Further emails were exchanged today:
"Thanks XXXX
I have posted it on the site.
However, I would note that "Rebekah Makinson, mum-of-three, added: We have used Harwoods since I was a child and my mother stayed with me. "
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/4705034.Parents_banned_from_council_play_areas/
This doesn't tie in with the council explanation that "a handful of parents have been staying on, not just dropping their children off. Staff that run the facility felt they were getting in the way and diverting their attention away from focusing entirely on the children in their care " which implies that the rule change was in response to recent changes in parent behaviour.
Given that parents have been staying on for years, why change the rules now?
Creating a climate of fear is not the way to bring up children.
Kind regards
Ken Frost
Hello again
I think the point to make is that nearly all the parents that use the Harwoods site (now and in years gone by) drop their children off and don't stay, and all the parents at the other site, Harebreaks, drop their children off.
This small percentage of parents staying on at Harwoods has been acceptable over the years and not caused problems, but recently there have been issues that have affected our staff being able to run these to the best of their abilities - and the decision was taken to bring the two sites in line, but please rest assured this isn't something we've done lightly.
Again, I can't stress enough - knowing Dorothy as I do, she is 100% not somebody that buys into the 'every adult is a potential paedophile' view.
Best,
XXX
Political assistant to the elected mayor
Watford Borough Council"
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There are a number of points about this story which don't seem to have been addressed.
ReplyDeleteIf the adults causing the staff "worry" are known parents of the children using the playground, what is the nature of the "worry"? I have asked this question on the Mayor's website and asked her to email me her reply, but so far she has not done so.
It is really very odd, as apparently the children who use these adventure playgrounds have to be registered, so their parents must be known to the staff. If the staff are not sure whether the adults "hanging around" are not parents, they are not doing their job properly.
Also, the children are free to leave the playgrounds whenever they choose. If their parents are not there to collect them, they are surely at greater risk after leaving the playground.
What sort of training do the staff receive, and who from?
The Mayor, I see, had a long career in teaching, and ended up as Deputy Headmistress of a Watford School. She also has two teenage children of her own. Has she been 'vetted'?
"Curiouser and curiouser". said Alice.....
anticant said: "If the adults causing the staff "worry" are known parents of the children using the playground, what is the nature of the "worry"? I have asked this question on the Mayor's website and asked her to email me her reply, but so far she has not done so."
ReplyDeleteIf there are "known" parents around, one might have thought that the staff would have appreciated their help and support, rather than for them to be treated like lepers! The fact that the council have been too ignorant to respond to your email speaks volumes about the attitude these days of local authorities to the people they purport to serve!
"Again, I can't stress enough - knowing Dorothy as I do, she is 100% not somebody that buys into the 'every adult is a potential paedophile' view.
Best,
XXX
Political assistant to the elected mayor
Watford Borough Council"
Really? The policy they have implemented would suggest that is EXACTLY what they think of every adult!
Children are the property of the State. Only approved experts may "have access" to them. That is the ideal towards which we are steadily working.
ReplyDelete''Political assistant to the elected mayor.
ReplyDeleteWatford Borough Council"
WTF???????