Grow Up And Get Vetted

I was planning to have a rant about certain well-known children’s authors and their decision to boycott school visits due to a new scheme that vets anyone who works with children for previous convictions of abuse (you can find the original story here) – but fellow Trapped By Monsters author, Joe Craig, beat me to it.

Joe appeared on the BBC News Channel last night, and on BBC Breakfast this morning to explain why authors should be vetted, just like anyone else – because of the relationship of trust automatically built up between reader and writer.  He’s also written extensively about the subject on both his own blog, and on the Trapped By Monsters site.  I agree with everything he has said.

When I visit a school, the rule is that I am never left alone with the children – yet you would be surprised how many times a pupil is asked to take me – by themselves – to another classroom for my next workshop.  Not only that, I get emails from pupils whose schools I’ve visited, and I occasionally bump into them in the street.  While these kids would ordinarily know never to speak to a stranger, I’m now ‘known’ and ‘trusted’ – but am I?  They only really know me through my books and a single, one-hour session and – while I can be trusted – it’s not hard to see how someone with sinister motives could abuse this situation.

I want everyone who works with children at my son’s school to have been checked for previous convictions of abuse – so why shouldn’t the parents of the kids I work with expect the same.  The vetting procedure won’t find everyone with wicked intentions – only those who have been prosecuted previously – but shouldn’t we be doing everything to stop past offenders going back to work with kids?

EVERYONE who works with children should be vetted for past convictions that may prohibit them from coming into contact with young people – myself included.  In fact – the vetting protects me as well as the kids I work with.

Famous authors – it’s not an insult to be checked and you’re not being accused of anything.  However, your reputation as an author is NOT enough to prove your suitability.  By boycotting schools over this, all you are doing is depriving children of an important experience – meeting the authors of the books they love.

So, and I never thought I’d say this to some of my favourite authors, Anthony Horowitz, Phillip Pullman, Anne Fine, Quentin Blake and Michael Morpurgo – grow up, and get vetted.  You’re in a position to make this system work – and help keep our children safe.

Tommy