Gwynnyth Llewellyn: "When babies are taken away from their mothers early on and the mother doesn’t really understand why, then you have the potential for very distressed mothers, parents and families."
Although four state governments in Australia have now apologised for forced adoption of the babies of single mothers in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, it is a little-known fact that the practice is an ongoing reality faced by thousands of Australians. Parents with intellectual disabilities still face compulsory removal of their children, with many babies assumed into care at birth without consultation with mothers and families, grief counselling, or adequate post-birth care. A group of campaigners - including researchers from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Health Sciences , the Parenting Research Centre and the Intellectual Disability Rights Service - has put recommendations to NSW's O'Farrell government regarding these adoptions. They hope that these recommendations will be implemented in order to avoid the need for more apologies in future. Along with grief and loss counselling services for parents whose children are compulsorily removed, their recommendations include the development of removal protocols that focus on both the safety of children and the needs and feelings of birth parents. "This is a critical issue in Australia and around the world. When babies are taken away from their mothers early on and the mother doesn't really understand why, then you have the potential for very distressed mothers, parents and families," says Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn , Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney.
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