Protective services....
Is it just me or does everyone think keeping children safe is everyone’s business?
Yesterday, I was part of a forum for Child Protection Week… basically a whole lot of people committed the kids in crisis, all in the same room, talking about how we can do it better.
There’s always terribly sad stories, like the tale of a ten year old boy, who at this very moment, on the sunshine coast is living alone, in hotel accommodation with a roster of five carers. He’s violent, he’s angry, he's a problem at school and has broken down every relationship ever offered to him. How did he get that way? I can’t tell you that, but he’s ten years old. Just a little boy.
On the front page of the Sunshine Coast Daily today is the story about two girls, aged 13 and 14 who robbed a disabled man in Nambour last week. Of course people are angry about that, the police said they showed no remorse when they were arrested.
But you know what? Someone made those kids that way. Their parents might have been unable, or maybe just unwilling to protect them. Regardless, they are still little girls - far too young to be written off.
So back to yesterday. It was great to be in a room full of people wanting to be part of the solution. Child protection is a very tough job to do every day.
Just briefly, if you’ve got a passion – if you want to help – there’s heaps of ways you can get involved and volunteer – foster care, big brothers big sisters, good beginnings...all sorts of organisations need volunteers. Never doubt what a massive contribution you can make…. it’s about community – sometimes it really does take a village to raise a child.
On the other hand, if you just know a person who works in child protection, a teacher, a policeman, a case worker, a community nurse, a counsellor, it doesn’t matter what they do for kids, just give them a pat on the back…
Yesterday, I was part of a forum for Child Protection Week… basically a whole lot of people committed the kids in crisis, all in the same room, talking about how we can do it better.
There’s always terribly sad stories, like the tale of a ten year old boy, who at this very moment, on the sunshine coast is living alone, in hotel accommodation with a roster of five carers. He’s violent, he’s angry, he's a problem at school and has broken down every relationship ever offered to him. How did he get that way? I can’t tell you that, but he’s ten years old. Just a little boy.
On the front page of the Sunshine Coast Daily today is the story about two girls, aged 13 and 14 who robbed a disabled man in Nambour last week. Of course people are angry about that, the police said they showed no remorse when they were arrested.
But you know what? Someone made those kids that way. Their parents might have been unable, or maybe just unwilling to protect them. Regardless, they are still little girls - far too young to be written off.
So back to yesterday. It was great to be in a room full of people wanting to be part of the solution. Child protection is a very tough job to do every day.
Just briefly, if you’ve got a passion – if you want to help – there’s heaps of ways you can get involved and volunteer – foster care, big brothers big sisters, good beginnings...all sorts of organisations need volunteers. Never doubt what a massive contribution you can make…. it’s about community – sometimes it really does take a village to raise a child.
On the other hand, if you just know a person who works in child protection, a teacher, a policeman, a case worker, a community nurse, a counsellor, it doesn’t matter what they do for kids, just give them a pat on the back…
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