This
page is used for letters from readers
Please e-mail correspondence to
letters@childrenwebmag.com
|
Help
for a job? - Help for another job? - Web
site by young people in care - Sexual Abuse by
my father - Gus Greene - Season of Lunacy
- Our next door neighbour is a paedophile
- Gay Adoption - Social
worker committed perjury - Nasty Neighbour
problem - Can you help with my MA?
Dear
Editor
Hi, I am a post-graduate
Christian woman in Hove, Brighton, East Sussex, with a natural rapport
with children and teens. I am at present seeking work which would
'fit in' with my daughter's school times as I am also a lone parent.
Ideally I would enjoy a varied role as my work experience is quite
vast, but I do need to be home for my daughters return from school
as she is still only 11 yrs old. Can anyone out there help?
Sincerely
Ms S
Freeman - click here to
send an e-mail to Ms Freeman
Dear
Editor
My name is Melanie
Lewkowicz, i am from Sydney Australia, and i will be
arriving in London on the 9th January, Thursday 2003, on a two year
working
holiday visa.
I have completed a Four Year Health Science Degree, in Rehabilitation
Counselling. Very similar to Social Work/ Occupational Therapy/ Psychology.
The official degree is called; Bachelor Health Science in Rehabilitation
Counselling. I completed this degree at Sydney University / Health
Sciences
Cumberland Campus over a four year full-time period. I have extensive
experience in working with children, as i have worked in child care
before,
before and after school care at schools and working on holiday camps
with
children for up to 6 weeks each school holiday period. In my tertiary
experience, i have been exposed to a wide variety of clientele, during
my
practical work experience at university, over the 4 year period. Children
being part of that group, young-middle age and older people too. I
have
developed excellent communication skills as part of this experience.
I am
very well organised, and i have great time management skills. I am
a
motivated, mature-minded individual, who works well independantly
and in a
team environment. I am a responsible, enthusiastic, empathic, focused,
hard-working person, who is looking to work in a contract/permenant
position.
Please do not hesitate to contact me via email, as i look foward in
hearing
from you. Hopefully a reader will be able to assist me in obtaining
work in
London.
Thankyou,
Kind Regards,
Melanie Lewkowicz.
If
you can help, e-mail Melanie here
and we will pass the replies on to her - Editor
Dear
Editor,
I feel that a
large number of your readers would be interested in hearing
about a website written by young people in care. The website was written
as
a means for them offer information that's based on their experiences
of
foster care. They wanted to say the sort of things they would say
if they
had a friend who was thinking about taking up fostering a young person.
The
site has been published in Nottinghamshire's local fostering magazine
and
has had a very positive response from professionals and carers alike.
The contents
of the site are unedited and written entirely by the Group
(apart from one of the poems they wanted included and the social worker
humour). What they've written would challenge any stereotypic view
of young
people in the care system, it's warm, honest and full of very individual
insights.
I might be biased
because I was there when they were writing the site -
however judging by the response of others it is both surprising and
informative. It's important that this gets read by as many people
as
possible. The more feedback we get the easier it will be push for
more
opportunities for young people to be involved in seeking and training
future
carers. I've put the address below if anyone is interested.
http://www.nottscc.gov.uk/socialservices/fostering/listen4achange/index.htm
Thanks
Ruth Mercer.
Support Worker
Nottinghamshire Social Services.
Dear
Editor
As I'm
a victim of 10 years of sexual abuse by my father, the information
in the TV programme was not too surprising to me and did not go far
enough. I would like to see follow up programmes looking at:
1) how and what makes a paedophile and the system of treatment of
them.
2)how to teach your children to protect themselves
3) why paedophilia is so taboo
4) the damage of a lost childhood and if you dare, accounts of the
silence being broken.
I have
only recently broken my silence to protect my daughter and even though
my father confessed, only 2 of my close family supported me out of
30. They support my father and I know of 1 other victim and suspect
1 more within my family he has abused but they are too afraid to speak
out.
Name
and e-mail address supplied
Dear Editor
Gus Greene Column - Children's Home
Thanks for a great article with the real meaning of Christmas in it.
Jill M
Dear Editor
In this season of goodwill, the lunacy has started already. I took
my grandchildren to our local swimming pool in Leeds and proudly took
a video of their early swimming efforts. I was approached immediately
by an attendant who informed me that this was not permissible in case
the film "got into the wrong hands." Then, a school in Luton
had the crazy idea of stopping parents taking photographs of their
children in their nativity play "in case the photographs were
used by paedophiles." This surely left all sane-thinking people
in the country shaking their heads in sorrow for the probably warped
minds of that school's governors.
Now today, Edinburgh City Council have announced that no parents will
be allowed to take photographs of their children in nativity plays
or any school functions "in case the pictures are used by paedophiles."
Has the world gone stark raving mad? A nativity play SEXUAL? I honestly
wonder at the sexual persuasion of the people who bring out these
rules. If paedophiles want to get photographs of children, they are
readily available in newspapers, television, magazines, mail order
catalogues, the internet, advertising hoardings etc etc etc.
Any adult who really thinks that a nativity play could be sexually
exciting should seek medical help.
Diane S.
16 December 2002
Dear Diane
Thanks for your e-mail. We are now pleased to see that, following
the threat of legal action by some parents in Edinburgh, the council
have reversed their ruling over photographs and videos.
Editor - 18 December 2002
Dear Sir,
I am writing in the hope you may be able to advise on any precautionary,
legal or other information / advice regarding the above.
My wife and I have recently been reliably informed that our next door
neighbour, married with 2 young children is a convicted paedophile.
This selfishly or not has rocked us significantly. I have 3 young
daughters of whom this man has had regular verbal contact.
The home they are living in is a council home, where they have lived
for some years.
Can I in anyway object to having a convicted paedophile living next
door to me? I own my home and was unaware of our neighbour’s
history, if I had known I would have not have bought this house. I
am strongly considering selling up & moving, but feel I should
not have to and doubt any body else would want it, as I would inform
them.
This will im sure sound very narrow minded and selfish, however the
thought of this man watching from his upstairs windows into our garden
in summer months for example, distresses me greatly be it the case
or not.
As yet I have not bumped into him in the street, but when I do I am
sure I will let him know my feelings and where he stands in relation
of contact with my family.
I am however concerned of the implications of this, be it verbal confrontation
or physical.
Do I have any legal grounds to pursue this matter further or am I
always going to have to ensure our children are covered whilst playing
in our garden and accompanied whilst out the front of our home?
I have read other advice letters and understand the need to re-habilitate,
and keep tabs on these people, be they non active or still high risk.
But until it is on your doorstep it’s easy to agree with such
humane and understanding values.
I would appreciate any advice you may have.
Yours sincerely
Mr JM
Dear Editor
I agree with the christian association (November isue) who brought
out the card to say that homosexuals shouldn't adopt children. It's
not natural.
Robert G
e-mail address supplied
Dear Editor,
I can prove that a social worker lied through a court, that a care
order had
no truth and that the social worker involved also committed the act
of
perjury. Please advise.
Name and email address supplied.
Dear Reader,
In raising this matter, you are obviously aware of its seriousness.
From the social worker's point of view, it is serious because if
the allegation is followed up, s/he could well be subject to disciplinary
action, and his/her career could come to an end.
It is serious from the point of view of the child and his/her family
because an unjust decision may have been made by the court, and
suffering could have been caused.
If you are one of the people involved and you want to take action,
you will need to consult a solicitor, who will be able to advise
on the best course of action, and who will be able to comment on
the strength of your evidence in proving perjury.
However, first, the most important question is what you personally
want to get out of such action, and it is worth talking this over
with someone whose judgement and advice you trust. Do you want a
court decision changed? Do you want to take action against the social
worker in case they behave the same way with someone else? Do you
simply want to tell people how angry you are about the situation?
The best action will depend on what you really want to achieve.
Changing a court decision, for example, will take clear thinking,
the presentation of evidence and level-headed arguments, and being
angry will not help your case.
Solicitors will often give initial advice free in weighing up your
situation, but after that, if you are to proceed, you will need
to pay or get legal aid.
Yours, Editor
Dear Editor,
My granddaughter Chloe lives with her mummy in a house which
has an alley way between their home and the next door neighbors. The
family next door had been friendly with my family 1994 and the little
boy (L) who lives there who is the same age as Chloe were friends
and played together. However recently, L's father had become rather
aggressive to wards Chloe and started calling her spoilt and then
his wife joined and said that Chloe was neglected by her family. This
I can assure you is unfounded. One Saturday I was looking after Chloe
at her home, my daughter was at work Chloe was playing outside in
the front garden and down the alley way. L's father kept coming out
of his back garden and shouting at Chloe to stay away from his garden
and his son because she was spiteful. He kept on using very strong
language to Chloe calling her an F in bitch, a spoilt F in and so
on. This threatening behavior escalated and he repeatedly threatened
to kick her in the privates only he used the word beginning with C.
Chloe was very distressed by his behavior and so was my daughter and
myself. I telephoned the police and they went to see him. Of course
he denied he had said any thing.
His wife then wrote to the housing association and complained about
my daughter and her behavior and my daughter was visited by an officer.
She was told what had happened and given the police log numbers, but
said there was nothing she could do even though this man and his wife
had been found guilty of GBH towards another neighbour. I have asked
everyone I can think of for help with no avail. No one seems to know
what to do even though the police have stated that he has committed
a serious offence on Chloe. Please can you advice me what to do? HMB
A concerned grand mother
Dear HMB
Problems with neighbours are not
only very worrying and at times frightening, but they are also often
very difficult to deal with. You have given us a graphic picture
of the problems which you face, but I guess that you have only told
us half of the story, and that you will have been going through
quite a catalogue of other events as well.
The correspondence page of a magazine
is not the best place to resolve your problems. You need someone
to talk to - someone who can go over events in detail, and maybe
go over them more than once to get a really clear picture. That
person then needs to know what the options are - what you can do,
and what the consequences may be of the different possible lines
of action. For example, you could take legal action, but it could
be expensive and it could make your neighbour more antagonistic.
I recommend that you contact your
local Citizen's Advice Bureau. They are independent, impartial and
give free advice. They are good at listening and they have all the
detailed information at their fingertips about the law and other
action which you might consider.
Yours sincerely,
Editor.
Hi,
My name is Mikki and I am in my final year on the MA in Counsellling
Studies at Nottingham University.
I am doing a theory/Research module into why young people in the
care system do not take up counselling, this I realise is a very broad
subject but any info would be appreciated in the field of care systems/stats/counselling/etc
Thank you
Mikki Tanton
click here to e-mail Mikki direct
