Interesting theory from a reader

A reader e-mails:

The problems that Labour has over telling or not telling parents about sexual assaults is really an extension of its attitude to charter schools. 

Labour relies on ‘experts’ to tell it whether it should advise parents that their children have been assaulted and it relies on ‘experts’ and unionists to determine if charter schools are worthwhile. 

The views of parents and children don’t count. Too bad if the parents are responsible for their kids and know them best and too bad if kids failed in the mainstream system and too bad if they think their charter school is great. The experts and unions think otherwise, so that’s who has Labour’s ear.

Labour claiming it was following best practice in not informing the parents is conflating two different situations.

If you are a doctor, counselor, support agency and a young person comes to you – then of course you can’t go to their parents without their permission.

But if you are the organiser of an activity where four youths complain they were sexually assaulted, then you are in a different situation. As the organiser you have a duty to tell all parents what happened – not the names, but that such a serious thing happened at an event you were responsible for.