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I too found this upsetting. The crimes the boys committed were dreadful, but I can't help feeling that it wasn't their fault. They have been so badly let down by the system. And when the news talks of them being "sentenced" I want to scream those children need help - big time. I can't help feeling that if our DS hadn't come to live with us that it could have been him ...

I feel the same. What they did was awful - really awful - but because of my knowledge of attachment etc etc etc, I can see why it happened and feel so sad for the two boys. They needed help long before this, and there but for the Grace of God go many...

There for the grace of god go a lot of children, children who fall through the net, children who are ignored by SS across the country, SS who are afraid of bp's so just do the lip service stuff.When this first happend I am sure I read somewhere that in the bf the boys were drugged or given drugs, also before they were sent to FC it had been discussed about secure unit, the very least they should have been seperated (a lot of us here know what sibs are like together).What they did makes me sick to my stomache, and what about the family of the two boys attacked, what about the other boys, lets hope that they get help/compensation whatever, they too are victims.June

What really stood out for me while listening to the news today was that judge, in his summing up, said something along the lines that whilst being old enough to commit and be sentenced for these crimes they weren't actually old enough to understand what he, the judge, was saying and that someone would have to explain it to them when they were older. (Sorry - that's a really long sentence.)The news report stated that both the boys had witnessed severe domestic violence, had been allowed to watch pornography and that their home was toxic. They had a history of committing offences, of violence and yet nothing seems to have been done. And SS had been involved for years and years. Of course though the trotted out the usual - mistakes have been made and we will learn from them. My god ... these mistakes have been made over and over. Why are SSDs not capable of learning from other people's mistakes - why is they're only capable of learning from their own?But of course all sws are babysnatchers.

As a FC I have come to the conclusion that frequently children remain with their birth families for far too long. Either there isn't the will to remove them or it seems too costly and difficult. The birth families I have seem have, in general, been given too many chances.Hilly7

I remember very well reading the forms of our two and wondering why it took so long to remove them from what was an awful home. Time and time again inappropriate support was offered to BM. Time and time again she failed to take the support that was offered. Time and time again SW's left them behind in terrible conditions. The world seems to think children are taken too quickly, my experience says the opposite. And still we all ask, how could the boys in the news have been left for so long with the wrong type of help or no help at all. Our families deal daily with the long term consequences of leaving children in the care of Birth Families who cannot parent for whatever reason. I wonder how many families are actually "fixed" by interventions and how many simply survive, marginally away from removal of the children, but doing them damage after damage.It was devastating to hear this story as a parent of two boys. You imagine both sides of the coin, the attacked and the attackers. All victims of a failing social system.I will pray for them all.Potterx

Agree with you hilly7 , ex carer too, seen far too many chances given . The Childrens Act needs a over haul .My 2 AD kids went home and back into care again and have now been totally screwed up .My friend has baby 18 , mother has one a year, all adopted or in care but all are given a time at home with mum, just in case she gets it right next time !!What a system , then this happens .

There was a piece on This Morning about this today. They were interviewing the woman who found the first boy, Jamie Bulger's mother and Michelle ? from Kidscape (I think?)Obviously Jamie's mother was all for naming and shaming and for the boys serving their sentences in prison - in an adult prison as they had committed an adult offence.Michelle stated quite clearly that these boys should never have been allowed to remain with their bps. The family were known before they were born and they should have been removed at birth. And so say all of us.

I notice that our friend John Hemmings has been rather quiet on this one. Although a quick look at his blog, reveals an attempt to use even this event to explain why SWs intervene unnecessarily