Maggie Atkinson, the Children’s Commissioner, took a romantic & contradictory position over whether those under 16 (or even 18) should ever be able to work part of the time in return for a wage. No – it’s bad for them (citing only one dangerous example).
Nobody, adult or child, should be expected to do dangerous work without the proper safeguards & training in place. Her position is contradictory because, although her main role is to make sure that the voice of children is heard, in this case she would just have to say, I’m sorry, I know best what is good for you, your opinions don't count.
Children need to feel that they can join the adult world gradually, to earn money either to spend as they wish or to help with family finances, to make their contribution, & often, importantly, to learn what sort of work they would not wish to do for the rest of their lives & therefore the value of knuckling down to get those qualifications.
If we close off all these routes are we not likely to just push some young people into getting an income & independence in the only way that, oddly, seems open to them – by becoming a parent?
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End of an era
End of an era
