Jane Devine: Multiple and contradictory rules don’t protect children

Most people will abide by rules and regulations when they can see the logic in them. We might not be happy about it, but we will put up with queues at airports in order that added security checks can be completed, we will wear seat belts in the car, we won’t drink and drive.

When it comes to the rules in place to keep children safe, however, things are quite different. The sheer number of rules, their illogical and sometimes contradictory nature, and our fear of getting things wrong, have the potential to create a more dangerous environment for children instead of protecting them.

Any time there is an incident or accident involving children, it seems that new rules and guidelines are drawn up and implemented so that “this can never happen again”.

This encourages two things. Firstly, it allows us to believe that we can prevent anything from happening as long as we have the right rules. If things do go wrong, the reaction is often to rewrite the rules, review the policy. Secondly, the pressure to comply with these rules encourages us to abide by them and not pay attention to our own common sense.

With some rules, some common sense is definitely lacking: nurseries can wipe bottoms and change nappies, but not apply sun cream; childminders have very strict rules on the number of children they can have in their house, but can take more to the park; swimming pools have tight adult-to-child ratios based on the age of the child, not their ability to swim.

Despite the lack of logic, these rules are enforced not just in an attempt to protect children but because people are terrified of getting it wrong. Schools, swimming pools and other childcare establishments are also often at the mercy of media-savvy parents, ready to publicly air their complaints in an instant.

Many rules are, of course, absolutely necessary for the protection of children from abuse and harm. In everyday situations however, where we can’t see the logic, are forced to comply and are terrified of getting things wrong, these rules can start to erode any reliance on our human instinct and start to create the very situations they were put in place to avoid.

When Professor Eileen Munro of the London School of Economics published her report into child protection in England and Wales, one of her key findings was that people looking after children should not just do things right, but do the right things. She argued that the high profile of child protection has made professionals seek comfort in rules.

Things do go wrong sometimes and always will, but multiple and contradictory rules can’t protect children and they shouldn’t absolve those abiding by them of their responsibility.