Woman's Hour

Repeat removals of children, Joanne Harris on The Strawberry Thief

04.04.2019 - By BBC Radio 4Play

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With the numbers of children being taken into care in England at a ten year high, we take a look at the women who face the repeat court-ordered removal of subsequent children. We hear the story of one woman who had already had her first two children removed under court orders - and decided to flee the country when she was 37 weeks pregnant with a third child. Jenni discusses why some women face the repeat court-ordered removal of their children and what support vulnerable mothers require to break the cycle. And the author of Chocolat, Joanne Harris, talks about her latest novel The Strawberry Thief which returns to the story of chocolatier Vianne Rocher and of her daughters, Anouk and Rosette.

Presenter: Jenni Murray

Producer: Ruth Watts

Interviewed guest: Sophie Humphreys, child protection expert and board member of Cafcass

Interviewed guest: Claire Mason, senior research associate at the Centre for Child and Family Justice Research and social worker

Interviewed guest: Paula Jackson-Key, from Doncaster Children’s Services Trust

Interviewed guest: Joanne Harris, author of The Strawberry Thief

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