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?

If by that you mean that I think lockdown is putting children at a completely unacceptable risk, then yes, it is about lockdown. I don't see how that wasn't obvious to you, but hey ho.

I feel sorry for all abused children (first hand experience here...), but should it be really the schools responsibility to keep them safe? (maybe what we need is more resources to be poured into social services?)

Also, the ongoing narrative of "kids belong in schools because parents are useless or worse" is rather disturbing (way to tar every parent with the same brush... As a child abuse survivor, being by default suspected of being an abuser myself hurts deep)

You seem to be using vulnerable children as an argument to support lockdown, rather than arguing for releasing lockdown as a device to support vulnerable children.

School is for education.

Social services need to be beefed up for this kind of thing.

School can’t do everything for people. They’re not resourced for that. Make them jacks of all trades they’ll not master any of them.

@PasserbyEffect

I feel sorry for all abused children (first hand experience here...), but should it be really the schools responsibility to keep them safe? (maybe what we need is more resources to be poured into social services?)

Also, the ongoing narrative of "kids belong in schools because parents are useless or worse" is rather disturbing (way to tar every parent with the same brush... As a child abuse survivor, being by default suspected of being an abuser myself hurts deep)

I agree that social services should be there to keep children who are identified as being abused safe, and that they're not adequately resourced to do that.

But schools do have a definite and legitimate role (IMO) as being a daily outside source of contact for children where just the opportunity to interact with and be seen by other adults of benefit. It's not a matter of the school acting as a substitute for parents, it's a matter of other caring adults being there to spot when things are going wrong. If a child is locked away for months with only their parent(s) with literally no other adult contact, not even from family members, then they have no means to attract attention. No one sees them and spots that they're quiet/saying strange things/crying a lot. They're just totally alone.

They’ve been discussed daily and supported as much as possible in my work. What did you want to happen? They can’t just all be taken away from their parents you know.

Poor @Duckfinger. She explains how she does it where she is

But then is berated because she doesn’t do it for every single child in the world who is abused!!!

@Duckfinger for what’s its worth. Well done. You’re saving some kids. You won’t realise this. But you are x

I can’t see why it’s a shock that people worry more about safeguarding now the safety net of school has been pulled away for over a term for most children. On top of that it is now normal to shut children away and keep them in isolation so not even their neighbours might see them for weeks. So whilst I have always been worried about abuse my worries have increased because suddenly there is no safety net. Schools don’t know every child who is being abused, a lot is invisible.

I’m more snappy than usual as it’s me and dd 24/7 and whilst I’d never hurt her I’ve had to apologise for reacting too harshly more than once. It must be like a pressure cooker in some homes.

I’m not going to apologise for speaking out on behalf of those who are suffering under lockdown.

@fascinated

School is for education.

Social services need to be beefed up for this kind of thing.

School can’t do everything for people. They’re not resourced for that. Make them jacks of all trades they’ll not master any of them.

As I said already, it's not a matter of school being social services.

As a teacher, one of my jobs was to chat to the children, be aware of how they were doing, take note if there seemed to be something wrong. I was another source of interaction and support for the children I taught, a source that has been removed for the majority of the country's children, leaving them completely vulnerable.

@Hoggleludo

Poor *@Duckfinger*. She explains how she does it where she is

But then is berated because she doesn’t do it for every single child in the world who is abused!!!

I don't know why I have to keep explaining this, but I'll try again, in case it'll sink in this time.

When it is compulsory for every child to attend school, then every child has weekday, termtime contact with other adults, who can spot if anything is going wrong with them. This isn't just for abused children, this is for every child.

Yes, known and identified vulnerable children are encouraged (in some places, not all) to go to school. That leaves all the other children, some of whom are in perfectly nice homes, others who are abused but not on any list, stuck indoors all day with no outside adult contact whatsoever. No one to see that they're struggling, no one to talk to. How can that be a positive thing?

Perhaps if the government had invested more in vulnerable children then there wouldn’t be as much of an issue. It really kisses me off when they go on about it. They caused a lot of it.

Schools seem to be increasingly responsible for everything in this lockdown. Where are social services in all this? I’ve heard nothing about this.

I think the majority of children will be fine tbh

I think they were the priority from the start OP, and the reason they were encouraged to stay at school, they are the vulnerable.

My DC's teacher would give him a call every now and then to ask how they were doing, would that be an option?

Pissesme off!!!’

I give up

If safeguarding is truly the concern, then a single day a week/fortnight for every child, minimally, with additional support for the most vulnerable, and potential integration of social services onto the school site would surely be the way to go.

@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?

We haven’t had a generation that’s asked questions about the widespread neglect and abuse of their peers yet.

I won’t hold my breath.

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...

This is what I have never understood. Is it likely that parents who are abusing or neglecting their child will send them to school if they don't have to?

@Devlesko

I think they were the priority from the start OP, and the reason they were encouraged to stay at school, they are the vulnerable.

Do you genuinely think every abused child has been identified and brought to school?

@HesterShaw1

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...

This is what I have never understood. Is it likely that parents who are abusing or neglecting their child will send them to school if they don't have to?

Exactly.

I guess what could/should have been done, is for every child on the school roll being given a quick face-to-face meeting with their teacher, maybe every two week or so (well staggered, to allow social distancing), on the surface to check on their learning experience at home, but also to spot safe-guarding issues.
We do get emails from teachers for our kids, but all they achieve really is make me nervous ("oh dear, I forgot to answer that one, will they think I'm a bad mother?"), I don't think they help much to tell apart the abused/neglected child from the child with ridiculously busy but caring WFH parents.

So you disagree with lockdown OP?

It's not toally clear what you would have preferred the government to do instead, tbh. I'm all for a government bashing debate but, in this instance, I am struggling to see what they should have done differently?

@nellodee

If safeguarding is truly the concern, then a single day a week/fortnight for every child, minimally, with additional support for the most vulnerable, and potential integration of social services onto the school site would surely be the way to go.

How about they just go to school?