Here's the interim message from the NSPCC panel
Dear Mumsnetters,
Thank you for your many and varied questions and comments on the NSPCC Q and A thread. We are genuinely interested in what you all think about us and our work.
As you can see, Rachel from Mumsnet Towers has posted a reminder about how these Q and As work.
As advertised, we will be posting full answers to the questions and themes raised next week, on 16 February. There have been so many questions and comments, we won?t be able to respond to every one individually, but we are committed to replying to a fully representative selection. In the meantime, we thought it would be useful to respond to a few key issues talked about on the thread in order to clear up a couple of misunderstandings and let you know we are listening.
We won't be able to address everything here, but when we post our full responses we hope you will feel we have covered all the themes.
Leaving children and teenagers at home alone
There has been a lot of discussion around what the NSPCC has to say about children being left at home alone, and what the right age for babysitters is.
We would like to be really clear that we don't attempt to specify a definitive age limit for being left at home alone, with or without younger siblings; we agree with Spike09 who rightly says: 'There is NO LEGAL AGE - it is down to the parents own judgement, as teenagers all differ hugely as do their siblings.'
We do offer advice about this (sometimes very difficult) decision, to try and reassure parents that they are the best people to make the call on whether a child is mature enough to be left on their own, and to suggest what they might want to consider when making this choice. We make a general recommendation that very young children are never left at home alone, and children under the age of about 12 are not left at home alone for more than a short time. We do advise choosing a babysitter who is 16 or over and seeking references - we appreciate choosing a babysitter can be tricky, and we will address your full questions in our full answers next week.
You can read our full advice page on this topic here www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/for-parents-and-carers/positive-parenting/leaving-children-home-alone/leaving-children-home-alone_wda72908.html#how_do_you_decide_if_you_can_safely). In the light of your comments, we will review and clarify our advice, and we welcome further feedback on this.
Parents with mental health issues
Concerns have been raised about the NSPCC's perceived approach to parents with mental health issues.
We would like to clarify that we have never stated that we think parents experiencing mental health issues will automatically pose a risk to their children - we know that many parents do a great job while having a range of challenging personal circumstances to deal with. What we are interested in is ensuring that all parents get the support they need, so that those children who may be at risk are protected and supported.
Fundraising and expenditure
There have been several questions and comments about our fundraising activities, and how we spend the money we raise. We would like to reassure Mumsnetters that like all charities we strive to use the money we raise effectively and efficiently.
As we state on our website and in our annual report, in 2010/2011 we spent just over 74% of income raised on activities focused on ending cruelty to children, including frontline direct support, preventive, and treatment services, our national helplines and information services, and public awareness raising and advice. The rest of our income was spent on other activities like fundraising and governance. This split in spend compares well with other major charities.
Inevitably for a large charity, over the years a number of claims have been made about how we use resources - we find this disappointing when not based on evidence, but we think it totally right to question whether public donation is being used effectively.
You can see our annual reports for the last five full years here www.nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/about-the-nspcc/annual-report/annual-report-archive/annual-report-2010_wdf84895.pdf) which outline how we use funds to raise income, help children, and run the NSPCC.
In tougher economic times, raising funds is harder than ever, so we count on the support of the public - only a relatively small amount of our funding comes from government and grants. We really value every pound Mumsnetters - and all our supporters - give to the NSPCC, and we are committed to making sure all donations are used as effectively and efficiently as possible.
What happens next?
We will answer your questions and comments in more detail when we post the full responses next week.
We all recognise that looking after children is difficult and all of us struggle from time to time. Most parents generally get it right, but some experience ongoing difficulties. We also know how difficult it can be if you are worried about a child and are not sure what to do, or even if you should be worried. For those who are struggling to cope or who are worried about a child, the NSPCC is here 24 hours a day to give advice and support. Around half the calls that we receive are dealt with through providing advice and don?t lead to referrals to other agencies like social services. You can ring the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, text us on 88858, or email [email protected].
With regards,
Jane, Chris and Kam