Bureaucracy Gone Mad!
We often hear the words “only in America” when we hear of some weird or wonderful event that’s happened there. Well, here is an “only in England” story.
In the years we have travelled to the UK, we have observed a crazy belief that a sign will fix the problem.
There are signs everywhere, seeking to advise/caution/define/warn/threaten/direct.
We have also observed the rise and rise of Political Correctness, the latest example recorded in The Times this morning.
*Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (a UK child protection authority)
In 2009, a London council banned parents from supervising their own children in two playgrounds because they had not undergone criminal record checks.
Only a handful of council-vetted rangers would be allowed to assist children at the adventure playparks.
Parents were forced to watch their children from outside the perimeter fence.
Parents said that the ban amounted to the council labelling them “potential paedophiles.”
However the Council claimed it was only following Ofsted* guidelines.
The Mayor, said “you can’t have adults walking around unchecked in a playground.
The playground is not a meeting place for adults.” Ofsted said that, although the law required criminal checks on people working with children, that did not mean that every adult on the premises needed checking. “Ofsted would never seek to prevent parents from having access to their own children.”
*Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (a UK child protection authority)
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