NEEPS

earthroots · Neepster Joined: 12 Aug 2007 Posts: 146 Location: deeside

In England and Wales the implication that home educators are abusing their children is made in that they are being forced to register their children with Contactpoint which will result in home visits and children being interviewed without parents being present. The only reason given is that they are home educated -

I agree there are situations where children have the right or indeed should be interviewed without their parents being present - but this is a social work issue - not an education issue - just because a child is home educated doesn't mean they should be put on the 'at risk' category - this is offensive and an invasion of our civil liberties - our right to choose a lifestyle that may not be 'ordained' by the state and our right to not be viewed as something to be suspicious of.

To illustrate this point - those attending private schools don't have to register with Contactpoint whilst at the same time they are not subjected to the same inspections and standards as state schools. The children of 'celebrities' don't have to register with Contactpoint either.

The policies of Every Child Matters and the database Contactpoint have very serious implications on our childrens rights and welfare - more far reaching than the home ed community - so far in Scotland we're safe but as a parent I feel it's very important to keep an eye on these developments - I know of several families choosing to move to Scotland rather than have their families subjected to the failings of these policy changes
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