How valuable is a child's life?
Not enough for anybody watching last night's 'Whistleblower' programme (BBC1 20.00). It's not often I get to see the TV nowadays, but this programme was rivetting for all the wrong reasons.
One can only describe the undercover findings as a 'horror show'. I suspect that many parents will wake this morning with yet more concerns of little Johnny or little Emily at their local nursery (whether or not unfounded).......
The show investigated 3 different child care agencies - two with particular industry reputations. The fact that no CRB checks (or any checks for that matter) were undertaken and the problems with resourcing were highlighted.
The fact that recent deaths have occurred in nurseries does not seem to have made much difference to some of those running them.
Exploitative senior management, poor operational management and some very questionable regulation practice all contribute to the risk of more serious incidents occurring.
Some of the scenes I have to say were quite shocking. It seems in the rush to get everybody back to work an industry has grown up on the side without proper regulation.
I'm sorry but any nursery which has a hint of not meeting any standards from good regulated inspection has one option - CLOSEDOWN. PERIOD. No ifs, No buts - just closure, the whole company.FULL-STOP.
OFSTED did not come out of the programme very well, at all, and one wonders just how good their inspections are. Of course, TARGETS, and their over-focus, yet again reared their little ugly heads.
Personally, I find looking after two 1-year olds, in small doses, as taxing as it gets (mine do not go to nursery - yet) so how the 'resourcing limit of 'three' is acceptable practice (and not adhered to on last night's evidence) is an interesting question in itself.
Not so much talent as incompetence. And I don't believe the 'rogue nursery' story either. Just as in finance/transport/energy etc, there's a culture in place that allows stuff like this to happen.
If it comes down to the fact that the business models of nurseries doesn't work then something needs to be done. What price a child's life?
