Kirstie Allsop's 15 Year Old Son

Reports in the press suggest the Council want to visit Allsopp and her son at home. I suspect that the file will be closed or NFA'd by the end of the week.

I do wonder where they stayed but our European neighbours may be less fussy than the UK. Even the YHA requires guests under 16 to be accompanied by and adult.

Pretty sure you could hostel alone from 12 when I was a kid in the seventies.

Wow a lot of presumption there.

So they follow up every single call and there is no screening?

We’re talking about a near 16 year old going on a 3 week holiday. That is what the call would have been about. If common sense isn’t allowed to prevail at the early stages of concerns being raised no wonder SS are so over stretched and children in need don’t get supported when they should.

When I was his age we all went on all kinds of post O level trips alone.

how can you say she is at fault for boasting ? @Pawsfourbyfourbyfour
all above board
who ever made the referral has sour grapes i bet

Kirstie Allsopp reported to social services for allowing son, 15, to travel abroad | Kirstie Allsopp | The Guardian

she says she has broken no law and was not neglectful

i wonder who made the referral

As I said in my post, if you had taken the trouble to read it properly, as far as anyone knows, KA is a good parent.

But once a concern has been raised - probably by a newspaper journalist I would imagine playing games - she must surely understand that they are obliged to take it seriously, because where child safety is concerned, no one is above the law.

KA is at fault though for boasting about her son’s independence on sm when he probably had all of his train tickets planned and booked ahead by his parents and instead of staying in hostels, they were probably staying with family and friends. This is all supposition on my part but I suspect she made a big deal about her child being independent, to show off her superior parenting skills, when in reality the situation was a little different.

So in all likelihood she is getting kick back for misrepresentation and I can’t say I have much sympathy because her son hasn’t had any say in this at all.

what it is to be in the public eye
other parents would be less likely to be shopped

she had a call from children's services

This sort of referral would just be NFA

I doubt SS are 'involved'. They may have had a duty to inform the parent of the referral, but thats all.

A complaint about somebody just weeks away from turning 16 going on a 3 week trip is hardly neglect.

I imagine she knows her son better than we do

My teen DS is still in bed and his biggest decision today will be a roll and bacon or a roll and sausage

On the radio 4 interview she said it was her DS birthday today so he turned 16 Wednesday just gone

SS are obliged to be professional and take every complaint seriously. There are some horrendous cases of neglect carried out by rich posh parents that never come to light. Social class should have nothing to do with whether they investigate or not.

I’m sure KA is a good parent but she should have the intelligence and humility to realise that all people get treated the same in these circumstances and she brought this situation on her head in the first place by using her child as Twitter fodder and essentially to boast.

I went interrailing with friends when i was 16 in the 90s. 4 weeks and we had no contact with parents for those 4 weeks at all.

Can’t believe SS is involved. Surely they have bigger fish to fry.

Sounds like a post gcse trip? His birthday probably 30 Aug or something.

If she has been it’s insanity. He was weeks away from turning 16 when he can join the armed forces. You can fly alone over the age of 12 and social services don’t seem to give much of a shit re parents letting the whole world into the bedrooms of much younger children with unmonitored tech.

She’s just posted on her Instagram account that SS are now involved. Upsetting for the family and her Son.
Unbelievable. I see some dire situations in my daily life and SS are nowhere in sight. They should have laughed this, presumably anonymous, complaint made out of sheer spite out of the door.

Bollocks did they.

How embarrassing for social services! It’s so clearly not an issue and they’re always saying how they are stretched for resources. Of course they are if they’re wasting them on a perfectly normal parenting decision.

Well, someone has referred her to Social Services:

www.thesun.co.uk/tv/30074650/kirstie-allsopp-quizzed-social-services-son-trip-europe/

I'm not surprised in the slightest. Shes always been a bit of a div.

She says..

i won’t link the article as it’s the DM but WTF, she was referred to social services?
I did think 15 was a little young to be interrailing but no way is this a child protection issue.

Yes most definitely too cautious when travel is concerned. There is far more help directions and contact available at fingertips then ever before. If there is an issue it's now far easier to sort. Ran out of money! Get someone to transfer some. Lost? Use Waze or Rome to rio. Hostel not good? Easy just book another.

I think we often don’t give kids enough credit. Recently watched a film with the kids called True Spirit. Based on true story of 15 year old girl sailing solo around the world.
Highly recommend the film - my kids were very inspired.
probably wouldn’t let my 15 year old though!
Are parents too cautious though? Are we raising kids to lack confidence in their own abilities?