[Robin Harritt]

Just bringing this back to the top.

Some of the links in the posts above might no longer work, you can see my story on the following links.

http://barnardos.harritt.net/

http://search.harritt.net

Of interest to anyone who was involved with Barnardos (Barnardo's) in the past.

http://groups.msn.com/thebarnardofam...w?all_topics=1


Robin

call +44 20 7871 1835 Fax +44 20 7691 9668

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[paul_sleepin]

hi rob, yes ive been down there to see my file they are nice and really helpful

[Robin Harritt]

Hi Paul

Did you see the people from Barnardo's Family Connections or do you mean you went Barnardos After Care where attitudes are sometimes at least, a bit more realistic?

I have met some nice people at Barnardo's too. But I don't think they really understand what access to records and family searching is all about. I've also met some who really shouldn't be there at all I'm afraid.

I believe a lot of people end up thinking they have had access to all the records that Barnardos hold and that the law allows them to. My guess having originally been offered just one page of A4 paper and now being in possession of over 300 documents after much legal pressure, is that most don't get to see most of their Barnardos file.

Robin

http://harritt.net

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[Robin Harritt]

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Just wanted to bring this back to the top as I still feel that it raises issues of importance to anyone cared for by or adopted through Barnardos (Dr Barnardo's) in the past. Even perhaps now.

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

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[Robin Harritt]

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I've added another page to the website on this

http://robin.robin.org/records

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

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[Robin Harritt]

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http://groups.msn.com/thebarnardofam...w?all_topics=1


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[shef]

i was in the barnardos homes and fostered at age of 3.

what is the web sight in the above post about, thebarnardosfamily? It says you have to be a mememerb...but wht is it about?

shefalie

[Robin Harritt]

Hi Shefalie

Its a support group for ex Barnardo's folk, tends at times to be a little critcal of Barnardo's After Care department. Also for general discusion and friendship.

Which home were you in?

Robin

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[shef]

Hi robin.

I was in St christophers in Tunbridge...what about you?

shef

[Robin Harritt]

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Hi Shef

I was in the Nursery at Farm Hill west, for a year or so from when I was still quite young until I was fostered. So I don't remember the place very well. I had expected to be able to learn more about the place from Barnardos. But all they could offer was to get me a library book on Barnardo Homes in general that I had already read.

I had to find out myself who the matron was and get then to arrange a meeting for me (thought it would not be polite to turn up on her doorstep as my brothers and sisters had). So sort of got a slight sense of how it was.

I think Barnardo's were and probably still are quite poor at this kind of work. What has been your experience of them?

It would be sort of reassuring to find someone who was adopted from Barnardo's care who disagrees with me on that latter point but I rarely do.

Robin

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[shef]

Hi Robin,

I have written to join the web group you mentioned...but guess am awaiting approval or not........

I dont know the place you were in, there must have been many places.....what age were you fostered then..never adopted?

Have you met the matron in your life time then? I would like to have met one of the nurses to get a picutre of what it was like, but it just so happens, where i work was another lady who is one of the Barnardos children, and she and i were in the same orpahange at the same time. Only she was older than I, so she could give me so sense of the place....only confirms what my sensory aspects were telling me......

I have nothing to compare Barnardos too with any other agency. I only recieved my file just two years ago, and was amazed to find i had over 100 pages to go through, but then i would wouldnt I as i was under their legitamate care throughtout my growing up years....till i left home.....

Im not sure waht i think about them to be honest.....in some ways they have been very helpful and good. Well on relfection...when i read the file, i wasnt happy with the reports and the way the SWs didnt really give me the personal help I needed....but this social worker from after care....has been very good and supportive and helpful.

I dont think they are very good on us that were transracially placed, and there is little help or support groups or people to talk to if we need too about the issues we faced.

shef

[Robin Harritt]

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Hi Shef

I was 20 months old when I was boarded out by Dr Barnardo's Homes, nearly 3 years old when adopted. Though Barnardos still seem to have been taking an interest in my progress at nearly 17 years old.

I only met Miss Simcox or Mother Simcox as she was generally known because I'm particularly persistent in demanding access to my own past history. Barnardos at that time 10 or 12 years ago would give me no information whatsoever about the home. Hopefully precedents that I and others have set have changed that now.

I got the impression from the then 90ish year old Miss Simcox that I would not have liked having her as a "mother". Nor that I would have liked to remain at Farm Hill. Things I have heard speaking to villagers from Coggeshall tend to confirm my thoughts on that.

I was under Barnardo's care and supervision for a total of just 2 years. Yet after the last 15 years of fighting with them I now have over 300 pages (some simply carbon copies of others) when originally I was told that "there is very little in the file". As far as I am concerned, they are (or were) a bunch of pathetic liars more intent on protecting their own and the corporate backside than anything else.

I guess you are the Shef that I know from The Forgotten People MSN group?

As you'll have seen if you still look in there, things tend to be tumultuous on MSN groups and as consequence some of them have gone private which is the case wit the Barnardo's Family group. If you don't hear anything give them another go. It is still only a rather small group. I think transracial placement would be good topic. It does not surprise me that they are not very good with that aspect of things even at the modern day Barnardo's. There were some extremely anti-Semitic comments in my file and what I believe to be veiled comments about the Anglo-Indian origins of one of the couple (the Threadgolds) that my mother had left me with and wished to adopt me.

I think it does depend an awful lot on which social worker you get assigned. The first one that I saw, Helen, was excellent, and gave a lot of verbal info that I would not have known was there including my father's full name. She also gave me the letter from the Threadgolds that appears on my website. That is the reason I've been fighting them ever since and still am. They still have info I need to see. Unfortunately Helen left soon after I first contacted Barnardos.

Most of my recent story regarding access to records and search for family is on the two links

http://robin.robin.org/barnardos

and

http://robin.robin.org/search

I wonder how you managed to get your case looked at by Barnardo's Aftercare rather than the Family Connections project. Was Barnardo's not the adoption agency for your adoption?

I rather think that After Care are better at this kind of thing than Family Connections which is obsessed with somewhat mythical aspects of adoption. Family separation is the same whether it involves adoption or not. With luck some of the more arrogant and entrenched workers and managers involved with post adoption work at Barnardos will retire soon.

Hope to see you on Barnardo's Family group.

Robin

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[shef]

Hi robin.

rist of all, yes I am the shef that has been on MSN forgotten people a few times, but I dont go there really much at all.

I dont know anything about Family connections. Is that part of Barnardos?
After Care is for all barnardos people, so that is what i was directed too when i asked for some help. I was never offically adopted, so that is why i had 21 years of their interest followin gme up and social workers interventions.

Ive written a piece about being raised transracially and it was put in the guild magazine..and i think i am having apoem put in as well sometime that i wrote to my bmtoehr.

Ill look at your web site too. Maybe i will see you in the group....Ive sent several emails.....but perahps they are away...the group manager that is....

shefalie

[shef]

Robin, I have been rading some of your stuff you wrote about Family connections and trying to obtain your info.

Back in the late 98's when i first applied to Barnardos for some info, they furnished me, through a social worker, an A4 piece of paper, with what they thought was what i needed to know etc. I didnt think or know there was other stuff about me...like a whole file fo over 100 pages. I wasnt assertive enought to ask for maything more, i thought that that was it........

so why were you not given after care help, or is that soemthing that started not so long ago?

do yo know that if everytime we talk to someone at barnardos, like my social worker now, that it gets written down, os therefor anotehr file is now forming?

shefalie

[Robin Harritt]

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This letter just dropped through my door


http://harritt.net/barnardoletter



Considering the main document that they are still withholding contains information about my long dead putative father and my mother's relationship with him and that I currently finding my patrilineal family they are acting very unprofessionally. Just one little twit trying to protect his own backside I guess


But that's how Barnardos at Barkingside operate, always have always will I suppose.


Robin


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