Would you let your kids go on an adventure in Europe with another friend without parental supervision? One mother and BBC broadcaster did just that before social services reported her and contacted her.
Kirstie Allsopp, British television presenter, best known for her appearances on Channel 4 property programs including location, location, location, Like it or list it UKand move, relocate She told the BBC she felt “sickened” by allowing her 15-year-old son to travel around Europe on a train after being contacted by social services.
Alsop wrote on social media that her son Oscar had returned from a three-week trip abroad with another friend without parental supervision.
She said her son was young, about to leave school and was traveling after completing his GCSE with a 16-year-old friend. This is equivalent to a high school diploma in the United States.
The 52-year-old mum posted on Instagram: “I thought his trip was inspiring, I never in a million years thought it would involve a call from child services, it was a huge shock especially for someone Oscar.
Althorp said a social worker at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) would not reveal how the referral was made or by whom, saying officers did not seem to understand she might have been wrongly accused. Targeted by the unwary, also known as internet trolls.
She said social workers told her every referral must be investigated regardless of its validity and asked her what safeguards were in place for her son’s trip.
Speaking about the handling of referrals, Althorp told daily mail”, “I just felt sick—completely sick. Then I got angry. I’m very, very angry. This is truly extraordinary. I’m in a parallel universe where they’re actually taking this seriously. I broke no laws and was not negligent in allowing my children to travel around Europe.
An RBKC spokesperson confirmed to the media guardian An investigation into the allegation is ongoing and they are legally obliged to investigate all reports.
Alsop said social workers confirmed a file had been opened on Oscar and that they could keep it “in case there are other referrals and we need to come to your home to investigate the matter further.”
Alsop said: “To me it’s a fool’s errand – that this document could continue to exist. What [the official] What was said to me was: “If there is another referral six months later and we need to come to your home to investigate the matter further, it is important that we keep a record of the first referral.”
It all started when Althorp posted on X about her son’s trip.
“My younger son is back from a 3 week rail trip and he turns 16 on Wednesday, so due to hostel/travel restrictions he went with a partner who is already 16 but they organized the whole thing; Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Marseille, Toulouse, Barcelona and Madrid Not everyone has access to rail intermodal transport for obvious budgetary reasons, but in an increasingly risk-averse world we have to find whatever works approach gives our children the confidence that only comes from trusting them. Of course, I miss the summers I spent with my son, but I am so proud of him that my losses are nothing compared to his gains and the fact that he is now a McDonald’s. With an encyclopedic understanding of the difference between one McDonald’s and another, if we are afraid our kids will be afraid too, and if we let go, they will fly @JonHaidt @FreeRangeKids,” she wrote.
When her post on X went viral, she ran into some problems.
“Interesting. I love my #FreeRangeKids but don’t think they can do what you do. Or would you let a 15 year old daughter do the same 3 week trip abroad with “only” a 16 year old girlfriend for company she? The real question,” one user asked.
Althorp responded: “Data shows that girls are more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone they know, while boys are more likely to be violently assaulted by strangers. I was allowed to travel as a teenager, as were my sisters.
Another user accused her of knowing such content would “turn people on”.
She retorted: “It’s very important that we stop. [infantilising] Young people, this is not about putting people in trouble, but by having this topic openly discussed, we are taking away people’s trust and responsibility.
Alsop, who recently returned from a trip to Switzerland, said her recent experience exposed the extent to which the UK compared with other countries in Europe and their cautious approach to children.
“I know that culture in the UK and US is becoming more risk-averse. My experience in Switzerland taught me a lot. There, like in Japan, children walk to school alone and are encouraged to learn early to become self-sufficient, And trust them to make wise choices,” she said.
She said she hopes the “silver lining” of her experience is that “everyone stops and thinks about the freedoms we had as children and asks ourselves what harm might be done, not because of the freedom, but because of the restrictions and fears we impose “In our children. ”
An RBKC spokesperson told guardian“Protecting children is an absolute priority. We take any referral we receive very seriously and have a statutory duty to children under the age of 18.
