Holding teachers (and NHS workers) to account for not spotting violent crimes

[Holidayshopping]

How would this work in practice?!

The NHS and education have been stripped back to the bone in the last couple of years.

We have nothing in our school-one head, one full time teaching deputy who is responsible single-handedly for just about everything you could imagine, some NQTs and then the cracks are papered over with supply teachers and HLTAs. Who is going to be held accountable for this? Whilst juggling all other plates handed to them, such as being responsible for sorting any mental health problems thrown their way. There just aren’t enough people for this

[Haskell]

Fucking stupid thinking! (Well, none at all really)
I don't know a single member of staff in my school that wouldn't report issues like this, even without a change in the law. We care about our pupils, and we care about what's happening to them out of school too.
Do they honestly think there are people in education roles that don't care about the welfare of pupils? It just beggars belief.

[endofthelinefinally]

I agree OP.
As if teachers and NHS workers aren't already overloaded.
All the funding has been taken away from youth clubs and support services. The solution is not to dump responsibility on teachers and HCPs.

[endofthelinefinally]

And, yes of course teachers and HCPs report things all the time. The problem is that there are no resources or services to help.

[noblegiraffe]

Of course this would come with extensive training into how to spot youths at risk.

[Holidayshopping]

Of course @noblegiraffe and additional release time!

[Seniorschoolmum]

And a significant pay rise for extra responsibility

[fussychica]

It's not just the reporting it's the being held accountable that bothers me.

[DrDreReturns]

Well obviously it's cheaper than employing more police officers.

[LemonRedwood]

I'm really hoping that's an April fool

[Piggywaspushed]

And what would raise serious concerns enough for people to begin to intervene and for the child to meet various thresholds? Permanent exclusion, of course.

Oh wait...

[noblegiraffe]

“Hello? Is that the police? Yeah, little Johnny took the blade out of his pencil sharpener and slashed up his worksheet because it was ‘gay’. Is that something you’d be interested in, knifecrimewise?”

Fuck knows.

[alwaystimeforcakeandtea]

This is ridiculous. I’m a teacher and report things all the time but there is no one to actually help.

[LemonRedwood]

Safeguarding concerns continually get bounced back to school anyway - certainly in my LA. "School to offer support" or "School to set up a TAF". A child came to school with a hand-shaped bruise on his face and SS would not do anything because the child said it was the dog that did it. It took a black eye and a broken bone before they finally intervened. I'd made several referrals over the course of a year by that point.

School and the NHS already notice warning signs. They already report concerns. The trouble is, SS and the police are also so underfunded there is no one to respond to those concerns.

[BackforGood]

It is a bit of a false headline though, surely?
Teachers have always been involved in safeguarding the pupils. The safeguarding training have evolved over many years, and is now supplemented with Prevent Training anyway.

In what way is this any different from what everyone is doing ? It's just a headline for some politician.

[noblegiraffe]

Accountability. It’s suggested that a teacher could go to prison for not reporting a dangerous pupil.

[Namenic]

Easy - make MPs responsible. Knife crime is everyone’s responsibility. If anyone has a suspicion, email MP who should visit their constituent and put them and parents in contact with the appropriate services.

[Namenic]

Ps - being sarcastic. I guess lots of issues with confidentiality, blah blah blah...

[Holidayshopping]

In what way is this any different from what everyone is doing? It's just a headline for some politician.

No, I don’t think it is. As Noblegiraffe said, this is about blame and accountability.

[hen10]

what alwaystimeforcakeandtea said. Happy to report - give me the number of the people who will take up the referral and run with it and I will gladly ring them when necessary, safe in the knowledge that it's not just going to get batted back to school to start a TAF that no other professional attends, because they don't exist.

[Piggywaspushed]

Hear hear hen. Hear hear.

[taeglas]

Excellent response by this teacher on Question Time.

‘What this is really about is the government shirking responsibility’

twitter.com/bbcquestiontime/status/1113931651917189120

[Piggywaspushed]

You could tell she was a teacher when she said 'no, don't sit and shrug your shoulders at me' !

I'd like to know what the politician said back as he looked most disgruntled. As politicians tend to when teachers dare to open their mouths.

[kbPOW]

Well it was the greedy public sector workers who caused the global financial crisis so obviously nurses and teachers are also responsible for knife crime.

[noblegiraffe]

What it’s really really about is Sajid Javid positioning himself to be next Prime Minister. He keeps getting himself in the news being ‘tough’ on stuff. See Shamima Begum for another example.

[Piggywaspushed]

True. What an awful thought.

I do hope Labour are ginving serious thought to a credible Jezza replacement. Even some of the young Corbynistas have gone quiet on him. I am sure soemone like David Miliband would sweep to power now.