Crisis in Care

The message to children, parents and practitioners like myself is very confusing, to say the least.  How then do we respond when our stroppy teens tell us?  “I’m old enough to do what I want”, but worse than this what can we do when the authorities tell us the same?  To right this is a GREY AREA.  Someone somewhere really needs to have the balls to say we have a responsibility to care for our teens as we do our toddlers.

The law as it stands is unclear, unhelpful and dare I say it DANGEROUS.

On the one hand the law, as in the police tell young people they cannot be forced to return home, and nor should they be but more worryingly the very system we all pay into in the hope that children and young people will be protected and cared for at the most vulnerable times in their lives we are told, “nothing we can do”.  “It’s a grey area”.

It is this very response I spent my morning chasing, arguing and fighting against with the sole intention of protecting a vulnerable young person. Who by all intents and purposes was homeless?

Someone, I plead, tell me where it has gone so wrong? That in a world where the messages are so confused that even the people charged with implementing the laws of the land don’t know where they stand, “How then?” I ask, can the children and young people of the confused world of child protection make any sense of the rights they allegedly have to shelter, warm, love and security to name but just a few of the rights we hear so much about at the many meeting I’m told I must attend in order to safeguard my students… At this point I think children and young people need to be safeguarded from the safeguarding barmy army who somehow forgot about how difficult it is to be a teenager.  Or even the parent of a teenager.

Safeguard… safeguarding who I ask ????

Finally at the time of 3.45, no lunch, not much teaching done, (the job I am actually paid to do) I wouldn’t say I solved my dilemma or fixed the ills of the lack of care within the care system but for now I have a 16 year old who at least has somewhere to stay, out of the cold, who is safe and smiling. Thankfully my working day can end with some sense of achievement.

But as for what to do the next time such a situation arises is somewhat less clear. In fact it’s as clear as bloody mud.

And as for the learning point for the day, as the end of yet another Monday nears is I know exactly why I do this job. I love it. I care. I want to teach my students there is always away even when it appears there really isn’t.  As I head out of the door racing against time to just for once to be on time to collect my little darling from school before racing to the football meeting point with every bit of kit where it should be (on her) and all uniforms items safely stored in her bag for tomorrow. I turn and smile before pelting hell for leather to the car to continue my day. With no doubt a whole new set of problems to solve. What’s for dinner? Where are my trainers? Can I have…? 

Lessons learnt:  To have what you love and love what you have is precious and seeing the lot of others can only make us more grateful… One can only hope!