Council bans parents from play areas

[Posteritatis]

Source: Telegraph

Only council-vetted "play rangers" are now allowed to monitor youngsters in two adventure areas in Watford while parents must watch from outside a perimeter fence.

The Watford Borough Council policy has been attacked as insulting and a disgrace by furious relatives who say they are being labelled as potential paedophiles.

. . .

Parents already have to 'register' their child on arrival at the free playgrounds so staff have their contact details in the event of an accident.

But now only those who have been CRB vetted by the council can enter the sites, which are surrounded by six foot high steel and wooden fences.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/6453268/Council-bans-parents-from-play-areas.html?sms_ss=facebook

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I suppose this makes sense, since statistically speaking the random strangers supervising the parks are less likely to abuse the kids than their own pare - I mean, what are those idiots thinking?

And I thought the US and Canada were getting good at taking paranoia too far.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. What happens when a kid falls down, or cries? The play rangers won't be allowed

to touch the child to comfort him/her for concerns of accusations of child abuse and the parents can't cuddle their own child.

[WriteDown]

2. The very term "Play Ranger" sounds creepy. nt

[Tikki]

3. In my experience many of the parents are just..

gabbing away on their cell phones the whole time, anyway.

This way those children won't see how totally disinterested their parents are in
watching them.


Tikki

[peace13]

6. Parents who talk on the phone while walking or watching their kids play disturbs me.

I remember my time outside with my son and as time when we would talk and laugh and enjoy the world together. Nothing like a mom or dad pushing a stroller with an ipod stuck in their ear. How is it that these folks don't get it?

[Tikki]

8. I worked at a preschool...

A parent had to volunteer ONE day a month.
Sure enough, there was a group (larger than you want to know) who
would gab away on their cell phones all during recess...while their
little one would tug away on their pant leg or skirt hem.


Tikki
ps...after a few minutes of watching these kids being ignored we would interact with those children
in front of their parent in hopes they would get the hint...alas, some didn't.

[Posteritatis]

9. Yes, so let's just ban them all from playgrounds!

Everyone knows playgrounds are the only places where children could see parents acting disinterested, so if we declare them all criminals there, the problem will go away.

[Tikki]

19. No one believes that.......n/t

[Crowman1979]

4. I don't know which is more pathetic, the militia groups in the US or the play rangers in the UK.

[Posteritatis]

10. The former's more likely to breed vertebrates, sadly. (nt)

[peace13]

5. Insanity.

I saw a cub scout almost drown at day camp one year. All of the parent volunteers were kept outside the fenced area at the pool while the boy scouts in charge tested the little kids to see if they could swim. Well, one of the little boys gave out in the deep end of the pool and it took five adults yelling for help before the teenager even jumped in to pull the youngster out. It was awful. The playground will have the same pitfalls I fear. What has the world come to?

[Kali]

7. actualy statistics show it IS parents/relatives/someone known that

are most often the molesters/abusers

[maglatinavi]

11. Kali

Sure, parents, relatives, etc. who molest children would do their henious acts in public parks in front of every one... sure ... give me a breack!!! :yoiks: :yoiks: :yoiks: :yoiks:

[katkat]

12. adventure areas

Sound wooded, easy to grab a child.

I have to say I think if I had a kid, I would not let them out of my sight, even attended by "play rangers," whom I suspect are not that great at watching the kids.

[Posteritatis]

16. It's just another term for "playground." (nt)

[Kali]

15. it was a comment more on WHO abuses rather than where

and wouldn't your criteria (public parks in front of every one) also apply to the strangers watching the kids in the OP article?

[demwing]

13. Isn't that an obvious conclusion?

Don't young childrens spen MUCH MORE time with parents/relatives/someone known?

Take kids away from their parents, and put them with strangers, and watch that statistic change...

[Kali]

14. of course at some point those "strangers" become known so...

my point was really about the misplaced paranoia we have and continue to pass on to our kids

stranger danger!:scared: :eyes:
teaching fear instead of common sense

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. What parent in their right mind would allow a child

to become accustomed to being in a prison like fenced area?
what parent would allow themselves to become accustomed to being told they cannot supervise their own kid?
I would not allow my kids within a mile of that place, if it were here.

[Posteritatis]

18. If the only other option is keeping them leashed to their front door...

I'm more than a little surprised that people allowed that sort of thing to happen and aren't fighting it tooth and nail, though. Even for Britain that's a bit much.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

20. This Torygraph piece turns out to be horseshite

Contrary to reports in the media, Watford Borough Council has not banned parents from public parks and playgrounds in the town!

We have simply reiterated that the fully supervised play sessions we run at our adventure playgrounds - Harebreaks and Harwoods - are for children aged 5 -15 years old, and that parents/carers of children and young people who visit these play sessions are not able to stay on site with their children during play sessions. This reduces any potential risks to children and ensures they are able to play freely.

The adventure playground play sessions are fully supervised and we employ CRB checked staff to run the facilities in the best way they see fit.

This is no different to other fully supervised facilities, like schools, playgroups or nurseries - where adults are not allowed to stay.

Parents and carers are, of course, welcome to bring their children safely into the sites and settle them in, but only aged children aged 5 - 15 year olds are permitted to stay for the sessions .

We are aware that there may be circumstances where there is a need for a parent/carer to stay on site, if this is the case please feel free to contact us to discuss so we can consider your needs before making a final decision.

If parents aren't happy leaving their children - there are lots of other options open to them. In the town, there are 4 community centres, 5 children’s centres, over 40 areas of park and playgrounds, as well as a museum, two libraries... These are also free to attend and open to everyone.

http://angrymob.uponnothing.co.uk/home/70-newspaper-lies/755-contrary-to-media-reports

[non sociopath skin]

21. Thanks for that, AS

I had a feeling that this might be more "anti-politically correct" bullshit served up by the gutter press to keep the mouth-breathers hyped up. And, of course, all the usual suspects salivated on stimulus.

Pity they have nothing better to do.

The Skin

[Anarcho-Socialist]

22. Despite the fact it's been debunked

Richard Littlejohn is still going to do the story tomorrow for the Daily Fail (according to Tabloid Watch http://twitter.com/tabloidwatch).

"You couldn't make it up!" But Littlejohn usually does.

[non sociopath skin]

23. Usually?

:evilgrin:

Still, I'm sure that John Littledick spends many anxious nights tossing and turning (though mainly tossing) in his gated community in Florida, worried about what might be happening in Watford in his absence ...

The Skin

[fedsron2us]

24. Littlejohn is like a stuck record

playing the same few notes over and over gain until the monotony of it all drives everyone to distraction. It is not just that his reactionary views that get on my tits but the fact he lacks even the slightest tinge of originality, wit or talent. How he managed to get Dacre to give him such a lucrative contract is one of lifes great mysteries. There must be other right wing nutters out there who can do the job better and cheaper.