Been thinking about this all week.
I am an ex court solicitor, Safeguarder, child guardian, court reporter, high level child protection.
I will never go back.
I stopped after having my dd, very late, after multiple losses.
This week, via life, four situations have come about, all making me think it really does depend on who intervenes when and where. I'm using mum here because it's Mumsnet.
I now work in an animal park, minimum wage.
- A mum storming into the local school, screaming at a gang of twenty children surrounding her son, putting one against the wall, removing child from school.
- A mum with five children, all in full time education, including the 2 and 3 year old, 30 hours funded. Small rural school. Unemployed.
- A 6 year old crying at a school boarding trip at animal park. On my team, when chatting, missing parents. I'm usual positive self, holidays soon, nope only see them Christmas and summer. Me, oh do they live far away, nope, three minutes by car. Mum doesn't work. Dad very important.
- Mum receives message saying her son is bullying their daughter, punching, hitting. Mum contacts school to investigate. Both children pulled in, son says yes I called her a nightmare, she says so I hit him and punched him.
Mum ignores messenger person. Gets a message saying are you going to sort your son,
Replies saying the above, has spoken to him re language but it was her daughter hitting. She replies good.
Only one of these examples has child protection input.
I would say reflecting, my absolute worst cases, the proper nightmare trauma stuff for me, were the highest paying parents.
Overall the two cases I will take to the grave are opposite ends of the income, class spectrum.
I suppose for me, all of these families need support, not removal, support, for different reasons. But that doesn't happen.
Just wanted to talk this over really, is there more we could all be doing. How do we access the most vulnerable families.
The animal park I work in does this, I am still Safeguarder albeit lightly, Scotland as I appreciate different. Just wanting to reflect anonymously I suppose.