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Showing posts with label babysitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label babysitting. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Keeping Children Safe - babysitters, cars, visits

 The news this week, this month, this year (2025) includes several stories of fatalities to minors.

1 A child left in a hot car for several hours in the USA. 

2 Three girls whose mother tried and failed to get an amber alert in the USA. 

3 An ex pupil who entered a school in Austria with weapons. 

Let's look at each event in turn. Consider what precautions are already in place and which changes might be made.

Babysitting Safety Photos

As a grandparents, when babysitting, I send a photo or a three-second video of the child eating, playing, sleeping, watching TV, every half hour to assure the parents that their child is safe and happy.  No need to worry or rush back. All is well.

Car Safety



Kindergardens' Videos For Security

A kindergarden set up a system so that parents could log in at a specified time and watch, and see a recording, of their own child playing alone (with other children whose faces are not seen) or with a teacher.

Schools & Secure Entrances

I went to talk about animals featured in my book of poems on animals to a priary school in Harrow. The school has a giant wall like a prison, and a double entry gate. 

You need an appointment, authorization from a teacher, and a code number to get in. You have to be met and escorted around the building to the empty classroom during break time to await the arrival of the teacher. 

Another teacher observes you and the lesson. If you leave to go to the toilet the observing teacher takes you there to show you the way and bring you back.

At the end you are escorted out. No parents, strangers, ex-pupils, are allowed to wander in.

Parents' Custody, Visitation Rights, We're Delayed Messages, Amber Alerts

It could be a rule, and condition of Visitation rights, that the other parent sends photos of activities during the visit. 

The parent returning the children should tell the other parent half an hour before the return time that they are on their way. Any delay should be reported, with a reason.

Sponsored Phones

Who would pay for everyone to have a phone, and payment to the network company? Seek sponsors. Police. Government. Lawyers. Go Fund Me. Local McDonalds. The cost is probably less than the cost of mountain a hunt for missing children and parents or carers.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14800217/Travis-Decker-search-Colchuk-Lake-Washington-tip.html

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Monday, May 11, 2020

Covid-19 What Do These Death and Infection Statistics Mean?






The USA is in turmoil. Some people are in favour of lockdown, others against.

You often hear or read:
'The percentage of people affected is less than one percent. That's less than die of flu.'
It is like comparing guns and knives. 
When I go to a doctor, I don't want him to refuse to treat me on the grounds that I am more likely to be run over by a bus. 

Nr to refuse to treat my teenage child on the grounds that he is more likely to die by suicide. Or by driving too fast.
To the average member of the public these figures are meaningless and the public presented with these facts showng tiny percentages ignore them. Many forums in popular media repeat the idea that it is all a lot of fuss about nothing. 

To convey the message that these statistics are important, we may need to illustrate numbers in human and visual terms.
Meaning how many deaths? And families and workers – does a percentage really matter? If we tell the public this means x deaths in ‘your street’ or ‘your children’s school’, or two primary school children in your school will lose a beloved granny, or two schools in your city will lose a teacher, they are more likely to understand the implications and  demand action and comply with suggestions and laws and instructions.

It would certainly put a blight on a wedding if a parent or grandparent died.

It would cause a major upheaval in a family if the grandparents doing babysitting and childminding were taken away so that the parents could not work.

Stay home. Stay safe.

Useful Websites

https://www.gov.sg/features/covid-19
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/covid-19-a-cautionary-tale-from-spore?
Facebool.trevorsharot

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, club organizer and speaker.
Toastmasters International Find a Club
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learncool.sg
Braddell Heights Advanced speakers club meets every Wednesday, currently on line.
Future Meetings include
Wednesday May 13th, lucky for us, as we have Thomas Chen running a workshop on Networking.
Contact President Angela Lansbury or VPE Faith. Then login to learncool.sg and wait to be admitted by the host.
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