I hate personal disclosures, which is rather unfortunate in this field of work, as we all need them. How is this fair? How is this just? Yes, these behaviours are wrong and need to be worked through as part of teenage development, but there are healthy, humane responses to a traumatised teenager, and then there is calling the police over a situation which could be handled in a much easier way. Or do I not say anything? Do I hope that my record is clear by now? Do I not say anything to showcase how insignificant and irrelevant I feel it all is? But then with no explanation, no context, it sounds awful if anything does flag up, and then things that I did 10 years ago suddenly become more important than all the things I have achieved in the last five. I am no longer a young professional, I am a young offender all over again. A caution is a warning – a reprimand – to hopefully deter you from committing ‘repeat offences’. For non care experienced young people, a shouting and screaming match at home usually remains just that; a big shouty family argument with several slammed doors that’s soon resolved and forgotten about. For a looked after young person, this is different. If you shout at the wrong worker, you could have the police called on you, and get charged or cautioned with affray. If you throw something across the room or break the door when slamming it, you run the risk of being arrested for criminal damage.

There are a number of switch options available in this range so you can decide which best suits your interior. The flat gloss pink is made from a mild steel metal and then powder coated in a glossy pink finish offering a durable finish. Do I think minor convictions received before 18 should be nullified? Yes. Should childhood cautions be wiped at 18? Absolutely. The clue is in the title: caution… Rosie, a social work student at the University of Strathclyde is also working as part of the Discovery Group in the National Care Review and is an experienced youth worker for both Aberlour and the Sound Lab charity. Rosie volunteers at the Life Changes Trust as part of the care experienced advisory group. Do I mention my past record? Do I try to explain that I was just a child and that there was more to the incidents than meets the eye? Or will that make it seem like I am dismissive and unremorseful for my ‘crimes’? Will anything appear on my disclosure anymore? Have I just drawn attention to something that no one need ever have known?Children in care who may have been neglected or lived in extreme poverty remain in survival mode for a long time, sometimes forever. If a child hasn’t been receiving regular food or meals, why are we so surprised they steal? If a child has grown up around domestic violence, why are surprised when they sometimes display violence? We should help and support these young people, not criminalise them. Especially in situations where biological families would most likely just ‘shout it out’ for a while.