Today on social media we shared the Education Committee’s report “The forgotten: how White working-class pupils have been let down, and how to change it.” The report shows how White British pupils eligible for free school meals persistently underperform compared with peers in other ethnic groups, from early years through to higher education. The statistics …
Category «Family Policy»
The Trouble with Teens and ‘transphobia’
Before I had my own kids, it was easy to be self-righteous and pronounce judgement on parents whom I presumed to be making bad decisions. On seeing a crying toddler bribed with a bag of crisps or a baby in a buggy smeared with chocolate, I’d say to myself, “When I’m a mum I’ll never …
Controversial Scotland hate crime bill voted through by MSPs
The Scottish Government has passed its controversial Hate Crime Bill despite concerns being raised over its impact on freedom of speech. The new legislation creates a criminal offence of “stirring up hatred” against protected groups, on the grounds of religion, sexual orientation, age, disability and transgender identity. It expands on a similar race crime law …
Bulletin180: Winter 2020
Welcome to our Winter Bulletin! We hope you enjoy reading it and look forward to receiving any comments or questions about the concerns raised in this issue. Please email any comments to our Communications and PR Officer lucy.marsh@familyeducationtrust.org.uk In this issue… A Dark Day for Parents in Scotland In November, the Scottish courts passed a …
Unprotected: How the normalisation of underage sex is exposing children and young people to the risk of sexual exploitation
A new report by Norman Wells
The appalling revelations of systematic child abuse and exploitation in English towns and cities over the past few years have led to a considerable amount of soul-searching about the root causes of the crisis. This report draws attention to a neglected but critical aspect of the debate. It draws together the findings of a series of serious case reviews and an independent inquiry looking at the reasons why the abuse of so many young people was not picked up by professionals.
The report is utterly damning. A clear picture emerges of a culture in which underage sexual activity has come to be viewed as a normal part of growing up and seen as relatively harmless as long as it is consensual. It becomes clear that current approaches aimed at improving teenage sexual health have frequently facilitated and perpetuated the sexual abuse of vulnerable young people.