South Shields mum ordered to hand over her kids after being wrongly accused of abusing her daughter

Little Robyn Parker-Briggs suffers from an extremely rare condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which causes her skin to bruise and burst open at the slightest touch. 

The two-year-old, of South Shields, who has been in and out of the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle since birth, has received nothing but love and round the clock care from her doting parents.

So mum Louise Parker and dad Mark Briggs were heartbroken when a doctor, who didn't read Robyn's medical notes, accused them of deliberately harming their child during what they claim was a three-minute consultation.

The allegation sparkled a prolonged ordeal during which social services ordered the pair to give up both Robyn and her older brother Mason, five, who has autism.

Louise, a property sales advisor, and Mark, a 43-year-old warehouse worker, who have both left their jobs to care for their daughter, refused and the case went to the family court, where several hearings took place.

To their devastation the loving mum and dad were forbidden from being alone with their children for three months while proceedings were active and had to move in with relatives.

The local authority only dropped the case when Robyn, whose variant is so rare medics are still learning how to deal with it, was given an official diagnosis of EDS by specialists at the Centre for Life in Newcastle.

Louise, 39, said: "We were forced to live with my sister and her family while we were waiting for a judge to make a decision as we weren't trusted with our own kids.

"All the doctors who had treated Robyn since birth and knew our family understood how wrong this was. They tried their best to stop this from happening.

"They pushed for extra tests and investigations to get answers we all hoped would end this nightmare. 

"Our health visitor was absolutely devastated, but there was nothing anyone could do.

"The authorities were bound to act because the allegation had been made by a doctor. 

"No-one would listen to reason.

"This destroyed our lives. Mason suffers from severe autism and found it impossible to adapt to his new surroundings. 

"His home is his safe place and he is in a strict routine which helps him through each day. This was taken away from him. 

"Robyn had been very poorly since birth. For three months, on top of what we were already dealing with, we lived with the threat of having our children removed.

"It has caused us untold heartache and we still haven't come to terms with it today. We never will.

"We have no idea how one doctor, who didn't even take the time to read Robyn's extensive medical notes, was able to wreak such havoc on our lives during a very short appointment.

"Especially when we had so many professionals around us on a daily basis who were aware of Robyn's complex needs."

The family's ordeal began on July 18, 2022, when Robyn was nine months old, after they enjoyed an afternoon in the garden on a lovely, sunny day.

When they came inside, Louise noticed a swelling behind her daughter's ear and was worried she might have been stung by a bee.

She said: "I took Robyn to see a doctor at the RVI as a precaution. Her skin was extremely delicate and she often suffered from bruises. It wasn't unusual.

"All the health professionals who dealt with Robyn regularly were aware of how easily she bruised. 

"I made sure she was seen every time it happened.

"I was never accused of harming Robyn. The doctors attributed the bruises to the problems she'd had since birth.

"She hadn't been diagnosed at this point, and I was always pushing for more tests and advice.

"We were only able to take Robyn to see doctors at the RVI because her health problems were so complex. 

"She had specialist consultants there who knew her and wanted to continue looking after her.

"I never thought twice about taking her to the hospital, whenever I had a concern."

However, on this occasion, what should have been a routine check-up turned into the family’s worst nightmare. 

Louise added: "We initially saw a junior doctor but due to Robyn's history she went to get someone more senior.

"This doctor took one look at Robyn and said, 'We're getting social services involved'.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I always carry Robyn's extensive medical notes with me but she wasn't interested in looking at them.

"The doctor made a snap decision that changed our lives forever.

"From that moment on, the situation escalated."

Louise and Robyn were forced to spend the night in a hospital room, awaiting tests to determine if the tot had been deliberately harmed.

During that time, Louise had a telephone call with social services and was told Mark, who was at home, was not allowed to be alone with Mason.

Louise arranged for her sister to go and stay with her husband and son, while she remained in hospital with Robyn.

She added: "None of it made any sense. They suspected me of harming my child but they allowed me to spend the night with her in a hospital room, just the two of us.

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"I'd only left the house with one bottle of milk, and the nurses were unable to get the special formula Robyn has to drink due to her condition.

"The next morning, after Mark arrived with provisions, Robyn had body scans and X-rays to check for signs of abuse.

"Everything came back fine. The only problem was the mark behind her ear."

In a desperate bid to prove she hadn’t harmed her child, Louise compiled pictures and a timeline of Robyn’s medical history, but says the doctor refused to look at it.

Louise and Robyn spent four days in hospital before they were finally discharged.

However, they were forbidden from returning to their own home, and instead had to move in with Louise's sister and her family to enable to stay with the children. 

Shortly after they arrived, Louise says they were visited by a social worker who told them they were being served with a section 20 order, requiring them to hand over their children to the local authority until the conclusion of court proceedings.

Louise said: "I refused to do it. I was told they would be taken away for about two weeks, but there was no way I was going to let that happen.

"I later learned from my solicitor it would have been longer than a fortnight, as proceedings can take months or even years.

"Robyn and Mason have very specific needs and I couldn't bear the thought of not being able to take care of them myself. I'm their mum, no-one knows them like I do.

"I was told repeatedly by social services, and lawyers, that going against the local authority would not be the right thing to do in the long run.

"But there was no chance I was going to allow them to take away my children. Not even for a day."

The family were allowed to stay together at Louise's sister's home while the case went through the courts, but the process severely disrupted the lives of all involved.

Robyn's auntie and uncle, who were self-employed, were forced to stop working so they could supervise Robyn and Mason 24 hours a day. 

The pair, along with their own children, were also interrogated by social services, who asked them if they were responsible for harming Robyn themselves. 

Meanwhile, the whole family, including her own parents, were subjected to background and home checks. 

Proceedings dragged on for three months before Robyn got a formal diagnosis of EDS during her first appointment at the Centre for Life, a specialist medical facility.

Louise added: "Doctors contacted the courts to let them know.

"They explained that Robyn was an extremely poorly little girl and the local authority dropped the case immediately.

"You'd imagine I would feel a sense of relief but I don't. I feel angry and traumatised and I think about it all the time. 

"How can you be the best parent you can and care for your children with so much love and be treated like this by the authorities?

"Just because it is process, which needs to be followed?

"We had the support of everyone, from top consultants to health visitors, our local GP and nursery, family and friends. 

"None of it made any difference.

“The social workers all knew we hadn’t harmed our child. However, because a doctor had made the allegation, they had to follow a process.

“They had no choice. They were powerless. There was no safeguarding issue and everyone involved understood that.

“It was bureaucracy and it destroyed our lives.”

"They apologised, but it made no difference because we still had to go through it.

"I had counselling but stopped because it didn't work. I won't ever feel a sense of closure until I get an apology from the doctor, but I don't think that will happen.

"This should never have happened to us, and it wouldn't have done if that doctor had taken five minutes to read Robyn's medical notes."

EDS affects one in every 2500 to 5000 births, but Robyn’s variant is incredibly rare. Specialists say that she is the only person in the world who suffers from it.

Robyn's variant of EDS means she has severe elasticity of the skin and is extremely fragile, both externally and internally.

It affects her whole body and limits everything she can do. She can't even wear shoes as they could damage her feet.

Despite meeting all cognitive milestones, she finds it difficult to walk and move around and is incapable of leading a normal life.

Robyn was fitted with a feeding tube shortly after birth which tore her stomach and suffered a life threatening blood clot in her leg. Medics initially believed her subsequent health problems were a result of these two issues.

She is now under the care of a team of specialists at the RVI, South Tyneside and Sheffield hospitals and the Centre for Life, who will support her for the rest of her life. 

A spokesperson for Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust said: "We are very sorry to hear of the distress this family has experienced. If they would like to raise any issues about their child's care, we would encourage them to get in touch with us as soon as possible."

A South Tyneside Council spokesperson added: "We appreciate the distress that such proceedings may cause any family but take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously.

“We would encourage the family to contact us if they have anything they would like to discuss."