UKIP leader's fury after member is banned by Barnardo's from caring for children



District nurse said charity told her it would ' not be appropriate'



New scandal follows revelation of UKIP parents banned from fostering

Anger: UKIP leader Nigel Farage condemned 'another appalling case of discrimination' after a member was prevented from volunteering as a mentor for young adults by leading children's charity Barnardo's

A row over two UKIP members having their foster children removed took a new twist last night when another woman claimed she had been barred from looking after children because she was a party candidate.

Nigel Farage, UKIP leader, condemned ‘another appalling case of discrimination’ after former district nurse Anne Murgatroyd said she had been prevented from volunteering as a mentor for young adults by leading children’s charity Barnardo’s.

Ms Murgatroyd, a mother of three, claims she told the charity of her political affiliation and was told it would ‘not be appropriate’ for her to perform the role, which involves supporting children coming out of the care system, because UKIP ‘opposes multi-culturalism’.

The charity said there were other reasons for Ms Murgatroyd’s rejection but refused to disclose further details.



The claim came as two investigations were launched into a council’s ‘indefensible’ decision to remove three vulnerable children from their foster parents because of their support for UKIP.

Social workers at Rotherham Borough Council claimed the married couple’s affiliation with UKIP meant they supported ‘racist’ policies which made them unsuitable carers for the non-British children and there were concerns for their ‘cultural and ethical needs’.

But amid widespread condemnation of their actions yesterday, the Labour-run council began an internal review, and Education Secretary Michael Gove announced his own investigation.

Last night, Mr Farage said he had ‘no reason’ to doubt Ms Murgatroyd’s story.

He said: ‘I met this lady at our party conference. We knew about this story at the time but she chose not to publicise it. She has now decided to make it known, really in support of the couple in Rotherham. Because of all that, I believe her story is genuine.’

Separately, UKIP officials said Ms Murgatroyd informed them of her problems with Barnardo’s several months ago.

The latest claim emerged in a series of posts Ms Murgatroyd, who stood as a UKIP candidate for Leeds City Council in May’s elections, made on Twitter.

Response: The charity said there were other reasons for Ms Murgatroyd's rejection but refused to disclose further details

She wrote: ‘Barnardo’s would not allow me to be a volunteer befriender of young people leaving care when I told them I was standing for UKIP . . . Barnardo’s rationale for this was that “UKIP opposes multi-culturalism”.’

Responding to a Mail on Sunday reporter, she wrote: ‘I’d almost gone through their process and been accepted when I told them I’d be standing for UKIP in locals . . . They checked with managers, discussed it, couldn’t accept me due to issue of multi-culturalism.

‘Their rationale was that because UKIP opposes multi-culturalism it would not be appropriate for me to mentor young people coming out of the care system. My argument was that, yes, I do oppose forced marriage and female genital mutilation and family killings but that does not make me unsuitable to befriend young people.’

Anne Murgatroyd said the charity told her it would ‘not be appropriate’ for her to perform the role

Barnardo’s denied ‘blanket banning’ any applicant. It said: ‘The needs of the child must be paramount when making any decision about matching them with carers and the most important thing is to provide a loving and supportive environment.



People from all backgrounds work and volunteer for Barnardo’s but there are many factors to take into consideration when assessing suitability to work with children or young people. Cultural context is relevant, but so are family background, health, and any previous experience.’

The foster couple in Rotherham at the centre of a separate storm claimed Howard Woolfenden, the council’s former director of safeguarding children and families, had taken the decision to separate them from the children in their care without prior discussion.

They also denied claims their membership of UKIP affected their treatment of the children.

The wife said: ‘We were actively encouraging these children to speak their own language and to teach us their language. We enjoyed singing one of their folk songs in their native language.

‘These children have now been placed with families who are also white British. How are these people going to meet the cultural needs of these children?’

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said the decision may have breached the parents’ right to freedom of political opinion.

Mr Woolfenden was not available for comment.

In a statement, Rotherham council announced an immediate investigation and said: ‘Membership of a political party should not stop someone fostering children.’

Labour leader Ed Miliband called for an urgent probe.





Parents don't need to be perfect just loving

by Michael Gove, Education Secretary





Appeal: Education Secretary Michael Gove wants more parents from every background to come forward to adopt

I know how important it is to ensure you choose the right family to look after a child who has been in care. Because I was a child in care.



And I was brought up by the right family. Because I was adopted.

My mum and dad did an amazing job, providing me with love and security, enabling me to enjoy wonderful opportunities.



I can never adequately repay them. But one of the ways in which I’m trying is my work to reform our care system.



As Education Secretary I’m responsible for Government policy on child protection, children in care, adoption and fostering.



Just last week I laid out how big a job we face to get things right. If we needed any reminder of what we’re up against then yesterday’s reports from Rotherham powerfully demonstrate just how much change is needed, because children still don’t come first.



For years now, child protection has been crippled by politically correct attitudes that put the interests and ideologies of adults ahead of the needs of children.



On the one hand, we leave children with abusive and neglectful parents for too long, as the case of ‘Baby P’ Peter Connelly exemplifies. On the other hand, we don’t welcome and support people who want to adopt or foster effectively enough.



So neglected children are not rescued sufficiently early or placed in loving homes sufficiently quickly. A particular problem has been the way in which rules on ethnicity, race and culture have been applied.



When it comes to adoption the perfect has been the enemy of the good. Social workers have put the need to find a perfect ethnic or cultural ‘match’ for children in care ahead of the pressing need to find those children a loving home.



So children from black and minority ethnic backgrounds spend longer in care, and get adopted later, than others. We know that the earlier a child is adopted the better, so these PC attitudes, allegedly designed to help children, only end up harming them.



And that is why the decision by Rotherham council to take a child away from loving and successful foster parents for ‘cultural’ reasons – because they were members of UKIP – is so especially harmful.



It sends a signal to those who want to foster or adopt that they’re not wanted if their attitudes fall outside a tightly circumscribed and politically approved set of views.

That’s offensive to any idea of a genuinely liberal society and a tragedy at a time when we need more parents to foster and adopt.



And it’s why we are changing the law to stop ethnic and cultural considerations being put ahead of a child’s need for early adoption.



I want more parents from every background – gay or straight, black or white, Left or Right – to come forward to adopt because there are so many children whose lives will be transformed immeasurably for the better if they are enfolded in the loving arms of kind parents. It is also an immensely rewarding choice to make.



Adoption means taking a child not just into your home but into your heart. It is a relationship which is – in every sense – for good. And there is no more generous gift you can give a damaged, neglected or abused child than a fresh start.



