North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Autism Group, Mark Isherwood, has today raised concerns with the Minister for Health and Social Services that parents of neurodiverse children in North-East Wales have been, and continue to be, impacted by wrongful allegations of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII).
Speaking in this afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood referred to a Research Report on “The prevalence and impact of allegations of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII)”, and asked the Minister, Eluned Morgan MS, how the Welsh Government will ensure the report’s messages are understood by Local Authority Children's Services, Schools and NHS practitioners across Wales.
He said
“Last November, Professor Luke Clements and Dr Ana Laura Aiello from Leeds University's School of Law published a Research Report on ‘The prevalence and impact of allegations of Fabricated or Induced Illness’, or FII, which considered ‘the prevalence and impact on families in England, Scotland and Wales of being accused of creating or exaggerating their child's difficulties, an extreme form of parent carer blame’. Professor Clements previously worked at Cardiff University for 15 years.
“The research indicates that wrongful allegations of FII are at least as prevalent in Wales as they are in England and Scotland. It also highlights the devastating impact that an FII allegation can have on the whole family, including the children who are alleged to be in need of protection, and that this has been a particular concern for Autistic parents and Autistic children, with Mothers of Autistic children 100 times more likely to be investigated for FII by Children's Services.
“How will the Welsh Government ensure that this Report's messages are understood by Local Authority Children's Services, Schools and NHS practitioners across Wales, when I continue to be contacted by Autistic Mothers of neurodiverse children in North-East Wales who have been, and continue to be, subjected to FII allegations and threatened with safeguarding proceedings?”
Responding, the Health Minister asked Mr Isherwood to send her a copy of the report.
She added:
“I do think that what we have to consider when it comes to children is, always, how we put their safety and their equality first, and we have to look at it through the eyes of the child. So, that's the general approach that we take in the Welsh Government, but I will ask my officials to have a look at that Report, just to see if there is anything in there we can follow up.”
