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Press Release

PAT STATEMENT ON MONITORING CHILDREN FOR POTENTIAL CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR

PAT statement following article in The Sunday Times of 12 June 2005.

Jean Gemmell, General Secretary with the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT), which incorporates the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN), said: "Identifying and helping children with learning and social problems is something childcare and education professionals already do, and this role will increase under the provisions of the Children Act, which aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people through education, social services and health professionals working more closely together. Extra training, funding and support for that would be welcome.

"From what has been leaked to the press, it seems that the report does raise some interesting trends. However, we would be alarmed if nursery staff were to be asked to take on some sort of Big Brother-style role on behalf of an all-controlling state. They are professional childcarers not criminal psychologists. Trying to identify potential criminals before they've even started school seems impractical. We would not want to see children labelled as troublemakers before they've done anything wrong.

"It is important to deal with a child's problem and not assume that the problem is the child.

"Perhaps civil servants and politicians have been watching Minority Report and trying to turn the fantasy of the movie, where criminals are caught before they commit a crime, into a far-fetched reality!"



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