Thread: To what degree should the government be allowed to intervene?

If he was that bad they'd struggle to get guests for the wedding.

They managed twenty.

That's twenty people who know this lad personally & don't think he's so bad.

You've never met him, yet conclude all that shit. That's pretty nasty.

I would assume that he's probably a bit thick himself & they're likely very well-suited.

Maybe, but we don't know and it doesn't say anything about him being cognitively impaired. A rather important consideration I'd have said.

20 guests means little btw.

Maybe you're right, maybe he's a top guy, who just has a thing for this intellectually challenged 17 year olds. Maybe I've done him a disservice. But I've encountered similar cases in the past...and I bet I'm near the mark....

To add.

I think it is nice that you see the good in this situation.

Experience has taught me otherwise.

One of my main concerns is that the social services department sought to stop the wedding. A most unusual thing to do. Please try to remember that social services have a very limited budget and going to court to seek orders is very expensive. It is very unusual to do this, I've never heard of it. They must have some very grave concerns about this guy...they may even have information on him, which by law, they cannot release to the public.

Ok, some facts.

She's 17. Young. Add to this she has learning difficulties. So her actual intellectual age maybe nearer 12 or 13, or even younger. We also don't know what caused these learning difficulties.

There's a test called "Gillick competence"

Now, the social workers would've had to have assessed her based upon this legal standard. She would've also undergone a battery of tests, mostly related to intelligence and ability to care for a child

So lets say she scores very low on the Gillick competence test. So low in fact that the authorities determine she is not competent enough to look after a child.
Do you think the authorities are justified in removing the child from her care?

That alone would inform part of the decision, but it wouldn't in isolation determine the outcome.

If her potential husband was of good standing and could care for the child, then he could look after it. They could all live together. Her competence, or otherwise, would be irrelevant.

There's seemingly several factors at play in this case.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Originally Posted by Shitdigit

^I'll take you at your word on this one mate, you're obviously very much in the know in these matters

Cheers mate. Over a decade as a forensic psychologist, both in the public and private sectors, meant I encountered all sorts. A lot of it very nasty.

A very interesting career that, my sister in law tried for it, took a degree in forensic psychology and wanted to work with the police, unfortunately she fell short, she still got a good job in social services out of it though.