Take a step back and challenge your bedrock assumptions.
- Can we ensure that every child is always safe?
- Is the safety of children the responsibility of the state?
- Is the death of a child always the fault of a professional?
Unless we start answering these questions honestly, local authorities will continue to protect reputations, salaries and pensions and NOT the most vulnerable of children - children who are already known to them and consistently failed by them.
Evidence for this sad state of affairs was given today at the select committee inquiry into the Badman review of Elective Home Education:
Peter Traves from the Association of Directors of Children's Services told the select committee that a register of home educators was essential for children's safety.
"We do need to know where children are and we do need the power to require people to let us know," Mr Traves said.
"If something happens to a child... we are held directly to account.
"We have seen recently what happens recently to directors of children' services when things go seriously wrong - it is not only sacking, it is public humiliation and it is a very serious matter.
"I'm held to account for children's welfare, and I think not to know there are children living and being educated in my area is actually unreasonable if I'm being held to that account."
Well blow me if I'm not quite happy to let Peter off the hook if it means that we don't start down the dangerous route of parental registration. The state becomes the arbiter of family suitability and that is not acceptable. It's not just home educators - or even parents - who are opposed to this idea, unsurprisingly:
Bishop Hill
The Devil's Kitchen
Fausty
The Angry Exile
The Last Ditch
The ASI
If you value your own freedom and privacy, please, please do pass it on.
The sensitive Mr Traves is also discussed at Dare to Know and Three Degrees of Freedom.
