help us get our grandkids back

THE 10-year-old girl's grandparents were accused by East Renfrewshire Council of overfeeding her junk food

THE 10-year-old girl's grandparents were accused by East Renfrewshire Council of overfeeding her junk food.

THE distraught grandparents of a 10-year-old girl have told how she was taken into care after social workers ruled she was too fat.

The couple were accused of overfeeding her junk food as she piled on the pounds, eventually reaching 10st 3lb.

The girl and her seven-year-old brother were removed from their school on Tuesday after a hearing by the Children’s Reporter.

A panel upheld East Renfrewshire Council’s judgment they should be removed from the grandparents.

But the heartbroken couple say they have been battling for years to have her diagnosed with an eating disorder – and even fitted a lock on their kitchen door in a bid to control her binge eating.

The girl was placed into local foster care while her brother, who has behavioural problems, is in a specialist unit for young people.

In a letter to the panel who would decide their fate, the girl wrote: “My brother is a handful but I think my gran and grandad can handle him well. Please don’t take us away.”

The grandparents have been their kinship carers after their mother became unable to care for them.

The grandfather, 50, said: “This has been a total shock. Social work say we aren’t parenting her properly and are lying to them about what we are feeding her.

“We have had our grandchildren much of their lives as my daughter now has no contact with her kids. When we got them, they were in a bad state.

“My wife had to do the shopping daily because she was stealing so much food. We were finding empty tins of peas under her bed.“She would pretend to classmates she had forgotten her money so she could get two lunches.

“She steals money and spends it on food. She is always hungry.

“But social work say we are overfeeding her. She is 10st 3lbs. They’ve said it’s like a form of child abuse and we are at fault for not getting her weight under control.”

The couple say they finally got a referral from their GP for their granddaughter to attend weight management classes at Yorkhill Children’s Hospital.

Her first appointment was last week, just hours after she was removed from her family’s care.

Her grandmother said: “We have been saying for years she has an eating disorder and we’ve been 
trying to get help.”

The couple were advised to enrol their granddaughter in a programme for children between six and 12 
who suffer from obesity.

Her grandmother said: “We were able to attend some sessions but, as soon as she stops, the weight goes back on. We banned sweets and fizzy drinks. We asked the local shop and McDonald’s not to serve her.”

The family have been given 21 days to appeal the decision.

The gran said: “We want the kids back and will fight this all the way.”

A report by the family’s social worker states: “**** physical well-being in respect of her weight and health is outwith her grandparents’ capacity to manage.”

The gran added: “They’ve lived in so many places and had no stability till they came to us.

“My grandson has Asperger syndrome. But the council have claimed all his behavioural difficulties are down to our parenting.”The gran said: “We want the kids back and will fight this all the way.”

A report by the family’s social worker states: “**** physical well-being in respect of her weight and health is outwith her grandparents’ capacity to manage.”

The gran added: “They’ve lived in so many places and had no stability till they came to us.

“My grandson has Asperger syndrome. But the council have claimed all his behavioural difficulties are down to our parenting.”

The children’s mother, 29, admits she is a drug addict but wants the children to remain with her parents.

Two weeks ago, we revealed how a nine-year-old boy was taken from his grandparents and sent back to his drug addict mum.

Council: Family will get to see grandchildren

The grandparents will be allowed to see the girl and boy, officials said yesterday.

East Renfrewshire Council said talks will take place to pin down contact plans. They said: “Arrangements are in place to discuss contact, by phone at first. There is no intention to prevent contact.

“The grandparents will have the right to appeal the decision of the children panel.” Grandparents who look after a grandchild often find they have no legal rights.

But plans have been drawn up to introduce court orders that will give “kinship carers” such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, a “clear responsibility for all the day-to-day decisions about caring for the child’.