Protecting The Children

[Fintastic!]

My friend recommended this to me last Wed night. She said it was very sad but neglected to tell me that it is heartbreaking stuff to say the least. I cried buckets but couldn't turn it off as I was hoping for a happy ending, in particular for the 14 month old boy.
He's on my mind ever since and I'm sorry but his mother should be shot. Yes I mean it.

 

[micko]

What exactly do you mean?
I'm lost.

 

[coldcazzie]

TV programme?

 

[ZoddyZod]

was that the one about social workers?

not nice viewing.....I prefer to live in a cocoon where I'm not aware of such things.

 

[fluttermoth]

I avoided it all all costs.

I'm sure it's a very worthy programme and all, but I just get far too emotionally involved; and like you, OP, those things prey on my mind; sometimes for years afterwards, so cowardly it may be, but no, I didn't watch it.

 

[MBOU]

I hate how its such a sensitive subject that people would rather deny all knowledge off. Thats the shame. Even if you cant do anything... dont ignore it. If everyone just paid a littl more attention to whats going on around them...

My cousin works as a social worker type person but with young carers... when i lived with her she was telling me about the youngest 'carer' she had to work with was 4 years old she had to get herself up, dressed and feed herself and take her mum (who was very much chronically depressed) cups of tea and sandwhiches and stuff.

Would you ever expect your 4 year olds to do that?

And that was the nicer half of what she had to deal with!

I understand this kind of thing and seeing people say how shocking it is and then turning away? Bah..

 

[Cazgar]

I hate how its such a sensitive subject that people would rather deny all knowledge off. Thats the shame. Even if you cant do anything... dont ignore it. If everyone just paid a littl more attention to whats going on around them...

My cousin works as a social worker type person but with young carers... when i lived with her she was telling me about the youngest 'carer' she had to work with was 4 years old she had to get herself up, dressed and feed herself and take her mum (who was very much chronically depressed) cups of tea and sandwhiches and stuff.

Would you ever expect your 4 year olds to do that?

And that was the nicer half of what she had to deal with!

I understand this kind of thing and seeing people say how shocking it is and then turning away? Bah..

+1 we shouldn't pretend it doesn't happen & ignore it.
Tbh the thought of young children hang to be carers makes me very angry.
Even if you feel there's nothing you can do, a small donation to save the children or other child charities, every little helps.
Lobby your local Mp, make them take notice & do more

 

[ZoddyZod]

I never said i didn't support the work or charities involved, but I can not stomach knowing the desperate situation some children find themselves in. It's simply too sad for me to handle.

 

[Cazgar]

I quite understand Zoddy, it is upsetting.
Having been a carer for my elderly mother who had Alzheimer's, I know how hard it can be & the thought of a young child having to be a carer is just too hard to think about sometimes

 

[Fintastic!]

What exactly do you mean?
I'm lost.

It's a program following social workers in Bristol. Amoung other stories, I refer to the case of a 14 month old boy whose loving mother had shacked up with a known paedophile, who is classed as 'very high risk'. When they confronted the mother she said he was no threat and even 'does most of the nappy changes'. After 40 minutes of trying to get her to leave this monster, the social worker took the child from her there and then.
What really got me was the child wasn't a bit strange with any of the people he came into contact with then. At that age they start to get strange don't they? They put him with a foster family and the poor little thing seemed so happy there. His foster mother said he gets very distressed during nappy changes.
At the end we were none the wiser to his future. They said they give every chance to the mother to cop on basically. I'm sorry, I know it's an upsetting story. I can't get that poor child from my mind.
Sorry again for the subject matter folks.

I never said i didn't support the work or charities involved, but I can not stomach knowing the desperate situation some children find themselves in. It's simply too sad for me to handle.

I'm with you 100% on that one. I turned it on not knowing how sad it would be and once I started to watch it I couldn't turn it off as I wanted to find out if the little boy is ok. I won't be watching next week. No way. I'm going up now to hug my two kids (even though they drive me insane at the best of times!)

 

[fluttermoth]

I never said i didn't support the work or charities involved, but I can not stomach knowing the desperate situation some children find themselves in. It's simply too sad for me to handle.

Agreed!

I am very aware of these things, having relations who are teachers and carers, and suffering mental health issues myself. I do a fair bit of charity work myself too; I just don't watch the TV programmes!

 

[Fintastic!]

Hope I haven't upset anyone with my post! Didn't mean to...

 

[fluttermoth]

No, it's ok'; we didn't need to read or comment; you post about what you want to discuss

 

[Desdemona]

It is rough, reading about what some people go through both as kids and as adults. I am a psych major so I get to read all kinds of crazy things. It's depressing but I personally don't want to be in the dark. I find some of it fascinating and horrifying all at the same time (though I don't find anything fascinating about child abuse).

People are very good at fooling themselves when they want too. It is sad how many parents or relatives will deny child abuse that happens practically in front of their eyes. The ones that really make me angry are the ones who blame the kids and not the perp.

I wanted to be a social worker in HS (why I went into psychology) but after reading the kind of things they see I changed my mind. I think I'd turn vigilante.