BBC Radio 4 2016-03-31

BBC Radio 4 2016-03-31

Yesterday the Howard League for Penal Reform published its concerns that children in care homes, legally defined as, “looked after” are being disproportionately criminalized in England and Wales.

Between 2014-2015 police across 16 forces were called to over 10,000 residential homes. In 12 of the 16 forces, the number of incidences rose significantly over the previous 12 months.

But as ever, the story behind the headlines unveils conflicting accounts of what is happening to our children.

The police are concerned about being called out to what they describe as, “minor incidents which would otherwise be dealt with in a family environment.” But ‘looked after’ children simply cannot be compared to our idealized family settings with 2.5 kids the dog, cat and holidays in Disneyland.

The Howard League talk of “wonderful young people” neglected by highly paid carers, who in turn claim to be amongst “the most scrutinized and accountable” of public services.

Yesterday’s conflicting responses from the agencies concerned left me with a sense of anguish about the children’s futures.

A close friend running a small charity housing and educating some of our most restless and volatile children tells me of the turmoil involved in caring for deeply disturbed children with a traumatized past and uncertain future.

Caught between an uNPRedictable youngster, unrelenting bureaucracy and demanding Ofsted inspections, it can be hard to spot the concerted effort for a child’s future.

No one doubts that we all want the best for children. Keeping them in our focus as this report does is an important start. And despite the serious blemishes in the Church’s own record, this focus also screams at us all from the pages of the Bible.

Children, and widows are presented to us as a priority concern for society. St Luke, the Church’s first historian draws them from the periphery of his own cultural setting and puts them at the centre of Jesus’ ministry. “Let the children come to me,” said Jesus, “for this is what heaven looks like.”

And in St James’ striking statement, true religion is to remember the orphans and widows and to prevent one’s soul from being polluted.

But also, it happens best, when we work together.

This year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Dr. Barnados first children’s home its worth remembering his word of caution: “Only disaster, “ he said “can follow divided counsels and opposing wills.”