Parents to be fined £1000 if their kids are bullies

[Caligula]

here

Um... what are we supposed to do? Go to school with them to make sure they behave?

What the hell is this government on? It's like a bloke in a pub whose had a couple of pints and comes up with some brilliant simplistic solution to a problem. Then makes a white paper out of it. I wonder if they get their ideas from sitting in pubs with pissheads.

I like the idea that we can return to tribal responsibility for the actions of individuals as well - let's re-introduce family feuds, like the Albanians have, shall we? And isn't collective punishment against the UN charter? This would be amusing if it wasn't so barking.

Oh come on! You really think they will slap a fine just like that! If you don't know that your child is bullying then, erm, the school will let you know soon enough! You then use your parenting skills to work through it with your child. If you are seen to be active with your child, then the school are more than happy to work with you.

This is for those parents who don't go to parent evenings, who don't answer the phone to the school, who don't answer letters, who in short, take no responsibility for their children.

no matter what income you have the fine will be deducted on a regular basis from eg benefit or wages automatically.

In Sackache's story, she said the school wouldn't get involved.

Thanks Cliff-was starting to feel a bit on my own here.

CliffRichard - initially it will be for parents like that, if it's ever brought in.

I'd still like to know how it will help.

schools' dont always get involved as depending on the ins and out of individual cases they are not ALLOWED to. Too many people harping on over the years about punishment etc meant that they have had things like that taken away from them. they can only bring it to the parents attention and keep an eye out in the shool- they cannot legally do anything.

Well wouldn't it be a better first step to start giving schools power to do something about it, rather than having nice dramatic headlines that don't cost any money or don't cause any real life difficult cases?

If they are going to put this thing in place they should at least give parents a chance to try and sort the issue out not just say " your child is a bully, now pay this fine" as I think that would be outrageous, but they should give the warning and suggestions like anger managment/councelling or something as I belive all bullys have some kind of issues going on even low self esteme (sp), like Caligula is saying could be family issues. Parents should be given help rather than another excuse to hand over their money to the goverments fat pockets.

no-one know how naything will work unless it is tried. If it doesn't work then I am one for admitting but at least something has been done. You then go back to the drawing board and work on something else. Unless government just sack it like the parents of these kids do and society will just become horrendous.

megandspoh - that isn't how it will happen. it is a last resport when all else fails.

Yeah and the parents who take no responsibility for their kids, couldn't care if their child was a bully, do you think that they are the sort of people who a) would have a £1,000 and b) even if they had it would p[ay it. No, they wouldn't. So what then. At what cost to the taxpayer to make them pay their fine. If the parents care that little about their kids why would they cough up and if they care but can't control chances are they can't afford fine.
It doesn't help anyone.
Bootcamp the kids and maybe even the parents!

Well, look at it this way. You've got a boy who is a bully in school. You know this but you don't open any letters the school sends, you refuse to go into school to talk about it, you think rather be a bully than be bullied. Then one day you get a knock on the door and handed a letter which states that if you do not work with the school to eliminate the problem that your son is causing, you may be taken to court where the maximum fine will be £1000. Personally I'd be straight down to the school licking arse and agreeing to work with them. Wouldn't you?

CRSE - they're probably not going to be able to read that letter!

And I agree that such parents are a pita. But I really don't think taking £1000 off them will help them be better parents or more co-operative members of society.

Stuff like parenting classes, etc., would cost more though, wouldn't it.

And what would happen if they didn't pay? Would they be sent to prison? Very expensive for the taxpayer.

This is a quick fix solution to a problem which doesn't have a quick fix.

Oooh, you wouldn't be being presumptious would you Caligula? Are you saying that all bullies come from a rough working class background, uneducated background perchance?

just another excuse to fill their pockets IMO

Most things are expensive to tax payers - its how it is. I could start a whole new conversation about that but that's a seperate issue.

I would rather pay a bit more to have decent human beings on the streets as I get older.

I would yes, but then again I'd never ignore the problem in the firstr place.
I'm saying the sort of person who ignores it in the first place, that has the couldn't give a shit, kids will be kids, or it's harm;ess or whatever attitude, I really, really feel that they won't care about the fine other than to give little Billy a slap round the head and tell him he shouldn't have got caught.
Do you think Mrs Smith is going to suddenly take a loving interest in her son and try to get him to asort his p[roblems out, work with him to help control his anger and help get to the bottom of his problems, just becasue she's been faced with a fine, she's never cared before but the prospect of a £1,000 will make her want to hekp her son will it? Or is it more likely she'll call him a stupid fing little *, causing her more trouble' and give him the back of her hand?

well in that case Thomcat something more drastic needs to be done as a mothe rlike that should not be responsible for a child and doesn't deserve one.

No Cliff - just that the ones who throw the letters away and have absolutely no communication at all with school are likely to be.

Mr and Mrs Warburton-Chalkley in Surrey are just as likely to have a bullying son, but I expect they'd read the letters. And maybe even reply to them. (With a solicitor's letter!)

the if its the law the solicitor will point it out to them that they should comply and they don't have a case and the money spent on him could have gone towards the fine.

They won't be fined Helsi. Middle class educated people know how to play the game.

Not necessarily. Mr and Mrs Warburton-Chalkley in Surrey might both be working parents who have no time to read letters from the school that they presume are about the raffle or some other mediocre subject.

I think that something more drastic than a fine does need to be Helsi.
It might wiork for 1 mother/family in 10, but I really don't think it will be effective enough.
I'd liked to see something that would put the fear of God into the parent sna d the child. I just don't believe that the prospect of a fine is enough.
Put the fine idea into place, sure, and hopefully it'll help a few families out there, but I think a harsher plan also needs to be condsidered for the real problem families.