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Kids Company documentary

54 replies

Curiocat · 03/02/2016 22:34

Wow. What a roller coaster / weird / car crash telly programme. I want to think Camilla was doing her best for the children but the whole paying rent for 30+year olds, school fees, chauffeurs and cash in envelopes use of funds does not sit right!

Anyone who knows more about this than me,Is it just propaganda?

OP posts:
NanaNina · 03/02/2016 22:41

Hmm I've just watched it and have mixed feelings. She is someone who "ploughs her own furrow" and until recently did well enough in terms of govt money and other income coming in. I think my criticism would be the same as your curiocat - the flat for a woman of 34 and I assume she had lived in it since a young teenager, and boarding school fees plus all the other things connected with boarding school, uniforms, sports kit, school trips etc. Camilla's flat looked modest and was that a pool underneath the blue cloth or was it just a cloth!! When I saw the outside of the flat I thought it looked very expensive but then any half decent accommodation is ridiculously expensive in London.

I found her affect rather strange in the way she kept laughing. Mind I thought at the time that those allegations of sexual abuse were probably dreamed up by some journalist from the DM or the redtops. I was left confused as to why the company had to be closed.

ShinyShinyShiny · 03/02/2016 22:41

There was a brilliant thread on here that ran to several parts when Kids Co closed down last year, really insightful. I did have it on my watch list but it's dropped off, hopefully it will resurrect now.

MuttonDressedAsMutton · 03/02/2016 22:43

I think Camila was only ever doing the best for Camila. Horrid woman - nasty and starstruck and super-manipulative.
The other thread was excellent and very informative.

wasonthelist · 03/02/2016 23:36

This is why the government shouldn't give money to charities.

AnthonyBlanche · 03/02/2016 23:41

I agree Mutton camilla was only ever looking out for camilla. She is a complete fantasist and charlatan who managed to fool a lot of people. I watched the recording of her and Yentobs appearance before the parliamentary committee, it gave a great insight into what an awful woman she is.

BadLad · 04/02/2016 00:10

the whole paying rent for 30+year olds, school fees, chauffeurs and cash in envelopes use of funds does not sit right!

I don't think any understatement posted on here for the rest of the year is going to top that one.

wasonthelist · 04/02/2016 15:10

Yentob hardly came out any better - in fact in many ways worse.

ephemeralfairy · 04/02/2016 15:18

I just watched it and am open-mouthed. What a slippery machiavellian character she is! She managed not to give any straight answers at all!

Seeing people crying at the end as the charity shut down was heartbreaking, however they should never have been able to get to that level of dependence! Very bad judgement; there didn't seem to be any sense of working with people to support them out of negative situations. Just papering over the cracks with handouts.

And the 34 year old....awful co-dependency between her and Camila. So unhealthy.

I also felt sorry for the staff. Suddenly out of a job and with the stigma of Kids Company on their CVs.

Camila will be OK though I'm sure. Hmm

Roussette · 04/02/2016 15:25

I watched the parliamentary questioning of her and Yentob and sat open mouthed at that, I've never heard such babble coming out of someone's mouth as her when questioned. The frustration on the MPs faces was very clear to see!

I missed last night's documentary apart from the first 5 minutes... how far in was the 34 year old and what was that about?

TheChimpParadox · 04/02/2016 15:39

Found it quite disturbing and the word 'Cult' came to mind especially with staff cheering her and the 'clients' crying and the historian when the centre closed.

I would hope that there is a review of some sort by the local children's safeguarding board where that centre was into safeguarding and child protection practice.

TheChimpParadox · 04/02/2016 15:39

Histeria not historian !

ThisShitCanOnlyGetBetter · 04/02/2016 15:58

She had a very good set up didn't she. The adoration of her clients and staff. I too found the dependency culture that was fostered very disturbing.

When they did the last cash handout (£9k+), the clients were shouting about 'my money'.

The 34 year old who's flat she was paying for came to the UK from Jamaica at the age of 21, so should hardly have qualified for assistance from the 'KIDS' company. I wonder if she was Camilla's clothes designer as her 'art' was very similar.

Jackie0 · 04/02/2016 17:11

I don't really understand the detail of it all but I found her style of conversation very off putting , in particular the laughter , it seemed so out of context .
I've known a couple of people in RL that do this and I've always thought it was an attempt to disguise anger.

Flossyfloof · 04/02/2016 17:19

I missed this but I would like to see it, what was it called please?

ZedWoman · 04/02/2016 17:35

There are loads of 'super heads' or organisations who end up wrecking the whole thing because of their total inability to accept that they can ever do anything wrong.

I am friends of friends of a few Mums on FB who have had kids at the Academy of Trinity school in Somerset and they were all going on today about the similarity between Camila and the now disgraced 'superhead' of that school.

Traged · 04/02/2016 17:39

Shiney

There is a link to the previous KC threads on the other thread in telly addicts.

donners312 · 04/02/2016 17:49

well she obviously had some sort of god complex and considered the money her's to do with as she wished.

Whether her heart was in the right place or not is hard to say but she certainly seemed to work with lots of people who looked to really care so very sad for all of them.

CaptainCrunch · 04/02/2016 17:57

I wanted to punch her smug face in. That ridiculous tinkly little laugh every time she was challenged was doing my head in.

She just picked favourites and showered them with money and material goods, in what way is that helping anyone long term? The old adage of "teaching a man to fish" should have been employed.

She has a huge ego and wanted that ego constantly fed by her "clients" and her employees.

It wasn't a charity, it was a free for all for the ones who shouted loudest.

ZedWoman · 04/02/2016 17:57

There were some very good threads about her last summer, but before the eventual collapse there were some bloody scary ones as well.

One thread was full of people going on about how 'awesome' she was. When one poster questioned her financial management of KC the reply was 'how dare you criticise her'.

People can be so easily manipulated by that type of person.

ShinyShinyShiny · 04/02/2016 18:34

Traged thank you, will check it out now

BoboChic · 04/02/2016 18:36

"When one poster questioned her financial management of KC the reply was 'how dare you criticise her'.

People can be so easily manipulated by that type of person."

People want to believe in heroes and demi-gods.

Quimby · 04/02/2016 19:43

She is scum

Only thing she was trying her best to do was feather her own nest

CottonFrock · 04/02/2016 19:49

I recommend the long-running Mn threads, which had quite a few people who worked in charities and were knowledgeable about how KC was regarded within the sector, and what kinds of checks and safeguards should have operated.

SunnyL · 04/02/2016 19:50

It was fascinating viewing.

I work in the aid sector which operates under strong scrutiny (as well it should). Wr have to produce such strong evidence of how effective our work. SHe seems to have blithely spent millions of pounds with few if any checks and balances on the effectiveness of what they were doing.

It was good to hear the frustration in the directors voice at the end. In the beginning she seemed completely taken in by her.

MuddhaOfSuburbia · 04/02/2016 19:56

I wonder what would have happened if KC had stayed a small, local hand-to-mouth charity, and all the govt money had gone to social services instead

I think there would have been much better outcomes. For everyone.

This charity was obviously allowed to expand WAY beyond its capabilities. Just so politicians could get a good 'hey I care! I'm a hoody hugger!' photo op