What Goes Around Doctors

Well?

I don't know, Rhee.

-SHE GROANS

-Why are men so useless?

I like these.

I'm not going clubbing. I've got to look smart.

What did you bring them out for, then?

Um...try the black shiny ones again.

Hurry up.

All right.

Give me a chance. Hobbit feet.

I have not got Hobbit feet!

Hmm.

-There we go.

-Go on, give us a twirl.

-Ta-da!

-Great.

-They're going to love you.

-They're going to say no.

They're not.

I don't know what I'll do.

They're not.

-Hi.

-Hi.

I got here way too early.

You're not the only ones.

-Hiya.

-Hiya.

-I'm so glad you're both here.

-Yeah, thanks for this.

-It's our pleasure.

Honestly, I mean, no-one's ever spoken up for me before.

Listen, it's the least we can do. You both deserve it.

Ooh!

Contractions?

How often?

Just every now and again.

Not as bad as yesterday, though.

Just hope my waters don't go in the middle of all this.

Well, if they do, we'll handle it.

Or rather you'll handle it.

Fingers crossed it'll stay put until it's over.

-Right, come on, let's go in.

-Yeah.

Thank you all for coming.

My name is Sue Harper.

I'm a social worker. I'll be the independent chair

of today's child protection case conference

for the unborn child of Rhiannon Davis.

I'll be here to help decide the best course of action.

This is my assistant, Eddy, who will be taking minutes.

-Hi, folks.

-Morning.

-Before we get things started,

let's go around the room to introduce ourselves.

Just give your name and a brief summation of why you're here today.

My name's Jane Fairweather, I'm the social worker currently

assigned to Rhiannon's case.

I'm Donna Sweeney, social worker.

I was previously assigned to oversee the care of Rhiannon's first child.

Ruhma Hanif. I'm Rhiannon's midwife.

I'm Dr Emma Reid. I'm Rhiannon's GP,

and I'm here to give my professional medical opinion.

I'm Rhiannon, obviously.

And this is Paul, my partner.

-Paul Cuthbert.

-Yeah, sorry.

Thank you both for attending.

If at any point, either of you are unclear

about what's being said,

you must feel free to ask questions.

Let me remind you all this is not a formal court of law, but I must

ask that you respect each other's right to speak without interruption.

Everyone that wishes to contribute

will get a chance to do so in due course.

May I ask, will there be an opportunity to counter

any statements?

Should something pertinent to the case arise from what's discussed,

I'll see to it there's a chance to summarize before a decision is made.

Rhiannon, would you like to say a few things first?

You're welcome to say as little or as much as you wish.

Um, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you,

for giving me this chance to prove what this baby means to me.

I know that everyone in this room

wants what's best for this baby,

and, well, so do we.

Oh, and, if you see me fidgeting, it's just a contraction.

I'll try and sit still.

Of course, but if you start to feel uncomfortable, you must tell us.

Dr Emma Reid, perhaps you'd like to start things off?

Yes, thank you.

Um...

I have only recently met Rhiannon,

because she is now a patient of mine,

but it is because of this

that I feel I might be in a position

to give fresh eyes to this situation.

I meet a lot of expectant mothers in my job, and I can honestly say

that Rhiannon's commitment to her unborn child has been exceptional.

Her antenatal care has been outstanding.

She has kept an eye on her diet and taken full responsibility

for herself and for her environment,

even getting Paul to give up smoking

as soon as she found out that she was pregnant.

I am, of course, aware of the facts of the previous case.

Rhiannon has been very frank and open about her past mistakes.

However, she is in a very different place now.

And it is because of that

that I believe keeping this family together

is absolutely in the best interests of this child.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Sorry I'm late.

I've only just managed to get away from an incident.

Not a problem, please come in.

And I know she has been working hard

to make those changes for the long term.

-Are you all right?

-In short, Rhiannon has matured...

-Is it the baby?

-..into a conscientious...

-No, I'm fine.

-..loving young woman...

And I believe that she should have the chance to give those

qualities to her child.

Thank you.

Ruhma Hanif.

Would you like to add to Dr Reid's

assessment of Rhiannon's antenatal care?

As Rhiannon's midwife, I've had the opportunity to engage with her

throughout this pregnancy,

and I concur with Dr Reid's description...

RUHMA'S VOICE FADES

BABY CRIES

Can you foresee any signs of postnatal depression?

I wish it were as simple as that to predict in advance.

In my view, the uncertainty around the fate of this unborn child

is causing tremendous stress.

And how is that strain playing out, in your opinion?

I think she's bearing up well under the circumstances, which bodes well.

She's showing tremendous resilience

and commitment to this baby at this early stage.

Thank you, Ms Hanif.

Sergeant Hollins. Perhaps you'd like to speak next.

Yeah. Um, I was asked to come in today to talk about Rhiannon's past

dealings with the police.

But I would like to say that I wasn't personally involved

when Rhiannon's daughter was taken away from her five years ago.

-But you're aware of the incident in question.

-Oh, yes.

The case had a profound effect on many of my colleagues.

But my involvement with Rhiannon in the past was entirely drug-related.

SHOUTING AND BANGING

-Everyone...

-Get off!

Stay where you are. You stay there.

-Don't move.

-No, you don't.

Get off me! Get out of my way!

-Right, OK.

-Get off me!

-Have it your way then.

No!

-You'll get hurt. Stop struggling.

-You can't keep me here!

I have done nothing!

How did she behave?

I would say that she behaved like I would expect anyone to

under the influence of narcotics.

She was later released with only a caution

because she we couldn't find any more drugs on her actual person.

And if I'm honest, at the time,

I did think that she got off too lightly.

And what's your opinion now?

My opinion now is that it's a good thing she didn't get locked up,

She's managed to clean up her act without going to prison.

For the last four years, we have had no dealings with Rhiannon,

which I think is testament to the commitment she has to staying clean.

And also, I'd like to add that Mr Cuthbert, her partner,

has been police checked, and he has no convictions.

Thank you, Sergeant, Hollins. You've been very helpful.

Ms Fairweather?

Right, well,

I've listened to what everyone has had to say about Rhiannon,

and of course I have formed my own opinion

of her character from my dealings with her.

I think it's commendable that she's done

so much to improve herself and her quality of life.

But unfortunately, this case isn't about Rhiannon.

We're all here today to decide

what's best for her baby once he's born.

And I strongly believe that a mother

who has inflicted a high level of neglect on her baby

cannot be allowed to put another child at risk of serious harm.

BABY CRIES

Statistics show that there's a high probability of recidivism

with child abuse cases, where the second, third, even fourth child

suffer the same fate as the first,

despite legal and social intervention.

This is true of all types of child abuse, but it's important to note

that neglect is the most common recidivism type.

Basically, history is often the best indicator of future behaviour.

-That is blatantly unfair.

-Dr Reid...

Are you suggesting there's no such thing as rehabilitation?

Dr Reid. You were given your chance to speak without interruption.

Kindly extend the same courtesy to Ms Fairweather.

I'm sorry.

Please continue.

OK, look, in my job I deal with literally hundreds of cases

just like this one and each and every one is heartbreaking,

for everyone involved.

It's always tragic for a family to have to be broken apart,

and I believe it's our responsibility

to do everything we can to avoid it.

But in the end, the choice boils down to one thing -

the welfare of the child.

It trumps everything else.

And in my professional opinion,

there are grave concerns for the wellbeing of this baby.

Donna Sweeney.

I'd like to hear your assessment,

given your prolonged dealings with Rhiannon in the past.

Thank you. Um...

I was assigned to Rhiannon's case in 2011. My experience...

-I'm sorry!

-Oh, here we go.

-Are you OK?

Can we take a ten-minute break?

Yeah, course. Let's take a short break.

-Come on. My apologies.

-It's OK.

SHE BREATHES HEAVILY

Rhiannon?

-Rhiannon, are you all right?

-I'm fine.

You're not in any pain?

Your waters haven't broken, have they?

No, no.

Look, please come out.

It really isn't good for you or the baby to be this upset.

I can't breathe.

Yes, you can.

Look, I know that it's difficult

having to listen to things about your past

that you'd rather forget.

But you've worked so hard, you've made massive changes in your life.

I mean, the results speak for themselves.

Yeah, but what if that doesn't matter?

Of course it matters. You're addiction-free.

You're in a stable, loving relationship.

They're going to have to take notice of those things.

That social worker hates me.

I don't think that's true.

Come on, remember what you said.

Everyone in that room, they just want what's best

for that new life inside you.

You just have to show them you want the same thing.

Yeah, yeah, I can do that.

I'll fight for this baby, no matter what's said about me.

Good. Good. Come on, let's go back in.

Yeah, I just...

I need a pee.

Rhiannon was given chance after chance to retain her child.

She was offered drug rehabilitation placements. She failed to attend.

I tried to give advice and support

so she would clean up her squalid living conditions.

But she wasn't interested.

Eventually she refused to cooperate with me at all.

How so?

She became increasingly hostile towards me in the weeks

and months before her child was taken into care.

Things came to a head when she denied all access for me

to check up on the baby.

BANGING ON DOOR

BABY CRIES INSIDE

Rhiannon.

Rhiannon!

-What do you want?

-You know why I'm here.

I'm concerned about your child and I would like to see her.

You're not coming in.

Rhiannon, you're in no fit state to look after her.

What's that supposed to mean?

-You've taken something. I can see it.

-No, I haven't!

I'm fed up of you coming round here sticking your nose in.

She's my baby and I'll do what I want.

Rhiannon, please, she's crying. Just let me get to her.

You come here again an' I will swing for you, you skanky cow.

And that was the day I called the police in to investigate.

I was afraid for the child's safety and for good reason.

This baby was highly distressed.

She was undernourished, her nappy clearly hadn't been changed in days.

Rhiannon displayed no remorse or concern for her own baby.

Quite frankly, her only feelings seemed to be for herself.

But I was an addict. That's not who I am any more.

It's not who I am.

Please forgive me for asking, but are those tears for that baby girl?

-Or are you still crying for yourself?

-That is unacceptable.

-That was a personal attack.

-You're right. Ms Sweeney, look,

I appreciate we are dealing with highly emotive issues here,

-but I must ask you to stick to the facts.

-I'm sorry.

But Rhiannon's inability to empathize with the pain

and suffering of her own baby girl, well, it can't go overlooked.

I strongly believe that the risk

to this next child is totally unacceptable.

Thank you, Ms Sweeney.

Perhaps now is a good time to take a short break.

Shall we recommence at 10:30?

-I'm going to go and get some air.

-Paul.

I hope you're proud of yourselves.

-Excuse me?

-Rhiannon was practically a child

when all of this happened to her.

You're condemning her for her past and yet you're denying her a future.

Emma, that's ridiculous. We're not here to punish Rhiannon.

We've got the baby's best interests at heart.

-And I don't?

-Let's keep things civilised, shall we?

Try telling them that!

Emma. Wait.

What's going on?

They are trying to take her child away.

And I'm not allowed to be angry about that?

I understand you care about this girl, so do I.

But aren't you letting this get a bit too close to your heart,

which is not like you. Are you all right?

Don't worry, I just ponced one off someone.

I'd have one too if I could.

Better not give 'em any more ammunition, eh?

We have talked about what I did.

-I've never hidden anything from you.

-I know.

It's just difficult listening to all the details and stuff.

I always sort of put that baby out of my mind.

But she's the same as the one you're carrying now.

That's our kid's big sister, Rhee.

Maybe they're right. Maybe I don't deserve a second chance.

I won't blame you if you wanted to walk away.

I'm sorry. Oh, I don't know.

It's just something about this case, it's got under my skin.

Why?

Maybe because I see myself in Rhiannon.

I wasn't exactly a great mother once.

Emma, that was a long time ago.

I know. But if I had had another child...

and if someone had tried to take it away from me

before I'd had the chance...

Whatever your feelings are, for whatever reason,

it's probably best that you keep them out of this.

Otherwise you run the risk of making it worse for Rhiannon.

Yeah.

Yeah, you're right.

Why would you even think I'd leave you?

I know you better than anybody in there,

and I know you're a good person.

-No, I'm not.

-Yes, you are.

I see it every day. You make me smile every day.

I love you, Rhiannon.

Just as much as I know you're going to love our little boy.

And even if they take him away from us...

..they'll never be able to take me away from you.

Now blow your nose.

You can't go back in there with snot on your face.

Rhiannon.

I know a lot of stuff has been said about me today.

A lot of stuff that's ugly and sad

and hard to even think about.

But I do think about it. All the time.

I know what I did to my little girl can never be changed.

And I can never tell her how sorry I am for letting her down.

But I did love her. I just...

I couldn't feel it and I couldn't show it.

It's like that love was locked away somewhere, from both of us.

And...all I could think about was my next fix.

I can't tell you much about that time

because it's like I wasn't really there.

And it wasn't until I'd lost my daughter,

until I'd lost everything,

that I realised what I'd become.

And like all of you, I was disgusted.

That is why I fought to come off the drugs, and stay off them.

I learned how to take pride in myself again.

In how I look, where I live.

Who I'm with.

Meeting Paul and having him believe in me

has made all the difference in the world.

I know with him by my side, I can do things right this time.

I'm already a mother to this baby.

I bonded with him the second I saw that little squiggle on the monitor.

SHE SOBS

It's more than I can bear.

Please don't take my baby away from me.

Thank you.

I'm sorry. Can I say something?

Please.

I'm not very good with words

so if I go on a bit, I'm sorry.

But I just want you all to see what I see in Rhiannon.

She's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Just now she said how much it means to her that I believe in her.

How much it's changed her.

Well, that works both ways.

She makes me believe that I can do anything.

Like be a dad.

I just want you all to remember that this is my kid too.

I want the chance to be a dad, and it's not right that you

should punish me, and my son, for something we had nothing to do with.

Look, I wouldn't be sat here now

if I didn't think Rhiannon could look after our little boy.

I'm here because...

..I know she'll be a natural at it.

Hey. What do you think of these?

Gorgeous.

Are you going to decide sometime today?

What do you think, Froggy?

Should Mummy get the frumpy pink one or the frumpy green one?

Some tempting decisions...

Too late.

BABY CRIES

Hello, little one. Hi.

She's beautiful.

-Hello.

-Hello.

I can't promise that things are always going to be perfect.

Nobody can.

But what I can promise is that when times get tough...

..and Rhiannon needs my help,

I'll be there.

Please, all I'm asking is that you give us

the chance to be a proper family.

I'd, um, I'd like to add one more thing, if I may?

Please.

They say that good people do bad things.

And bad people do good things.

The truth is that we all make choices

every moment of our lives, and those choices add up to who we are.

And we are all capable of making better choices as we go along.

I thoroughly dislike this idea

that history is the best indication of future behaviour.

Why?

Because it denies the possibility of change.

Yes, it was Rhiannon's choice to take drugs.

But it was also her choice to stop.

If she has the determination

and the courage to get clean...

..then the possibility for change for her

is vast and we cannot ignore that.

If everyone has said all they wish to say...

..I'd like to adjourn to give us a moment

to decide an appropriate line of action for the child.

Game of charades, anyone?

How long's it been?

Can't be more than 20 minutes.

That's bad, isn't it? I know it is.

No, there's a lot to consider.

Here we go.

Would you all like to come back in?

Right, come on.

I'd just like to thank you all for your heartfelt input.

On a personal note,

this has been an extremely difficult decision for me to make.

But ultimately, I have been impressed by Rhiannon's clear

willingness to correct the mistakes from her past,

and moved by all those who have put their faith in her ability to do so.

I will pass all this testimony on to the family court judge

with a recommendation that they implement a child protection plan

offering support to the parents while they care for the child.

Everyone who agrees, please say so now.

-Agreed.

-Agreed.

-Agreed.

-Agreed!

-Definitely, yes.

-I'm sorry but no, I disagree.

-Likewise. I strongly disagree.

Ideally I'd like to reach a consensus, but there is a clear

leaning in favour of the plan of action I've put forward.

My recommendation stands.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. I promise I won't let you down.

I still can't believe it.

We couldn't have done it without you.

-All we did was tell the truth.

-I reckon a celebration's in order.

I'll have to give that a miss, I'm afraid.

-Alcohol-free of course.

-Speak for yourself.

Thanks anyway.

Rhiannon,

I want you to know I have nothing against you personally,

but this was the wrong decision.

-What do you think you're doing?

-My job.

Which is why I intend to go to the family court tomorrow

and ask for an order for the baby to be removed.

What?

They can't change their minds, can they?

Um...

They said that we could look after him. Everybody agreed.

So why are these social workers trying to ruin everything?

I don't know.

Are you a nurse? You're spending your wages here?

That's NHS money, public money

and you're giving it to these sadistic torturers.

When you first mentioned fostering,

I thought you'd gone a bit mad but no, your instincts were spot on.