Guest post: "Britain must not turn its back on child refugees in Europe"

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I can only imagine my desperation if I had to consider sending my boys away just to keep them safe.

But if I ever had to, I’d want a mother like Karen to be there for them. Karen is an amazing woman who told her story of fostering a refugee boy and brought huge attention to a campaign to get more refugee children settled safely in Britain.

This week, MPs had the chance to vote to let mothers like Karen keep doing what they want to do - opening their homes and their hearts to refugee children who are in Europe all alone without a mum or dad to look after them. I'm ashamed to say that they did not, and that the government decided to close the door to the thousands of children who need our help. The campaign was only asking for 3,000 children to come to Britain. To put that in context – that would be just five children per parliamentary constituency, and nowhere near the 10,000 mostly Jewish children that Britain saved through the Kindertransport before the Second World War.

I took a special interest in this vote because I have been working at Theirworld to help create school places for Syrian refugee children in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, where many fleeing families arrive first. I have been focused on how to make sure that children never embark on a further dangerous journey to find a safe haven. When I saw that the British parliament was considering a vote to offer a welcome to 3,000 lone children who really need us to open our hearts and homes, I wanted to add my support. So last week I wrote to my local MP for the first time ever. I wanted his backing for refugee children, an issue that goes well beyond party politics. I know lots of Mumsnetters contacted their MPs too and have heard from many of you on Twitter. It was devastating to see the government vote down the proposal to give safety to lone refugee children in Europe.

But this does not stop there. The House of Lords last night voted to back the bill thanks to the efforts of Lord Dubs and other campaigners. So it goes back to the House of Commons next Tuesday with a chance for MPs to reconsider their vote and help 3,000 lone children.

One of the ways you can help them think again is to sign this petition. If enough of us do it then perhaps a few more MPs will listen and reconsider their vote. In pushing for this change we won't be on our own – we have the backing of lots of energetic dedicated groups like Citizens UK, Save the Children, HelpRefugees and others. This weekend the former Archbishop of Canterbury gave his blessing, arguing that this is a chance to honour what our parents and grandparents did in the face of an earlier catastrophe.

This is not a question of sparking a new political controversy - that is not my way and not the Mumsnet way, I don't think - it is a matter of simple humanity. While we can't ensure that every child is safe in his or her own country, we can act to prevent children dying on our doorstep here in Europe, and ensure a safe home and education and hope for a better future.

As long as this terrible crisis runs on and horribly on - then we have obligations to the children who are here in our continent. Our MPs now have a second chance to help these vulnerable children and we should help them to take it.

Please join me, and sign here: Britain must not turn its back on child refugees in Europe.

It is almost certainly a stock image. Getty and other sites have quite a number. Many photographers contribute to these sites.

DC apparently confirming at PMQT. I hope they medically test the age of the children as part of safeguarding procedure. I will be raging if a man ends up in a classroom with my child.

Nobody ever thinks of our own vulnerable children who will now be sent away from the areas their wider families live in - like they are already doing in Kent

www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/vulnerable-children-from-kent-are-59761/

This 'asylum seeker' is 17. He's one of the 'children' you want us to care for

www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/vulnerable-children-from-kent-are-59761/

The shadowy network of no borders activists encouraging the hoardes to come to Europe and infiltrating mumsnet is fictive

Um its not fiction Its widely known everywhere that these political activists have jumped into this tragic horrific situation and make it worse. They are using these poor people as pawns. That is all.

My other half went to two sites in Europe to help refugees. He's not particularly left wing. He's not a no borders activist

Ummm, and how left wing are you? From your posts I would say your showing signs of extreme socialism. So from an extreme Left POV, perhaps your "other half"in your eyes, isnt "particualry left wing" but what that means in REAL terms is of course subjective.

The amount of people encouraging volounteers or refugees to engage in dangerous activity is very low

As someone who claims to no little of the no borders/worldwide tribe, crew, how on earth can you make this statement?
If you had any interest in these people, you would know what they do is secretive, no filming allowed, and covert.

There is a facebook group called 'No Borders.' Lots of people belong to it, probably many from vaious organisations. I doubt many of them are dangerous or violent or encouraging refugees to be

Well, its a fact, they are!

The refugees crossing are part of a group who had reached breaking point at the camp in Idomeni (where the official border from Greece to Macedonia is now shut). Instead of growing hungrier, weaker and more desperate by the day, they decided they could not wait any longer and crossed the border through the water

I cringed reading this.

I suspect you are not that interested in these refugees, however I am. I know that these people were told to cross via a leaflet. Nothing else encouraged the mass movement of people into a flooded and swollen river.

Finally, no matter how much you love your children, why would you send them across the world on their own to seek refuge and only in the UK? Call me cynical, but once your child is in, the rest of the family can follow!

I agree. The families should stay together.

A woman interviewed in a camp near Syria said something like " I know people drown trying to get to Europe, this is not why we are here, we have fled from war, we are safe here, I am not going to risk my children's lives again"

Where do No borders want the refugees to end up? America? They don't seem to class any European country safe enough for refugees

The NO BOrders cult, does not care one jot about the refugees/migrants. They just want to kick up against any government and cause trouble.

The refugees are just un lucky pawns in their wicked game. A game it has been said is being funded by Hedge Funds in the US?

Yes, the idea that Sarah Brown's image might be a stock photo is the one which seemed most likely to me ... in asking if anyone actually knew I was hoping I was wrong and that it might have had a little more credibility that that

I guess I should have known better

Re: Sarah brown's photo - the small children appear to be holding the hands of women.

God forbid I ever find myself in such a situation, I too would scoop up "lone" children and keep them safe with me. I wouldn't leave them. But that's humanity, not tub-thumping.

I've been to Calais - not seen any lone kids hanging around, plenty of men in gangs though.

Yes men who think attacking drivers, setting fire to roads and throwing shopping trolleys off bridges into oncoming traffic is the best way to gain entry to the UK.

Funny how there hasn't been much news coverage of Calais recently.

Did Sarah Brown come back?

Funny how there hasn't been much news coverage of Calais recently

Or Paris, where riot Police had to suppress rioting of migrants in an underground station

Or the Greek Islands where riot Police have had to suppress riots in the refugee camps.

Or the Greek/Macedonian border where migrants tried to cut the border fence and had to be suppressed with tear gas

Or the Libya/ Italy migrant route where hundreds have frowned in recent migrant ship sinkings

Or the Brennen pass where Austria is planning to build a fence

Anyone would think there is to be an EU referrendum soon.

Anyone would think the media can be manipulated. Thank goodness for social media.

I'm sure the BBC is totally impartial despite their millions of pounds of EU funding.

I suppose Emily is out celebrating; it looks like Cameron has done a U-turn and agreed to take the child asylum seekers.

I wonder how many British children desperately in need of foster care will be pushed to the back of the queue.

Cameron capitulates very easily and against the wishes of a majority of his electorate.

Have to wonder if he's secretly pro Brexit. He's doing all the right things.

I'm glad to see that Cameron has changed his mind.

Must feel odd to have less compassionate n than a man who wheels out his dead kid to make political points.

Urgh bastard phone

Are you a foster carer Linda? Nice to see another one if you are.

I have mixed feelings about Cameron's decision. On the one hand, I think its great that genuine children will be given sanctuary and the chance of a new life. Hopefully these wont be the older male youths of questionable age, but children - especially vulnerable females.

But I do worry about the kids in this country that will be separated from their communities and support networks due to an even greater demand on foster placements in each county. My own FCs are part of a very large family group. Their closest sibling is placed 25 miles away. The next closest is 4 counties away, over 100 miles. Their extended family are equally far away. Its not fair on these children to be displaced from their own families. They dont even live close to school, so they have no local friendships for support.

If anyone is still reading this, please consider if you could, one day, take in another child. EVen if not full time - as mentioned above, respite carers are hugely valued by us foster carers and provide the most wonderful service that allows foster carers to recharge their batteries.

It will only work if there are the right things in place to make it work. The right structures for determining the most vunerable (the youngest I would say) the correct support services and also be additional to any provision for other children who need these services and are equally vunerable. Just because a child is born and is living in this country does not mean they are in a safe environment. I see on the news yet another child died. One life does not trump another they both mean as much.

What happens with these guest posts? I've never read one before? Does the poster normally come back to engage in the debate or not? Obviously Sarah Brown has not. If that's the case I wonder what the point of it is?

Perhaps she hasn't come back because most of the posters on here take issue with what she is saying

I think some do and some don't. Some are more in the nature of a press release.

Must feel odd to have less compassionate n than a man who wheels out his dead kid to make political points.

Whilst this doesn't make complete sense, it is nonetheless a vile post. Shame on you.

How compassionate do you have to be to gamble your daughter's safety?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3582529/African-migrant-lied-15-sexually-assaulted-Swedish-ten-year-old-girl-home-victim-s-mother-agreed-house-refugees.html#ixzz48FQ5S7ET