Government attempts to back out of child poverty duties

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletin/cypnow_daily/article/1071201/government-attempts-back-child-poverty-duties/

By Neil Puffett Friday, 20 May 2011

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The government is attempting to relinquish its duty to report annually on progress made to reduce child poverty.

Amendments to the Child Poverty Act have been tabled by government

The move is among a number of key amendments to the Child Poverty Act as part of the Welfare Bill’s progression through parliament that will have implications for the way child poverty is monitored.

The latest steps follow the publication of the government’s long-awaited child poverty strategy last month, which outlined plans for a social mobility and child poverty commission rather than a commission focused solely on child poverty.

In addition to making provision for a dual-role commission, the tabled amendments would result in a number of changes to the role of the commission as outlined in the original legislation.

These include:

• Removing the requirement for the government to receive consent from the commission if it wants to change targets in relation to persistent poverty
• Removing the requirement for the government to seek advice from the commission before publishing its annual child poverty strategy
• Removing the requirement for the Secretary of State to pay regard to any advice given by the commission before publication
• Likewise, the necessity for the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Northern Ireland to request, and take heed of, advice of the commission prior to publishing their strategies is also proposed to be removed
• The government will no longer have to report annually on its progress in reducing child poverty, but make a statement instead

A briefing note on the amendments said: "We believe that the commission can have the greatest effect through being able to hold the government to account on progress towards eradicating child poverty.

"In order to do this, the current provisions relating to the commission and its powers need to be revised."

Tim Nicholls, spokesman for the Child Poverty Action Group, said he has concerns about the changes. "Although the government say they want accountability to be stronger, this may actually make it weaker," he said

a devastated grandmother.

If anyone would like to communicate with this lady, i will pass on your details.

Margaret

Hi - I am a 61 year old grandparent who has been stopped from seeing my granddaughter by my son 18 months ago. Initially I went to a Solicitor and was going ahead with trying through the courts to gain some kind of visiting access. Unfortunately, as the weeks went by I started to get chest pains with all the stress and decided that I just couldn't face going into a court room. More importantly I came to the decision that taking my own son to court or having my granddaughter know in later years about this nightmare situation could do her more harm than good.

I came across your web site page today and I firmly believe that it should not take a court appearance to get to see your own grandchild. I brought up four children, I don't smoke, drink and never taken drugs. Never been convicted of any criminal offence, worked hard for my family and paid all my taxes. It's so unfair and so heartbreaking, just because of a row or disagreement with the father/mother of a grandchild they can have this power, for no other reason, and stop all contact.

Never mind my loss the child's loss is more important. My granddaughter loved to stay with me and was very close to me, we had so much fun. She has no say in the matter, she was 8 this month. I seen her last June (once in the past 18 months) and to hear her say 'I miss you nannies' absolutely torn me apart. I wonder every night how my own son could do something like this but he did.

I don't want to join a group to get back at him I want someone somewhere to sit up and listen to us decent grandparents. So if I can be of any help to Grandparents Apart could you please direct or advise me please.

Mature Times wants grandparents to contact them

On 19 May 2011 10:59, Helen O'Brien <helen@medavia.co.uk> wrote:

Dear Jimmy,

Many thanks for your time on the phone this morning.

As discussed, I’m writing a piece for the June issue of Mature Times on the ‘Lost Generation’.

I’m looking to speak to two or three sets of grandparents who fear they’ll never see their grandchildren again.

Perhaps the parents have divorced and now the parent(s) is keeping the grandchildren apart from one set of grandparents?

The grandparent(s) would need to be willing to be named and pictured in the piece.

If you could put me in touch with some grandparents who are affected by this issue and are willing to take part I would be really grateful.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Best wishes,

Helen

Helen O'Brien | Features Editor

MEDAVIA | Media Consultants

39 Alma Vale Road | Bristol | BS8 2HL

T: 0117 973 3730

helen@medavia.co.uk | www.medavia.co.uk

Loughton promises action on child exploitation

Loughton promises action on child exploitation
Children's minister Tim Loughton has pledged to step up the government's efforts to tackle child exploitation.

Teenage Foster Kids out in the cold.

On the National news tonight:- The authorities are looking for Foster Carers for teenagers.

They have snatched so many babies that there is a backlog, no-one wants teenagers that have been in the care system. You might think the money for caring is good but 3 out of 5 of these cases end in disaster with bad effect on the family who thought they were helping.

The kids from care are ausually resentful and unmanageable, have little incentive or qualifications to look for work, and little respect for society. If you take on these kids you are taking on big trouble, . How many will join the gangs that are now growing out of proportion in our cities because they find comfort in a gang that was they were robbed of when they were young..

It is now costing the authorities so much more to deal with the backlog of teenagers. Had they looked at grandparents more closely in the beginning for caring for these kids there would not be a queue of children who are often regarded as non achievers. Kids kept within the family (Kinship Care) do so much better than kids raised in care. Families are not perfect but the truth is kids are treated a whole lot better with family than in care.

Social services policies are destroying our children:- Snatching, Grooming them by telling them no one wants them and force adopting them to just about anybody they can get to take them which deprives them of their self esteem.

The last blog i put on here tells about the kids that are physically and sexually abused in care. Would you want an abuser in your family?

http://chatterboxblogforyou.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-than-third-of-young-people-say.html

More than a third of young people say they have been either sexually or physically attacked by another child

Lots of our grandparents have reported assaults like this when their grandchildren are taken into care. It is one of the reasons why grandparents are banned by social services so the children cannot tell them about it.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletin/youth_work_news/article/1069827/third-young-people-attacked-child/

Third of young people have been attacked by another child

By Joe Lepper Thursday, 12 May 2011

f of all attacks victims were left injured and one in 10 were knocked unconscious. Image: Beatbullying

The Beatbullying survey of 1,000 16- to 25-year-olds found that 37 per cent had been attacked before they were 18 years old by someone of the same age group.

Of these attacks a quarter were sexual assaults carried out when the victim was under 16 years old.

A similar proportion of attacks involved a weapon. In half of all attacks victims were left injured and one in 10 were knocked unconscious.

The survey also looked at the effect of being attacked on victims’ lives. It was found victims were three times as likely to be in trouble with police than those who had never been assaulted by another child.

One respondent said: "I got sexually abused by a best friend’s brother, and I got very depressed. I came home to a destructive family and was continually threatened... my past still affects me to this day."

One in five victims went on to have an eating disorder, 17 per cent had been prescribed antidepressants and eight per cent had run away from home while they were children.

Emma-Jane Cross, chief executive of Beatbullying, said: "Our research reveals the severity of modern-day bullying. We’re a long way from playground name calling, with child-on-child violence and sexual violence frighteningly frequent for many young people.

"Society needs to take action and tackle this epidemic head on as a community and no longer perceive severe bullying to be an issue confined only within the school gates.

SNP. Is God having problems

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has launched a thinly-veiled attack on members of his own party who have criticised the SNP's "independence lite" strategy.More info...

Now that SNP have got everyone conned they are still trying to force through a minimum price on alcohol which will have devastating effects on the chi

SNP know very well how to deal with the alcohol problem in Scotland the reasons they pussyfoot is they do not want to rub their supermarket millionaire voter friends the wrong way by reducing their profits. They prefer to subject children deeper into poverty by hiking the price of drink knowing full well that a problem drinker will get their drink first despite the cost and the families will get what is left, if any in a lot of cases.. The more it goes up the less there will be to feed the family.

Hiking the price of alcohol is unfair and deprives people who use it wisely. In general people will plan ahead for celebrations A fairer system is to set the normal price and not make alcohol so readily available.

The target should be the alcoholic it is their problem and must be tackled with full force with no let up. Families have no training in dealing with the problem drinker. Their usual coping mechanism is to try and hide the problem to save embarrassment. Lack of money means the children exist on handouts from friends or relatives and wear hand me down clothes that never fit right. They are usually neglected and unwashed as the drinker is sleeping their booze off. Like the NSPCC advert they usually go home to a punch and need to look in bin bags for something to eat.

An alcoholic is not necessarily a down and out. They can be drinkers in a well paid position who consume large amounts but if it is not tackled the inevitable end is the same. It is well known that 60% of NHS beds are occupied by alcohol patients. The crime rate is so high because of alcohol that the police can barely cope.

If alcohol was invented tomorrow it would be banned immediately as a dangerous drug. It is only tolerated because the government, producers and people involved in the selling of it make so much money from it. Now the harm caused by alcohol is exceeding the income the governments are frantic to find a way around it and still keep the money rolling in. but the nature of alcohol is addiction and they are fighting a losing battle. The only way to tackle it is to ban it all together but I cannot see that happening.

Alcohol producers and dealers in alcohol must take their place in tackling the alcohol problem by doing more to treat alcoholics.

Some steps to help reduce the effects of alcohol abuse on children

1, Proven problem drinkers should be made to attend counselling by law.

2, The age for purchasing alcohol should be raised to 21 making it easier for shop assistants to spot under age buyers.

3, Happy hours should be totally banned.

4, Cheap offers in supermarkets should be stopped.

5, Using alcohol for promotions should be an offence.

6, Outlets for selling alcohol should be reduced.

SNP facing backlash on 'indy lite'

http://www.scotsman.com/news/SNP-facing-backlash-on-39indy.6768400.jp

By Tom Peterkin and Eddie Barnes

THE backlash against the SNP's plans for a watered-down form of Scottish independence has begun, with activists criticising Alex Salmond's party for failing to fight for a complete break from the rest of the UK.

SNP lowers sights to 'independence-lite'

http://www.scotsman.com/news/SNP-lowers-sights-to-39independencelite39.6767994.jp?articlepage=3

Published Date: 14 May 2011

By Tom Peterkin

Senior figures within the SNP now believe a full breakaway from the rest of the United Kingdom is no longer the best short-term option for Scotland.

Hamish The Haggis Hunter.

Oor Hamish is a fearless hunter braving the howling gales and blizzard like dangers of the Scottish highlands where a man can be frozen to death in seconds and blown off the mountain and fall thousands of feet to his death just to put haggis on the menu for thousands of English lovers of Scottish cuisine.

There are two types of Haggis, Mountain haggis that have a thick shaggy coat to keep out the cold and two legs longer on the one side for running round mountains. The lowland Haggis has a short coat and four legs all of the same size because of the more level terrain of the area. They have strong jaws for raiding the bins in the back courts and tearing the wrappers of the chicken suppers dropped by the bevy merchants of Glesca.

The next time you eat a haggis spare a thought for Hamish and his fellow hunters.

“David Cameron has asked Scotland Yard to review the disappearance of Madeleine McCann because of the "exceptional" nature of the case.”

This was the Sky News Headline today at 5.00pm and I have to say I welcome any investigation in to the disappearance of children, but that is not what the Prime Minister is saying,

Mr Cameron is signalling out the tragedy that has fallen poor Madeleine McCann and we pray that something positive will come from this investigation and that Madeleine can be united with her long suffering parents.

That said there was a Protest March held on the 4^th May 2011 to Downing Street which unfortunately I was unable to attend, but a petition was handed in to draw the Prime Minister’s attention to the plight of children and to draw his attention to the large numbers of children that go missing in this country every year and I copy part of a letter sent to me that has been sent to the Prime Minister.

“According to the press as of today, you have stated that the case of Madeline McCann is Governments primary concern and has always been and remains for her safe return, and that the police via government will now have a full enquiry, that is wonderful, but what about the thousands of children stolen sold and missing never to be seen again by grandparents fathers and families because of the corruption and billions of pounds, it is amazing that you can relate to one families plea and ignore the plea of thousands Including Mr. Hemming MP Mr. Amess Mp and Mr. Booker.

I will gladly pay for your time, if you make an appointment to speak to Mr. Hemming or Mr. Amess, other than that, if you still refuse to accept that we have a huge corruption within social services, which needs a full investigation, then you leave me with no choice but to continue the campaign against Government and this I will do with the masses and the media, I still find it difficult to believe the news today, that Mr. and Mrs. McCann have priority of your support for one child missing, when I and many others have written personally regarding the thousands of children stolen, including you ignoring Mr. Hemming and Mr. Amess. WHY”

This I agree is pretty powerful stuff to write you about, and I do not wish to scare or frighten anybody but I am hearing too much about children being taken from families by the Children’s Agencies and by others who sell children into slavery, consequently because of these atrocities there really needs to be a thorough earnest investigation as to what is actually going regarding children in our beloved country in these times.

I can sympathise with anyone who has lost contact with a child as it is like a death in the family, but never to hear about, or see the child again is just unbearable and in a modern society is as callous, as it is wicked, and cruel and should not be tolerated, but we who are plain ordinary citizens are powerless to put a stop to this and only the politicians and the courts have the power to effect that change that will protect our children which is so vital and necessary.

Our children should be protected in the first instance by the United Nations “Convention on the Rights of the Child” and governments should recognise the essentiality of the need for a “Charter for Grandchildren” which would give families a say in what happens to their children.

If you allow me I will return to this subject again.

My continued thanks for your support.

Frank Bradfield,

Grandparent Apart Wales,

14 Amalfi Court,

Craig-y-Don Parade.

Llandudno.

LL30 1BH

Telephone No 01492 874 395

Why the Scottish Government want no resolution for family disputes.

There were candidates in the All Scotland Pensioners Party sworn to work very hard to be elected to speak up in Parliament for Grandparents, Pensioners, Families, and Disabled but sadly it was not enough. Now SNP have just about got everything under their control and an unchallenged government is not a healthy government for people like us.

SNP have proven they are not interested in us by booting the Charter for Grandchildren out of Parliament and passing it to the local authorities who in turn claim it is not their problem but a Government responsibility. Now it is in limbo. Grandparents/grandchildren as well as families, pensioners and disabled are very low on their priority list. How they can justify that? We are all among the poorest in Europe.

Children are the backbone of any nation and it is how they are treated and reared that determines just about everything in society. When there are stable happy children they grow up to take there place in a decent society and pass on what they have been taught. But if they are not treated with respect and fairness as in forced adoption, snatched into care and fostered out to strangers it destroys them mentally emotionally spiritually and in the end physically when they turn to gangs, drugs, drink with little respect for the rest of us and costing three times as much keeping them in jail.

The governments know very well what is needed to resolve these problems but there is not much profit in happy families. It is in their best interests for families to war with each other as family law is a huge wage earner for lawyers courts, adoption agencies, foster carer’s, social services and just about every professional who work in the welfare of children. The little money the government does put into it is a drop in the ocean compared to what is earned from it and they are now cutting costs which mean less to improving services and more you will have to pay to get justice.

Woman’s Aid is an organisation funded by the government who work against bringing families together by alienating all male members and grandparents of a child’s family and keeping the family war going. They tutor mothers how to avoid all contact even if a child loves their grandparents. Their first priority is mothers and this often conflicts with the best interests of children when it robs children of grandparents and family that have done no wrong. The Scottish Government recently acknowledged my concerns about this and gave me Woman’s Aid contacts but they have refused me their constitution or even to meet us to seek to resolve the issue but so far there has been no further correspondence from them or the Scottish Government

Family Needs Fathers (FnF) is another organisation funded by the government. Believe it or not FnF in Scotland is run by a practising social worker who tells their members she can’t do this or that because she is a social worker. They get funding for their 30 + years of getting nowhere and have a plush new office in Edinburgh for holding meetings for fathers to blow off steam but never do anything worthwhile. Guys!! You need to waken up to how you are being manipulated!!!!!

By the government funding these organisations the they have proven to be actively against happy families and the only reason can be is what I have just described, no profit in happy families. Unless we fight and expose this two faced farce there will be no easier contact for grandparents, no better pensions for older people, and no fair family laws, the disabled will be no better off. Rich fat cat lawyers get richer on your misery. The Scottish Sun stated we were underdogs. Were they right?