Our babies were taken after 'biased' parenting test
7 hours ago
- #social-services
- #parental-rights
- #cultural-bias
- Greenlandic families in Denmark are fighting to get their children back after being taken by social services following parental competency tests (FKUs).
- The Danish government banned the use of FKUs on Greenlandic families in May 2024 after decades of criticism, but they continue to be used on other families.
- FKUs include cognitive tasks, general knowledge quizzes, and personality tests, but critics argue they are culturally biased and cannot predict parenting ability.
- Greenlandic parents in Denmark are 5.6 times more likely to have children taken into care than Danish parents.
- The Danish government is reviewing around 300 cases involving Greenlandic children, but as of October, only 10 cases had been reviewed with no children returned.
- Keira, a Greenlandic mother, had her newborn taken after an FKU concluded she lacked sufficient parenting skills. She sees her daughter once a week.
- Johanne and Ulrik lost their son to adoption after an FKU in 2019. They allege the tests were culturally biased and are fighting to have their case reviewed.
- Pilinguaq is a rare case of a Greenlandic mother reunited with her child after years in care, but she fears her daughter could be taken again.
- Critics argue FKUs lack scientific validity and are based on Danish cultural norms, while defenders claim they provide objective assessments.
- The Danish government says adoption cases will not be reopened, as children are settled with loving families, and decisions to remove children are thorough.