When I worked as an operational officer there were difficulties arounddealing with children on the brink of getting into trouble. They weren'tnecessarily up to no good, but were acting in ways that fell below thethreshold at which social workers could intervene. And their parentsdidn't see it as a problem.
One night we came across an eight-year-old. It was one o'clock in themorning and he was out with his brother, who was 16, and a group of hismates, all between 15 and 17. They were just knocking cans about, makinga noise.
But his brother was known to us as an offender. We wanted to stop theeight-year-old also becoming involved. To him it was a game. And hewanted to please his older brother.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
