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2nd June, 2009, 05:07 AM
A mother whose daughter was removed after she was branded "too stupid" to care for her has spoken to Sky News about her anguish.
Mother Rachel tells Sky News of her distress after having her child taken away
"It's terrible because I have already missed out on so much," the 24-year-old single mother from Nottingham said.
"I've missed her crawling and walking. I've missed out on putting her to bed at night and waking up with her in the morning."
The mother, who can only be identified as Rachel for legal reasons, has decided to take her case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Her daughter, known only as 'Baby K' is now three. She was born prematurely with chronic lung disease and other complications
Because of the medical complications, health officials felt the first-time mother lacked the intelligence to take care of her.
When Baby K was discharged from hospital, she was given to a foster family. Her health has now improved and she no longer needs any special care.
But social workers are still planning to have her adopted rather than returning her to Rachel.
A recent family court hearing ruled that her access to the child should be reduced from once a fortnight to once a month.
Once Baby K is with her adoptive parents, access will be cut off completely.
"It makes me mad because I know I am clever enough to care for my daughter. I just haven't been given the chance, they never gave me a chance from the start," she told Sky News.
Taking my child off me when I've done nothing wrong makes me feel sick.
Rachel has never been accused of harming Baby K.
It is understood that social workers first became concerned about Rachel's ability to look after K in the days after she was born.
It is claimed that Rachel only visited the baby for a couple of hours a day.
A subsequent psychological report concluded that the child should be adopted. She took her case to the Appeal Court.
It concluded that "whilst [her] love for her daughter is not doubted, her capacity to care for her independently is seriously deficient".
But a more recent report by a leading psychiatrist concluded that Rachel had "no previous history of learning disability or mental illness and did not receive special or remedial education."
"Taking my child off me when I've done nothing wrong makes me feel sick," Rachel said.
"There's kids out there who really do need help and they're being ignored and kids are dying and they're taking my girl off me."
Nottingham City Council has said it can not comment on individual cases but insists that its priority is always with the future welfare of the child
Mother Rachel tells Sky News of her distress after having her child taken away
"It's terrible because I have already missed out on so much," the 24-year-old single mother from Nottingham said.
"I've missed her crawling and walking. I've missed out on putting her to bed at night and waking up with her in the morning."
The mother, who can only be identified as Rachel for legal reasons, has decided to take her case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Her daughter, known only as 'Baby K' is now three. She was born prematurely with chronic lung disease and other complications
Because of the medical complications, health officials felt the first-time mother lacked the intelligence to take care of her.
When Baby K was discharged from hospital, she was given to a foster family. Her health has now improved and she no longer needs any special care.
But social workers are still planning to have her adopted rather than returning her to Rachel.
A recent family court hearing ruled that her access to the child should be reduced from once a fortnight to once a month.
Once Baby K is with her adoptive parents, access will be cut off completely.
"It makes me mad because I know I am clever enough to care for my daughter. I just haven't been given the chance, they never gave me a chance from the start," she told Sky News.
Taking my child off me when I've done nothing wrong makes me feel sick.
Rachel has never been accused of harming Baby K.
It is understood that social workers first became concerned about Rachel's ability to look after K in the days after she was born.
It is claimed that Rachel only visited the baby for a couple of hours a day.
A subsequent psychological report concluded that the child should be adopted. She took her case to the Appeal Court.
It concluded that "whilst [her] love for her daughter is not doubted, her capacity to care for her independently is seriously deficient".
But a more recent report by a leading psychiatrist concluded that Rachel had "no previous history of learning disability or mental illness and did not receive special or remedial education."
"Taking my child off me when I've done nothing wrong makes me feel sick," Rachel said.
"There's kids out there who really do need help and they're being ignored and kids are dying and they're taking my girl off me."
Nottingham City Council has said it can not comment on individual cases but insists that its priority is always with the future welfare of the child