General Chat

Enough blame to go around ...



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/8514337.stm

While the authorities have come in for some criticism, many people in Handsworth have been forced to examine their own roles in this tragedy.

In court, some residents said they had seen a small child standing in the garden.
[She was punished by being forced to stand outside in February.]

Others said they were told not to let her eat stale bread they left out for the birds.

One couple, now moved away, heard screams of "let me out" from children inside an upstairs bedroom.

In the 18 months since Khyra died there has been a lot of time for reflection.

"We should have been able to see the warning signs. It's our own community," one lady said.

"If someone had said something it could have saved her life."

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Yeah, eh?

I can't imagine doing nothing if I saw a child on my block who was hungry enough to be eating stale bread put out for birds - at the very least, talking to the child about why she was doing it.

The father is schizophrenic. He believed "Khyra was possessed by an evil spirit". The mother was severely depressed. I wonder what the neighbours' excuses are.

There is a bill going through parliament so that children who are home educated will be seen, in the home, alone if deemed necessary. Whilst there are obvious objections to that ( a stranger left with ones child) in principle it seems sensible. Just as in principle children will be seen by doctors, health visitors, social workers, family, neighbours etc...so that no child will ever be put through what this little girl and Victoria Climbie and many others went through...but no system is fool proof, when appropriate training, numbers of staff and cash are not forthcoming.

LEA's will carry out the visits, but as yet no extra money or training has been forthcoming......

Don't give a toss what their mental state was/is.

Lock them up for a very long time and keep them away from vulnerable children forever.

Poor little soul :0(

I'm afraid the mentality of today's society is to "mind your own business" and not get "involved". That's why we have abused children and elderly people lying dead in their homes for days, weeks and even months. We are so careful of people's privacy that we find it easier to turn the other way rather than ask questions.

Sue xx

Gloucester Social services had a spot ofsted check and the report, while not atrocious, showed a lot of failings. They are to recruit (I think I have the number right) 60 new social workers. How are that many going to be trained in time for recruitment or are there that many out of work?

JG - I'm a nosy neighbour at times. We have a young couple living next door to us with a young baby. They cope marvellously but mum was having problems when the little one was teething. After hearing the baby crying much more than usual I went for a visit only to find mum in tears and at the end of her tether. All I did was take the baby out for a walk then home with me for a couple of hours while mum had a nap. Worked wonders. Then we went off to the doctors together and she was instructed on which painkillers would help. All done before dad came home from work.

Sue xx

sorry, that's my delete, i went to edit,,,,,,,,,,,,,,derrrrrrrrrrrr

I'll probably get shot down for it - But I think that the girls natural father is to blame also.
I have just seen an interview with him where he condems Social Services, But where was HE when his children were being starved? That doesn't happen overnight.
Whilst I do believe that SS have behaved apallingly in this case - I don't think the blame can be laid entirley on them.
Didn't these children have Aunts, Uncles, Nans, Grandads, Friends?

Pat

I was in a supermarket once and a toddler was wondering abt. Now I was certain his mum/dad was abt somewhere, but, you never know who else is lerking!!/..I followed him and then sure enough he found his folks..........GR8 I thought, but what if I had took him by the hand prior to that and took him to the CS desk? I may have got accussed of all sorts........

well actually, I wldnt have given a S***e cos a child safer is the best in my books, I have nothing to hide....

Oh dear JG - I didn't sound like a do-gooder did I:-)) I'm not one of those neighbours that's always sticking her nose in other peoples' business but I just like to be aware.

Sue xx

What's going on is that we are being turned against our own instincts and are virtually aliens on this planet. NOTHING is natural anymore and NOTHING sacred remains. These violent acts are a reaction to this. People are basically going mad.

Pat I am watching it on the news and the same thought crossed my mind.

He's surely 50% responsible for his daughters care FGS!!!!

There was something on the tv not that long ago schools in inner cities found it hard to always to keep watch over childrens attendance in school due to the young asian and eastern girls being sent back home to arranged marriages, and seemingly otherwise tragically to fall through the net, whilst being abused here in brutain.
I would never mind my own buisiness and have reported 2 families in the past ten years and will keep doing so, im also cheeky enough to ask questions , i feel awkward when i see achild looking lost but will watch that child till im convinced its with whoever its supposed to be with, i feel the same about approaching and really understand people feeling awkward i would intervene if it went on to long but keep as public as possible asking another member of the public to call the police.

IF my daughters were living with their Dad and he wouldn't let me in to see them even ONE time....I'd have the door kicked down I'm afraid. x

Muffy - Me too!!

It made me feel sick, all the people in the world who would dearly love a child, and animals like this mother has a fridge stuffed with food and starves children......

I hope she gets a really tough time in prison.......miss all her bags of crisps and fizzy pop in there, won't she....... I can't use the swearwords I cussed at the telly, but I bet I am not alone.....

You're not hon.

In my opinion it was MURDER pure and simple.

Anything less is an insult to that poor girl xx

I see it that way too Muffy, but the do gooders of this country will let them nasty b****ds off on the grounds of "mentally ill" and all that BS..............

Oh well let's all do whatever and plead mental Illness ffs

Yeah ... "do-gooders" ... people who actually know what the * they are talking about when it comes to mental illness. Fortunately, people who have mental illnesses aren't yet left to the opinions of people who don't know what they're talking about.

You'll forgive me. I become about as angry about ignorant, vicious comments about people with mental illnesses - illnesses that generally make their own lives a misery - as some here do about abused children.

I have no problem getting all indignant about both, in fact.

My righteous indignation about one just doesn't blind me to the reality of the other.

Delusional mental illness and debilitating depression are real. Hard to deal with - for the people who have it and the people whose lives they affect and the people responsible for protecting other people from the people who have it. But real. Anybody who denies that ... well, dishonest, delusional themselves, wilfully uninformed, clinically self-righteous, I dunno. One of those things I'll just never understand.

Janey, we all become indignant about ill informed opinions ! but just because mental illness is a real and cruel reality does not mean that psychiatrists are infallible does it? that they never get a diagnosis wrong, any more than a doctor working on physical symptoms might?

You were happy enough to tar home educators with the narcissistic, criminal, mentally ill brush...and your qualifications to do so are?????