Roma community workers in Bradford say the number of Roma children subject to care procedures has increased, but they may not be visible in official data because parents fear discrimination if they identify as Roma or Gypsy.
Care cases we observed during a pilot project on family court reporting at Leeds Family Court showed that some Roma families were experiencing acute financial difficulties and their children were living in homes without adequate food or heating.
Most Roma families in Bradford are originally from Eastern Europe and settled after 2004 when citizens of the new EU countries were allowed to move to the UK.
However, some have not received the permanent residence status required by the Home Office for EU nationals residing in the UK since Brexit.
This means that they are not entitled to access services and benefits.
In one case we were following, Bradford City Council took into custody several young children from a family six months ago.
The father is abroad and told council he wanted the children to live with him outside the UK. The father had hired no lawyer and was not involved in the proceedings.
The mother was in prison and should be released shortly. Her lawyer told the court the mother wanted the children to live with her again.
The mother is learning English and wants to turn her life around, said the lawyer. She added, “She showed me that she’s really determined.”
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Court records show social workers first contacted the family in 2020.
The parents had separated, the mother lived with her own family. Violent incidents broke out in the apartment.
In August 2021, police were called and “found that there appeared to be no power as the landlord had cut the supply,” the papers say. The children were “regarded as dirty and disheveled” and there was “little fresh food” in the house.
The council transferred the mother to an emergency shelter. Social workers remained concerned and noted a shortage of food, although the mother received supplies. Unknown adults lived with the family, and the children’s school attendance was “still an issue”.
The youngest child appeared unwell to social workers but was not taken to health appointments. Professionals “had to step in to book GP appointments” for the children.
Because of problems with the temporary accommodation, the council moved the family to a hotel. Employees there alerted social workers that the mother was leaving the children there alone for “hours”. In May 2022, employees came across a small bag of white powder. The mother “accepted to social services that she was using cocaine.”
She was then arrested and imprisoned and the children taken into custody. The court was told that they are doing well in their foster homes, particularly a young boy.
“In the short time it has been deployed, we have seen an immediate change in its presentation,” the report said.
“He’s talkative and comfortable expressing his desires and feelings.”
Another hearing is scheduled for May.
The mother had no fixed status in this case and the council had helped her try to get it for herself and the children. But she said she doesn’t have her identification documents as they are with the father.
Daniel Balaz runs the non-profit organization Connecting Roma to help families and Bradford Children’s Services work together. He said it was no coincidence that we observed several care cases involving Roma families in Bradford – even though the community is a small minority in the city.
Bradford has a population of over half a million people and it is estimated that there are between 13,000 and 20,000 Roma.
Mr Balaz said he is seeing more cases involving Roma children because families are under acute financial pressure. The deadline for resident EU citizens to apply for settlement status with the Home Office was two years ago, but many had missed it.
He said it is common for Roma to not have the necessary documentation to fill out an application.
Mr Balaz said the increase he observed was unlikely to show up in official data because so many Roma families were reluctant to identify themselves as Roma or Gypsies.
“They feel stereotyped or discriminated against,” he said, adding that they are now also “reluctant” to identify their country of origin.
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