Book recommendation…
How to Live Dangerously: Why We Should All Stop Worrying, and Start Living (Paperback) by Warwick Cairns (Author) We live in a society governed by Fear. Packets of peanuts 'may contain nuts', our children are locked away safe indoors, and we are encouraged to fear risks that previous generations took for granted. The result is […]
Times and parents serious
Parents too serious about fun and games Parents who wrap their children in cotton wool and curb their sense of adventure risk turning them into adults who struggle to deal a challenge, a study has found. Half of children have been stopped from climbing trees Photo: Andrew Crowley More on …
Appeals case changes all
The edge of reason A landmark case involving a serious injury suffered during a climbing activity signals a move by the judiciary to encourage personal responsibility. Roddy Macleod gives a run-down of the case that could change the way duty of care is perceived in future Earlier this month the Court of Appeal handed […]
Over Safety prevents children knowing what they can really do
'Yo! Sushi' Leader, Lord Digby Jones, Head Teachers and Industry team up to challenge 'over-safety' culture. The Times, 10.07.08 Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo! Sushi and a judge on the BBC show Dragons' Den, has told The Times that children must be exposed to more danger to help them to cope with the daily risk-taking […]
Esther Rantzen, Daily Mail Article
Esther Rantzen "I blame myself for this rubbish. By revealing the extent of child abuse in the BBC TV programme Childwatch in the Eighties, I was part of the revolution in child protection which created these insidious jobsworths. All we intended to do was alert viewers to the truth – that most child abuse happens […]
Trust in Society
Trust, Truth & Integrity BBC Radio 4 'Thinking Aloud' covered aspects of trust in its 020708 programme. To hear it again: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/ta/?focuswin And for the Reith Lectures "A Question of Trust" click-through: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2002/
Trust, integrity and reliability – seeking realism and balance
Trust in our society….: Through 2008 we shall be looking at the place of trust in our society, particularly the damage done through a lack of trust – in our parent, in adults, in teachers and youth workers and in organisations, large and small. The campaign's agenda states: 2.2.4 To reinforce the key principle that […]
HSE – State the case
The Editor Daily Mail Northcliffe House 2 Derry Street London W8 5TT letters@dailymail.co.uk Dear Sir If William Bewley's assertion ('Scouting for leaders', 7 May) that health and safety is a barrier to people volunteering to become Scout leaders is true then we should all be very concerned. Children need to learn about the importance of […]
The end of bouncy castle fun?
Rachel Johnson comments on the Bouncy castle case. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rachel_johnson/article3907218.ece Extract: "No, I thought Rospa was in the game of encouraging people to take reasonable steps to prevent accidents, not egging them on to sue anyone they can. I thought that judges these days were supposed to take the principles behind the Compensation Act 2006 into […]
Cold and down-hearted…..
Station champagne romance hits health and safety buffers: Marie Woolf Whitehall Editor The railway station bar, once a classic venue for romantic encounters, has fallen victim to the health and safety police. In its 140-year history, St Pancras has survived steam trains, bombing raids and a massive electrification programme — but a candle was too […]