SAVE The Woman, an African led organisation has been campaigning for an Independent Review into Middlesbrough's Children's Services.

The organisation has been advocating for effective support for vulnerable families so children can be safely returned to birth families.

Middlesbrough Social Services was branded inadequate in all areas by Ofsted in 2019.

Olalekan Odedeyi, CEO of Save The Woman, said : "There are deep seated issues with policy, practice and procedures which come from prejudice and a system which promotes profiteering from human misery. A bad system never appears wrong to those who benefit from it and they defend it at all costs even if it harms society.

"We have supported families by creating and delivering a parenting course which they can understand so parents are well equipped for the return of their children.”

Save The Woman in partnership with the Family Mediation Centre, have prepared families by running Africentric Parenting courses, which were launched in July 2020.

So far, three cohorts have been successfully organised, with hundreds of parents and individuals benefitting from the initiative.

The organisation supports a motion for all the councils in Tees Valley to agree to, and support an independent review.