[Robin Harritt]

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What would you prefer if you were adopted from a Barnardo's orphanage when you were 2 years 8 months old and had to make some serious decisions about contacting your family. Decisions that needed to be informed decisions.


Would you prefer the sugar coated ''History'' writen for you by one of Barnardo's postadoption workers.


http://robin.robin.org/records/


or would you rather have the real thing (without all the crossing out) and would you have expexted some slightly better copies than these?


http://robin.robin.org/records/records


An update on my strugle.


15 years ago The social worker at what was then known as 'Barnardo's Counselling Services Project' apologised profusely explained to me that there were two large files of records she had printed from the micro films. She told me I could ask any questions I wanted and she would try to answer them. She did answer the ones I could think of at the time. Like my father's full name, my mother's last known address. She even gave me some prints of some of the records.


The social worker who I saw on my first and second visit to Barkingside was soon to leave Barnardos.


When I went back a few months later I was to meet with the manger or 'Project Leader' of 'Barnardo's Counselling Services Project' In fact she is still there as far as I know, but 'Barnardos Counselling Services Project' is now known as 'Barnardo's Family Connections' it handles access to records for anyone who was adopted out of Dr Barnardo's Homes care in years gone by.


Mrs 'Project Leader' insisted profusely that the one sheet of typed (on one side) A4 paper represented all of my very sparse records and that she had no further details of my father and no details of my foster family. Eventually she asked me outright "are you accusing me of being a liar" so I had to say yes. And eventually I showed her the papers and info I had been given. I've never seen a social worker shake before, Not sure if that was embarrassment or anger.


Since then I've been through every kind of nonsense with Barnardos that you think of. The late Alan Levy QC one of Englands best known lawyers who sadly died last year called it Kafkaesque and like a particularly bad episode of 'Yes Minister'. Since then it's become more like a bad episode of the Laurel and Hardy show with films of records being "lost", and copies of letters disappearing in the post.


I now after 15 years have of a file of about 300 items, so yes there were a few very big lies on the way. I know that it is still not the complete file that Banardo's claim it to be. The copies are very very poor compared to those I have seen at Barkingside. And I do KNOW, despite what Barnardos would have me believe, that it is not the whole file.


Please please if you are going to Barkingside or anywhere else in the UK for access to Banardos records, don't let them get away with this kind of behaviour with the details of your life,


You can see Barnardo's Family Connections publicity at


http://www.barnardos.org.uk/familyconnections.htm


Don't let them try to palm you off with one of their " Background Histories", demand the full record and if they won't let you have it, demand to know why. Some of Barnardos past adoption practise is not all as you might hope it to be.


I've heard from one guy who claims that he signed an agreement not to show his records to anyone or use them to take any action against Barnardos. He has now received one of their laser scanned set of records that are perfectly legible. Well so he claims and I've no reason to disbelieve him.


I've refuse to sign any gagging agreements. I now have copies without all the deletions but they are still really terrible copies.


I do now have copies without all the redactions. However as I say I do not believe it is a complete set, as it does not include documents that I had read to me by the first social worker who I saw at Barkingside.


My lawyer has written Barnardo's lawer the following, but I don't suppose it'll do any good.

Further to our letter of 6 June, we sent the bundle of documents that we received from you to our client, to see whether that assisted him, but he has explained that they are unclear. He cannot compare what is said to be a complete set of documents with a previous set that was not complete. One of the difficulties is that the new set is not numbered in same way as former sets of documents. Our client needs prints made directly from the film, and he proposes to return the set of documents to you in order that you can prepare such a bundle.

We should point out that Mr Harritt continues to wait for an apology for the incredible time it has taken your clients to reach this stage in disclosure of documents. He first asked for access to his records in around 1991/2.

Well you have to try don't you


Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net


If Barnardos has affected your life in any way see

http://groups.msn.com/thebarnardofam...s&all_topics=1

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