Letting 15 year old Son travel to Europe by rail

I think middle class people treat their kids differently to us working class people, I mean look at the McCanns , leaving their toddlers in an apartment on their own 😩

Massive rise in knife crime. Increase in crime levels across Europe. Only the unimaginative could think it's fine for a 15 year old to travel these days.

I don’t understand why a file has to be kept open until the person is 25. They could be married with 2 kids by then. Can anyone explain please?

rbannocks

Utter media storm without substance. Do not people realise that in many placed in Europe 7 year olds take themselves on public transport to school often involving train and bus journies. Its only outsiders who visit and are shocked by this. This says more about the UK and its culture than about Kirstie Allsop.

I remember hearing about a six year old Japanese boy years ago; he took himself off across the city on the Tokyo subway each day to get to school.

Nan0

Youth hostels in these cities..I went youth hostelling at 16 in the UK

I went on a Grand Tour of England and Wales when I was 15 with another 15 year old and a 16 year old on our bikes, staying at Youth Hostels!
No mobile phones in those days. In fact, my parents didn't have a landline either.

How was knife crime in those days?

25Avalon

I don’t understand why a file has to be kept open until the person is 25. They could be married with 2 kids by then. Can anyone explain please?

Because they can remain in education until they are 25 if they have SEND and the whole system works off the same framework whether it’s child protection or SEND

25Avalon

I don’t understand why a file has to be kept open until the person is 25. They could be married with 2 kids by then. Can anyone explain please?

The rule for many cases is age 18 plus six years, taking the person to just under 25. This is where there is a risk of a child becoming a ‘vulnerable adult’. The file is technically closed unless further complaints are received within the time frame.

What a fuss. Surely Soc Services, who allegedly are run off their feet as it is, have lots of better things to do?

I've just done another year volunteering to talk to would-be medical students, who come from all round the planet to get a grounding in what a doctor's life would be like, if they actually go down that route.

They range from 12 to about 17, and have often come vast distances, Oz, USA, China, India, S America, just about anywhere if they have expressed an interest, and their parents can pay of course. So far as I can tell, they travel alone, but are in chaperoned groups once here for their fortnight of classes.

And they all seem to manage fine. As has been said, that age has shy withdrawn kids, and confident outgoing ones (just like adults), but I daresay that if he was in the quiet, shy group, he wouldn't have been going anyway.

KA may be irritating to some, but she's not daft, and can surely assess her own son OK?

I recall as an 11-yr-old being sent on a journey every day that involved a 15 minute trudge to the station, then a half hour on a train, and a 10 minute walk to school, then doing it all again to get home. And I was a painfully shy little person at that age, but nobody thought anything of it back then.

As a labour mp pointed out, much to Kirstie's annoyance, there is a difference between going to a known destination, where you are expected, than what she posted about.

A couple of things: The boy is young for his school year group, having a July birthday, so most of his friends had already turned 16, some possibly close to 17 if they were September birthdays.
The family have a house in Devon but also mostly live in Notting Hill. He's used to negotiating London.
Social Services became involved because Kirstie had put the trip on Twitter and someone dobbed her (and presumably the father) in.
At 16, with no mobile phones etc, my family sent me off alone to visit my penfriend in France. I'd never been abroad. travelled from LHR to Paris, spent several hours looking at the sites with a girl I'd met on the plane then safely caught my train from Gare du Lyon to Montelimar. I think this boy would be perfectly fine. I'll I let my daughter, at 18, take her car and her boyfriend to Holland and then on to southern France, via Paris. I quake at the very idea of it now but the only dodgy moment was when I had a postcard from her saying that driving round the Arc de Triomphe was a bit hairy!

MissAdventure

How was knife crime in those days?

It wasn't unknown, by any means.

I quite agree JenniferEccles. The world is a dangerous place and there are so many things which could go wrong that two kids of this age wouldn't have the experience to cope with. Amazed that so many seem to think this is all right.

It was very, very much less prevalent.

The Ben Kinsella website keeps abreast of it, since Ben was stabbed to death, for no other reason other than he was walking home late at night, doing no harm to anyone.

Anyway, it's up to KA what she does, but posting it has backfired on her.

She'll get over it, I'm sure.

I think as punishment she should be forced to live in a new build on an estate with a washing machine in the kitchen whilst she attends her ABC parenting course 😉

My husband went through Europe at 15 with his pal. No one batted an eyelid. This was 1975 though

Depends on the child. My eldest would have been perfectly capable of inter-railing. His younger brother, mm maybe not until he was 25!

Mt61

I think middle class people treat their kids differently to us working class people, I mean look at the McCanns , leaving their toddlers in an apartment on their own 😩

Ask anyone who worked with children and families, from any relevant agency. They’ll be able to name families from any ‘class’ who are loving caring parents along with those who aren’t.

Working without prejudice

Kirsty Alsop didn’t post on social media until the boys were safely home apparently then saying she was proud of them. She said that the family will remain on file until her son is 25 which she thought was outrageous and I agree.
I’m sure her boy has attended a very good school, possibly a boarding school and has I’m sure learnt to be capable and independent from an early age. One of the pluses that money can buy. She knows her son and if he can be trusted but 15, even very nearly 16 does seem very young for such an adventure. Inter railing must be very expensive, lucky boy.

Ah, so, it opens up the whole question of which parents are able to decide what's OK for their teens/children/ babies.

This outrage about the length of time files remain is unnecessary. The la correctly informed KA they’d received a referral. The level of concern didn’t warrant a visit. End of concern and outrage.

Except it hasn't been, Iam64.

It feels "nothing to see here" to me yet here I am. .

I'm actually just amazed (as KA was) that anyone would think to report a non-event.

I have, however, been chatting to my family about it this week.
My oldest grandson is 16 now. I don't think he would want to just yet. His mum said she would have jumped at the chance - but she was working festivals that summer! My husband did it at 15. I didn't.

I think sensible parents will know when to let their children, as individuals, do certain things and when not. I certainly trusted one of my children out on their own before the othe, based on how they had shown the reacted to emergencies at home.

As for parents who are not sensible, well, we already have a thread about someone expressing concern about a father letting a 10 year old play with earth moving equipment needed for a house extension. All the rules in the world will not stop people like this putting their children at risk because they couldn't see the problem.

The problem is not trusting one's children but trusting that other people and events out with your control would not overcome them.