Poverty, neglect, deterioration in parenting skills and the effects or a quicker train – you decide???

Posted by Mark Raw in Childcare Industry

Hello again,

It’s been a busy few months at Harmony, children coming and children moving on to further independence in their own right and hopefully using the skills and knowledge taught to them whilst at Harmony.

 My time has been taken up on other new areas within Harmony but right now I’m not able to go into detail as things are not quite finalised, but they are nearly there and will provide further strings to our bow so to speak.

 I have been reading and watching what has been happing and being highlighted within our industry not just within theUKbut all over the world.  Childrens being used in theSyriaconflict, the shocking start to the year with the tragic and senseless shootings in Sandy Brook school in theUS.  The other shootings, paedophile rings being broken up and children being found murdered over the last few months have really highlighted the shift within the US since their financial troubles have started to hit the nations.  The government is starting to take control with changes in the gun laws are a good start.  Though an interesting fact, during the 8 days when there was heavy snow inNew York, not one murder was reported.

 Closer to home, and I have to say I am surprised the report has taken so long to come out, Sky News have ran and article on “Poverty blamed for increase in child neglect”. http://news.sky.com/story/1048173/poverty-blamed-for-increase-in-child-neglect  

 Having working for too many years to remember in care I have seen the financial strain, one way or another, be it social economic or just the cost of looking after there disabled child faced by parents with children in need and I am not surprised by the content, only the time its taken to come to light.

 The times austerity were, (and I don’t thing anyone can argue really) needed to try to get the county back in the black.  But at what cost??.  There were always areas that should not have been affected and cutting millions from our Childrens and Adults funding pots was only a quick fix, with little thought for the future and consequences of the decisions which will ultimately prove more costly in the long run.

 The causes of poverty can only be addressed so much by governments and councils to alleviate the root causes of poverty, loss of employment, victims of over spending / committing etc etc…. 

However something can be done to help the innocent victims in all this and address the deterioration in parenting skills bring with it neglect, poverty and internal psychological damage that can be caused to children from the effects of neglect and help address these so the patterns are not repeated in later life with their own children as can often happen.

 As the article goes on to explain how the services there in place to work with and deal with the effects of poverty are having their budgets cut, mounting pressure on services that are now unable to cope and have become less able to deal with the effects effectively, thus adding to the problems faced.

I am not going to say I have a fix that easy, I don’t own the royal mint to print more money, I can not fix the budgets given to the councils or dictate where it is spent, all I can do is make a difference to the kids that come to Harmony as a result of a background of poverty, neglect and to make a difference to their life’s.  What I do know is that the estimated £32.7 billion on a couple of train tracks can be spent better else where.

 Next time I hope to be able to share some better news about developments within Harmony and the additional and exciting new routes were are hoping to branch in to.