Consider the following hypothetical : If your child’s future was financially secure would you strongly encourage them to pursue academic attainment? (I’m making the assumption that many of us put a premium on such things in the absence of untold riches. An education is at least some competitive edge in this economically Hobbesian world of … Continued
In my last blog I spoke about the lack of resources in our care system which are committed to recognising and treating the long term effects of early life events on children in care. A related issue, but unaddressed in the last blog, concerns the events that precipitate intervention and action by a social worker. … Continued
I had a friend of mine came over for coffee and a chat last Saturday (I do occasionally get an hour or so off) and she spent most of it bemoaning a fine she had received though the post. That horrid word usually denotes the unwanted attention of some dreary traffic warden or some finger … Continued
How many people does it take to make a baby? If your answer is two, I’m afraid you may well be wrong. The House of Lords, following a ‘vote of conscience’ by its MPs have made Britain the first country to legalise mitochondrial transfer, a controversial IVF procedure which aims to eliminate inherited mitochondrial diseases. … Continued
It seems incredible to think that in one part of the United Kingdom the life of its citizens can be so different from the rest. I refer of course to Northern Ireland. It may come as surprise to you that our legal systems are not entirely uniform. One striking point of divergence is the law … Continued
Professor Richard Layard and his colleagues at the Wellbeing research programme at the London’s School of Economics’ centre for Economic performance, have reached a perhaps obvious but nonetheless important conclusion that…. having an emotionally healthy childhood is the key to happiness in later life. And furthermore, that being a happy child begets a happy satisfied … Continued
We hear an awful lot about the problems with young people today. The headlines tend to favour the negative stories such as the ASBOs, underage pregnancies, the increasing frequency of teenage on adult violence and so on, but I have some real sympathy for what children face today. Consider what we now know about the … Continued
As knowledge of science and the human animal move forward it becomes ever more apparent of the interrelational nature of things. Our species has a propensity to compartmentalise the world and to some degree this makes sense. To deal with everything in its entirety is overwhelming, impractical and impossible. However, there are circumstances in which … Continued
You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to help a fella I was digging around in a drawer the other day, when I came across an old article from the Sunday Times. It had the emotive title, ‘Stars’ backing ‘cannot save’ kids’ charity’. It was a small piece about Kids Company, the worthy initiative founded … Continued
With a severe lack of mental health funding in this country it is perhaps not surprising that there is not much in the pot for those suffering from postnatal depression. This issue, specifically the lack of consideration it generally receives, seems to crop up in one newspaper or another with depressing regularity. It is often … Continued