I think the children of this generation...

[TheDailyCarbuncle]

Will, in future years, legitimately ask us why we let them down so badly. Why we allowed them/their peers to be left at home for months with abusive/neglectful/drug addicted/alcoholic parents, with no outside contact, no adult help, relief or respite whatsoever. Why some of those children disappeared, never to be seen again, or were so badly hurt as to have years and years of horrendous struggle ahead of them.

It's only now beginning to be talked about, months too late: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52876226

When everyone is talking about 'protecting' children, where is their concern for those children for whom home is a dangerous place? For whom school is their only sanctuary?

There have been discussions from day one about this

I think they definitely will, but it will be because of climate change, not covid-19. They will want to know why we blew the last chance we had to save the planet.

Maybe there have been discussions @slipperywhensparticus. Discussions aren't very useful for the children spending yet another day with their abuser.

This has been discussed all along, it was one of the main reasons they kept school open so long, why they stayed open to vunerable children the whole time, and why they have started to reopen schools now...

I think climate change is a relevant issue @nellodee, but I think for children who have experienced months of unremitting abuse, it won't be the first thing they're concerned about.

Yep agree with the previous poster - it’ll be climate change we’ll have to answer for, sadly, and that’ll crowd most other out.

Schools 'stayed open' @Alb1 but my children's schools and many others I know of, discouraged people from sending their children in. In my mother's school 20 of 250 vulnerable children turned up when they offered support and they had no way of getting the others to attend (unlike in normal times when schools is compulsory and anyone who doesn't attend gets an immediate follow up). Parents who are neglectful are not the most likely ones to send their children in when it's not required.

The children in situations like this have been our number 1 priority as school.
So so much going on behind the scenes, emails,phonecalls, food drops.
A member of staff walking down to their homes to drop off work packs, walk them to school. Nobody has fell off our radar - we have worked tirelessly to make sure they didn't.

What I'm hearing is that because climate change is a serious issue, we can just discount the issue of abused children been unforgivably let down?

That's great @Duckfinger, except that any child who isn't attending is missing out on six hours a day when they could be out of their abusive home.

The effect this had had on all children is disproportionate to the risk to them of covid.

Yes, I know there's a bigger picture in terms of society but it's certainly very clear where children are in the pecking order according to government and society.

Schools did not stay open to all vulnerable children.

@TheDailyCarbuncle

That's great *@Duckfinger*, except that any child who isn't attending is missing out on six hours a day when they could be out of their abusive home.

That's true, and that's why our family mentor has been and brought them to school to be safe with us.

Also @Duckfinger, are you doing that for every child? Or only the ones you know are vulnerable? Because you must be aware that plenty goes on behind closed doors that no one knows about.

From my son's school I've had a total of one phone call where I spoke the teacher. She didn't have any contact with my son (I was out of the house at the time). So she has no idea if he's ok. He is, but what if I were abusive? Who would know about it? No one.

I think the bigger question is why were so many vulnerable children there in the first place - was it a result of austerity?
And then why schools, a place where education is meant to happen, were placed at the forefront of social services and child protection. I understand the idea of school as respite but school always closes for 6 weeks over summer. School always finishes at 3, school is never at the weekend. What happrns to all those children then. What happened to all the support outside of school, like sure start, health visitors cut to the bone, social services cut to the bone.

I agree @Grasspigeons. But that doesn't take from the fact that while school isn't perfect, it's at least something. It's at least an opportunity for adults outside the child's family to have contact with them every weekday in term time, talking to them, seeing if they're ok. It's a chance for an adult to say 'hang on, something's not right with X.' It's not great that that stops for six weeks in the summer, but it's even worse that that's been stopped for months, with no other outside adult contact either - no grandparents, no aunts and uncles, no friends' parents, nothing. No one to see if a child is suffering.

It seems to me there are a whole lot more people interested in the welfare of abused children now than there were before the pandemic and most of them have an agenda that includes getting the economy up and running as quickly as possible. The economy, which in its current form ironically enough, is going to bring suffering of several orders of magnitude higher down on billions of people, including children, all over the planet.

I apologise if you have a genuine concern for these children that is not connected to this ulterior motive, OP, but there are many who seem to want to use abused children as a gotcha against people who are cautious about a return to normality (as though normality is even on offer).

@TheDailyCarbuncle I think you don’t realise how much teachers and TA’s do realise about the family life of their pupils. They know which kids are on at risk registers. But they also know which kids never seem to have had a decent meal, and which kids haven’t slept well and never do. They know who hasn’t had a clean shirt in three weeks, who has a chaotic home life and who is always just a bit sad. Yes some kids fall through the cracks and that’s awful; but in general school staff are aware about who they need to keep an eye on even if it’s not at a level of flagging to social services.

I’m as cheesed off with the school situation as anyone, and I think this generation of children have been hugely affected over something that poses little risk to them. I’d like all schools fully open now, without social distancing or bubbles - and if that means that to keep the R below one we cancel opening shops, sports etc then so be it.

But while of course I’m concerned about vulnerable children, I do find it interesting just how many people are suddenly terribly interested in the welfare of vulnerable children and those with SEN. Plenty of those children are absolutely bottom of the educational priority pile anyway as far as society is concerned - plenty of children with SEN with no suitable school place, stuck at home with very little education for months and years, and all this handwringing never happened before. I do hope this concern continues and manifests as actual action and putting money where mouth is, and not just a more palatable way of saying “I want my, perfectly happy and privileged, children back at school”. Nothing wrong with that view in my opinion, but I do think you should own it.

[quote GemmeFatale]@TheDailyCarbuncle I think you don’t realise how much teachers and TA’s do realise about the family life of their pupils. They know which kids are on at risk registers. But they also know which kids never seem to have had a decent meal, and which kids haven’t slept well and never do. They know who hasn’t had a clean shirt in three weeks, who has a chaotic home life and who is always just a bit sad. Yes some kids fall through the cracks and that’s awful; but in general school staff are aware about who they need to keep an eye on even if it’s not at a level of flagging to social services.[/quote]
As a former teacher and abused child, I know that a well-fed, well-dressed, generally sunny child will never be picked up as 'at risk.' There will be thousands of children who don't fit the 'abused' stereotype whose abuse is never picked up, not for their whole lives. It'll be just something they live with.

The effect this had had on all children is disproportionate to the risk to them of covid.

This 100%

@nellodee

It seems to me there are a whole lot more people interested in the welfare of abused children now than there were before the pandemic and most of them have an agenda that includes getting the economy up and running as quickly as possible. The economy, which in its current form ironically enough, is going to bring suffering of several orders of magnitude higher down on billions of people, including children, all over the planet.

I apologise if you have a genuine concern for these children that is not connected to this ulterior motive, OP, but there are many who seem to want to use abused children as a gotcha against people who are cautious about a return to normality (as though normality is even on offer).

You could equally argue that the people calling for extended lockdown are showing a concern about risk that doesn't seem to stop them from breaking the speed limit or tailgating other cars, both of which carries far far more risk to children than covid ever could.

Yes my child had no school place last year due to his SEN. No one cared . I campaigned with SEND crisis and people looked bit bored and said there wasnt a magic money tree and seemed surprised i wanted a school place. No one checked up to see if he was ok.

Also @GemmeFatale how (specifically, in real terms) do you 'keep an eye on' children you haven't seen for months?

So this IS a lockdown v not lockdown thread, and not one about concern for children. Good to know.