Camila Batmanghelidjh claimed in today’s crime debate that it’s the general public – including the Tory faithful – who must take primary responsibility for increasing crime and disorder perpetrated by dysfunctional youths.
Camila runs Kids Company in South London, a cutting-edge charity providing a broad range of services to some of the most damaged and vulnerable young people in the capital. Many of these young peoples’ parents are drug addicts, and their off-spring often find themselves – through no fault of their own – living the same chaotic lifestyles. Brutalisation at an early age can do irreparable damage to a child’s developing mind. Their instinct for survival kicks in and behaviour becomes erratic and sometimes violent.
In her hard-hitting speech, Camila powerfully argued that we are all culpable for society’s failure to offer adequate protection to the most vulnerable children. Social services and the care system in urban boroughs are at breaking point. Camila has conducted her own research that lays this failure bare. In one inner-London borough over 7,000 children were referred to social services by concerned citizens. Of these, less than 2,000 received an assessment. Of those who did, only 215 got on to the official “at risk” register – and half of these were moved off within a year due to shortage of resources.
The delegate sitting next to me dismissed Camila’s speech as a rant, but that’s a cop-out. Her language is so impassioned because Kidsco daily has to pick up of the pieces of lives that have suffered profound and often preventable damage through statutory and societal neglect. Although I disagree with her in an number of areas, I was proud to have Camila on stage at my party’s conference. What should Conservative local authorities response to Camila’s message be? (For more information on the work of Kidsco, read Camila’s inspiring book Shattered Lives: Children who live with dignity and courage).
PS I got an unexpected call from Polly Toynbee who wanted more information on Camila’s speech. She was disappointed that it hadn’t dealt with whether voluntary groups should take over statutory children’s services. Don’t be surprised if Polly uses her Guardian column to suggest Conservatives will harm children by rushing to roll-back the state.
I watched Camilas entire speech and thought she ruined the point she wanted to make her own hyperbole.Whilst I'm sure Camilas own experiences must make her very angry and it is easy for a comfortable middle class man like me to criticise. But if she wants to influence an audience like this one she must choose her arguments and language much much more carefully.We are NOT all culpable for society's failure to do anything.I daresay that most people in this country do not have the first idea what goes on in care homes.Camila does and it is her job to educate those who have the power to make changes and I would suggest she would be much more likely to achieve that if she was calm, factual and rational.I don't think Camila was any of those which might explain the very desultory applause for her speech and your neighbours comment.It's a shame, the job she does is extremely worthwhile and the fate of children in our care homes is a national tragedy.
Posted by: malcolm | October 02, 2006 at 07:24 PM
I hate to break it to anyone who thinks malcolm is right that Camilla used hyperbole and that we are not all to blame for the terrible situation faced by looked-after children and others at risk. In Gloucestershire most looked-after children can expect to be ignored during their period of care as social workers are overwhelmed. When they are kicked out of the care system at 16 most of them can expect to spend time in prison and almost none of them will have had a worthwhile education. The State has not only been a poor parent but an actively wicked one.
We are to blame because we stopped accepting common responsibility for outcomes. Andrew Lansley seems to be prepared to talk about this and IDS is doing some great work with the SJ commission from what I've heard on the radio. Those of us with comfortable lives might like to think it's all exagerrated but it isn't. 10 years of socialism are doing more and more damage to poor people and we need to stop it. We won't do this by dismissing the truth as 'hyperbole'.
Posted by: kingbongo | October 02, 2006 at 08:44 PM