'There is a serious question here about how you ensure that the rights of the families are protected,' she told The Times.

 'It is very difficult for the family to get a fair hearing if the social workers have got it wrong.

'The [children's panel] are very influenced by the social workers' recommendations ... The family is not being helped here, they have been systematically bullied and disempowered.'

A council spokesman said: 'We will not comment in detail on any family with whom we are involved, but we have made it clear on numerous occasions that children would not be removed from a family environment just because of a weight issue.'

He added: 'Any decision about a child's situation is given full and careful consideration.

'It is never taken lightly and always at the forefront is what is the best course of action for the welfare and safety of the child.

'The decision to remove children from any parent's care on a compulsory basis is not made by councils but by the children's hearing system.'



Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

These children will be overweight whoever brings them up. They are genetically pre-disposed to obesity.

I come from such a family and have been struggling against weight-gain all my life. If I eat as much food as my thin neighbour does I will pile on the pounds, and in order to stay slim when younger I had to exist on a daily maximum of 1400 calories. It's not a lot of fun. No chocolate. No wine. Every morsel carefully weighed.

My cousin is worse than that - she stays slim but can have NO butter or spread of any kind, NO sugar NO alcohol, a quarter-pint of skimmed milk a day. She went into a panic on being given a gift of a box of chocolates, ate them all in one day and spent the rest of the week out on daily four-mile runs to pay for it. She takes vit/mineral supplements.

You people who mock the over-weight don't know how lucky you are. Not everyone who is fat is eating like a pig, but many do end up 'comfort-eating' because life can be pretty miserable.

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£114,000 worth of taxpayers money is spent on trying to stop a fat family overeating. Is this a joke?Self control, self respect and the desire to raise healthy children are all FREE and everyone is capable of all three.

These parents should have naturally wanted more for their children from the start and should never have allowed them to become obese. Why would any parent want to see thier child grossly overweight and put their health at risk?

If a child was malnourished and emaciated, then we would applaud Social Services for removing them (any any other siblings at risk of the same treatment) the damaging environment. This seems no different.

However, rather than making an example of just one family, we should see action across the board against all parents/ guardians causing any abuse to, or harming the health of their children.

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There is almost certainly more to this story than we're being told. But even if not, the parents were given three months to improve their childrens diet. If they cared about them so much, then they should have done exactly that!

If a child is overweight, it is because the parent is feeding them the wrong types of food. They are also likely to be mal-nutritioned. Not giving your child the right nutrition is abuse, even if the perception is that its softer than hitting them.

Obesity is now an extremnely serious problem in the US, and we are the most obese nation in Europe. The cost to health services treating obesity and to private businesses who have to adapt their practices to an unfit workforce are huge. It is completely right that something needs to be done, and parents should understand that not feeding their children properly will be an issue for social services.

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They have had plenty of time and support to reduce their childrens weight. This is the correct cause of action on many levels. This is neglect - it is OUR dutie as parents to ensure our children eat a balanced diet and get some exercise. There are serious health and social disclusion issues with the children being overweight to this extent.
Also, the social services in question advised this morning that they would not remove the children solely on the basis of their weight, there must have been other concerns (perhaps the fact the family sought help to raise their children over a year ago and yet continued to reproduce)

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John Bradford I agree... I have recently not had much good to say about social workers but this time it appears they have attempted to help the parents and the family but to no avail. It must be devastating to have a baby taken from you after a day but I honestly agree if they truly wanted the best for their children they would have done everything to ensure they lost weight. I am sure they love their children to bits but they should be looking after their health. I am sure I will get plenty of negative feedback but I believe social workers are 100% right this time. No child should be obesely overweight.

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The problem is that this mother isn't just fat, she's obese and so are their two older children 13-year-old son 16st and an 11-year-old 12st. Children don't get that fat by normal eating, and 'not owning a deep fat fryer' doesn't mean they don't get unhealthy meals and too many sweets, cakes and biscuits.

Also, based on a toddler - 21month old boy - who apparently is 56lbs, when he should be around 23lbs; the social workers have good reason to suspect that the new baby would rapidly increase her weight far in excess of what would be considered reasonable or healthy.

Yes, sometimes even love can tip over into indulgence and end up almost as bad as neglect. Think of the teasing the children must suffer and the problems getting normal children's clothes and the health related problems they are going to suffer.

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