The Enid Blyton Society

It's certainly getting harder each year for the dancing school to find parents to act as chaperones. Whether that's because of the rules and regulations, or that people don't have the time, I don't know. At the moment, the council pay for our CRB checks, as the show is to raise money for charity, but there was talk of them making us pay for our own. At over £50 every 18 months, I'm afraid most of us wouldn't be prepared to do it any more.

Every time we put on a show we have to attend Safe Guarding Talk, which is basically the same thing each year. The worrying thing I find though, is that if a child is later found to have been a victim of abuse, and as chaperones we had failed to report anything suspicious, we could be prosecuted as failing to act. We are not trained childcarers, we are a bunch of parents, who help get a group of small children changed a couple of times every 2 years. We don't know the children very well, and although there might be some obvious things we would know to report, I'm not an expert on whether a bruise on a child was caused by abuse, or them just tripping over in the playground. Also, who is to say what is acceptable or not? Over the years I've heard of children laughing at witnessing their parents getting drunk, to me that's totally inappropriate behaviour, but is it abuse? I don't know if it's really just a case of a parent getting a bit tipsy on their birthday, or that the child is living with alcoholics who could eventually end up neglecting or injuring their kids.

And what is neglect? I've seen parents who don't know me very well turning up their noses when I've had to say my children can't have one of the chocolates or biscuits they've been offered. I do try and explain that they have food intolerances and it would make them ill, but I've even had someone say, 'oh just one won't hurt surely?' I suspect they go away thinking I'm mean, or over fussy. Should they be reporting me for not allowing my kids to have treats?

It's a real mine field these days. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Working for social services must be a permanent headache I should think. CRBs are supposed to be renewed every 3 years - at least the ones I have fall into that category. The costs seem to vary too- and I heard of an "enhanced" one recently. The mind boggles.

Yes, it can't be easy for Social Workers either. Another example I can think of about not knowing when to 'interfere' is with food. In my opinion, most of the children I chaperone don't eat properly. When they come for rehearsals, they spend the whole afternoon snacking on crisps, sweets, chocolate bars and other 'junk' food, with the occasional bit of fruit sometimes. Sometimes they will discuss the meals they are going home to, often yet more processed food. Most of the children seem perfectly well on this diet, so who am I to criticise their eating habits? Should I report them as being at risk of heart disease in 40 years time?

Possibly one or two of the children might be what I would consider overweight, but again, is it my place to report them to social services, as they might be heading towards being obese adults?

Yes, I think CRBs (or DBS as they are now to become) have to be renewed every 3 years, but our chaperone licences only last 18 months, so it's a pain trying to remember which has to be sent off and when. If we miss the deadline for the chaperone licence we have to apply for a new one. This then treats us as if we were completely new to the system, so we have to provide birth certificates etc. and be interviewed by a member of the appropriate council department. If we renew them, it's just a case of filling in a form and sending it off with a couple of recent photos.

I hadn't heard the cost varies, maybe it depends on how much the council is prepared to subsidise it by? My daughter has 3 separate ones. One was paid for by the Guiding Association, one was paid for by the local council as she was working for them, however, that was only because she was casual staff. I'm pretty certain she'd have had to pay for it herself if she was a permanent member. The third one is for the placements she will be on while at university, so she had to pay for that herself out of her student grant. That one was about £56, but that is with Kent council, so they may charge differently elsewhere.

Daisy wrote: Surely that is an over zealous interpretation of what should surely only be guidelines.

No doubt usually enforced by some sad sack who has no flair, imagination or that most uncommon thing: common sense

(Many moons ago, when I were a lad, if some goon had suggested I needed to be accompanied to the khazi I suspect I, & all my contempories, would have told said goon where to go in no uncertain terms (& where they could stick their rules too)

Maybe the best place for some of the pages from the rule book would be in the WC? At least it could be put to good use in there.

I hope that wasn't too crude for anyone.

Positively ladylike Katharine!

I'm wondering what happen to the 90s series actors?
Paul is a musician for his band now, Jemima still an actress..
while Laura and Marco?
I discovered marco's facebook account a while ago (not sure his real account or not) it seems not active anymore..
Paul Child Band hasn't release new EP too since last year too..

Jemima easily the most successful.

Laura is a sales and events co-ordinator according to her Facebook page.

I think Marco is a stage actor right now.

Deej, I am interested by what you said about Marco. Please can you enlighten me as to where you have come across this idea? Last I heard Marco was a director with a small firm.

Stef, Marco does have a lot of experience stage acting.

What he does now I'm not sure, you are probably correct.

I'm wondering too, in Famous Five Have a Wonderful Time..
Why Sniffer was there? In the book, it should be Jo..
Mr. Alfredo should be her uncle..

Just noticed that the chap who plays Mr Penruthlan in Five Go Down To The Sea - Ian Brimble, is the brother of the chap who played Weston the escaped convict (the one hidden in the secret room behind the bookcase) in Five Get Into Trouble - Nick Brimble.

Probably not that interesting to anyone but I thought it was worth mentioning!

Yeah, I knew about Nick and Ian being brothers!
Unfortunatley Ian Brimble had a stoke a few years ago and I don't think he is working as an actor anymore.

You can read about it here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... -DWAN.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And here:
http://im-material.blogspot.se/2008/05/ ... ferer.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wonder if anyone knows anything about Mary Waterhouse? I think she was PERFECT as Aunt Frances!
As far as I understand it, she only had one more role after the Famous Five-series and then "disappeared".
I wonder where she is now, and what she's working with?

Have you checked here?