Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardo's, sparked controversy on Sunday when he said that it would be better to remove vulnerable babies soon after birth, rather than have to deal with complex behavioural problems when children grow older.
Mr Narey spoke out after the trial of two brothers, aged 12 and 10, from Doncaster who were found guilty last week of attacking two other boys. The two boys were said to come from a chaotic home where they were exposed to drink, drugs and violence from an early age and had a long history of involvement with police and social services.
Mr Narey said, 'We can and should try to fix families, and we do often succeed. Parenting and family support can be very effective. However, we should not persist where experience tells us that the prospects of success are bleak. For the very young, when we are very clear that a baby cannot be adequately cared for, the best outcome for the child may be early adoption. We need to be braver about taking these decisions and effecting the adoption swiftly, to give the child the best possible chance in life.'
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