It should be remembered at all times that 'the welfare of the child' is the guiding principle behind the legislation. No other issue, however pressing it may seem at the time, should take precedence over it.
However,
Members of the Safeguarding Children and Adults Group have been concerned that Child Protection is too often simply seen as something negative which stops people doing things. The dangers of this approach, which tends to make children suspicious of all adults, and adults afraid of interacting with children, are widely being more well-recognised, and discussed in the media.
The Group considers that teachers, after all in loco parentis, should not be afraid of giving a very young distressed child appropriate comfort. Touch is the most basic mode of communication, and one which should not be indiscriminately out of bounds.
The Group also considers that sensible risk assessments will enable the balancing of possible risk from an activity with, for example, the harm of not doing that activity at all.
You may be interested to look at the following on the Internet.
(NB these are external sites, and listing them here does not imply approval, or agreement.)
- "Licensed to Hug" by Frank Furedi and Jennie Bristow, published by Civitas £5 www.civitas.org.uk
- www.campaignforadventure.org
- www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/issues/C45/
- "Paranoid Parenting" (Frank Furedi)
- "A guide to Subversive Parenting" (Jennie Bristow)
- "Parents with Attitude" (Jennie Bristow)
