To think school have over reacted

[worriedmum2022]

So my girls are 7 and 9 and they were playing at home and got a bit rough, my husband separated them and one of them had hold of a game in a plastic box.

The girls were fighting over who had the box husband intervened the side of the box had split and youngest 7 year old daughter got a cut on her hand. Cleaned up, girls spoken too all sorted job done

Yesterday the headteacher of dd7 rang my husband at work to say she asked dd why she had a plaster on her hand and she said daddy snatched a box off me and it cut me

She has reported this as a safeguarding concern

I mean I get they have a duty of care but this just seems a total over-reaction

No previous issues or incidents with the school but my husband is worried sick as he works where he has to have a DBS and he's worried this will be on his record

Can anyone offer any advice on this type of thing?

@Malibuismysecrethome

Neglect does have a smell. It is unwashed clothes, not being bathed, wet, damp clothes, unwashed hair, neglected teeth, the pervading smell of cannabis on children’s clothing. SW’s should stop being so defensive and look harder at children who are being neglected.

That's in my one specific type of neglect and probably why all the outwardly respectable, more educated and more well off get away with it - because of attitudes like this

Neglect refers to neglect of basic needs, you are probably (I assume) referring to emotional abuse.

You can neglect basic needs whilst maintaining a clean (enough) home. Emotional neglect and emotional abuse are also different

@Joysutty

Cant the child who has been questioned on "why has got plaster" go and explain further to say what ACTUALLY happened and that father was splitting up children due to a squabble - then all may be resolved or you could make an appointment yourself with the children or as a whole family unit - the 4 of you.

Its not as it its a broken finger - a plaster ?

I think "nanny" state goes a bit too far, but equally my son when he was about 6 years of age was continually brining back a young girl from his class and I was fed-up of feeding her, until one day she came in with visible things crawling in her hair, so at that point walked to her mothers house - which found out was rented - a single parent - who was an alcholic - and no food in the house, so cant remember who it was who had called the authorities - school + social services at that time 30 years ago, but good of it all came in the end and this woman got help.

Know this is an entirely different "issue" but guess teacher/school are just doing a job at the end of the day.

Oh. That brought tears to my eyes

My mum back in the 50’s. Had a friend called Barry. Apparently he smelled so no one wanted to know him and he was bullied. My mums dad (my grandfather) was a bus driver for disabled children. So my mum just wanted to look after him. They fed him for years. His parents didn’t care. Had no money. Too many children etc.

Heartbreaking. She still remembers him to this day

@Smartiepants79

Reported to who? What exactly did your DD tell them? On the face of it, yes, it does seem an odd thing to report. Especially if there are no previous concerns. A proper chat with a sensible 7 year should have been able to clear up what had actually happened?

Quite often, primary headteachers are the DSL. Head will have reported it via MASH/ children’s services. They are obliged to inform the parent/ carer that this has been done.

What bothers me about this whole scenario is that the school should have spoken to the family first before escalating.

Speak to the child, get their story.
Speak to the parent...ring them if it corroborates the child's version of events..brilliant. Log the situation...no harm done apart from the sore hand.

If not, then of course involve SS

This article is so true! The smell does hit you as you enter a house and it's hard to explain the smell of the mixture of ingrained grime and faeces/urine but it's truly awful. Many a time I've had to go home and get straight into the shower and wash my clothes after being in such houses.

What concerns me is that child care professionals deny that it’s a thing when it is a sign of extreme neglect and a deplorable home environment.

@worriedmum2022 hopefully everything has been resolved now