Remember folks our UK children must be the happiest by 2020. The Independent today (30.12.2007) shows two ways we are going about it.
First in our young offenders institutions staff are following to the letter the top secret manual that the government won’t talk about. It shows ways to restrain kids- and staff are doing just that. It involves blows to the face, bending back thumbs to the limit and bending back arms.
Children in care are there in the first place most often because of the abuse and neglect they have already experienced. Our country, enshrining its Christian values (the Catholic Blair and Presbyterian Brown) shows them that abuse is the right way to behave. Hopefully when they have children themselves they will want to avoid them facing the same traumas. Unfortunately records indicate that abused children are likely to turn into abusers. No one is breaking the cycle.
I raised this at the case conference of a young woman in care whose mother was in care and whose children are being placed in care. Social Care and Health Service in Birmingham has set up a Children’s Rights group to ensure young people’s voices are heard. Unfortunately it is not independent from the service encumbered by a bureaucracy which gives the young people added additional problems and misery.

Second in our schools more and more children with special needs are being excluded, no doubt to end up in the young offenders institutions and ultimately fill those new super prisons. After all if we’re going to build them it’s no use having them empty.
Channel 5 is putting on a series which seems to be saying that the methods teachers use don’t work. Well if you can’t blame the kids, blame their teachers. Ignore the systems that ensure schools compete with each other to stay up thereat the top of the league tables. Having troubled children who aren’t functioning will hold them back. Who thought up this bloody silly idea. People like Woodhead and Adonis, key government advisers, gurus, need to be packed off into oblivion.
It’s nearly 2008 so we’ve got 12 years to get all those children smiling again, so Uncle Chris and Uncle Andrew get your clown gear on and get cracking.
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