I will never, ever, understand the reasoning and logic behind the sometimes unbelievable actions of the social services.

On one hand, they seem quite prepared to leave small children in the care of feckless, irresponsible women and their equally undesirable, often vicious and violent "partners," with sometimes tragic and even fatal results.

On the other hand, they carry out a relentless witch-hunt for two pleasant people happily married (to each other), whose only desire is to have a contented family life with the two little girls they want to adopt, and are now being hounded from one end of the country to the other. I refer of course to the dreadful case of Mr and Mrs Bramley and Jade and Hannah.

The couple's only sin, as far as I can see, is to try desperately to hold on to the two little girls whom they must love very much indeed. They were presumably thought perfectly fit to have these children in their care until, for some reason, the social services decided that they could not give them the "special home" they needed.

I have rarely read anything so totally lacking in human understanding and common sense.

There are children all over the country who would give anything to be offered the kind of home and quality of loving care that the Bramleys seem willing and able to offer Jade and Hannah, yet at the moment they are chased like criminals, and possibly living in uncomfortable surroundings and not knowing where to turn next for peace and security.

The families I know who have adopted children are among the happiest I know. Adopted children must feel special - they are chosen, cherished children whose parents have a wealth of love and care to offer them and who do a grand job of bringing them up to feel secure and content.

There are children born to "natural" parents who live miserably and painfully almost every day of their little lives - this rarely, if ever, happens when a child is adopted. It is about time that the police and social services advertised for the unhappy Bramley family to come home, promising that they will be allowed to adopt Hannah and Jade and live their lives in peace.

Mr and Mrs Bramley deserve understanding and compassionate treatment.

Heather G Causnett,

Escrick Park Gardens,

Escrick,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.