Serious concerns have recently been raised on both our public and family forums about the bullying tactics employed by some local authorities, whose officers have taken it upon themselves to pass judgement on what is best for 'our children' on the basis that their own parenting choices (e.g. dump kids in day care and nursery ‘education’ at the earliest possible opportunity and rentseek at the taxpayers’ expense) are not only beyond reproach but should ideally be embraced by all. There is a word for that beginning with F.

At the same time too many home educating parents still believe that the increasingly early interference policy so beloved of statist control freaks won’t ever apply to them as they are nice, normal, middle class and civilised (unlike all those single parent, benefit scrounging, pikey, religious fundamentalist, hippy new age libertarian types - just tick an appropriately damning box), but we’ve got some bad news for them. We’re all in this together and next time it could be you.

We invite HEF members friends and supporters to read the following appeal for practical assistance and urge you all to consider supporting a fellow home educating family in their hour of need, as they have done for others in the past.

Urgent help needed

A well-known member of the HE community and trusted friend needs our help. The person's family is facing a possible court order and they felt the need to leave the country very quickly in order to protect the children from unfounded interference based on home education as a risk factor.

A court order would prevent this family from being able to openly fight their corner; moving out of the country will give them breathing space and the chance of a fair and open opportunity to respond in safety to the unfounded allegations. Interim financial assistance, though not asked for by the family, would afford them a slight cushion as the initial relocation costs are fairly hefty and unforeseen as events have snowballed very quickly. The family is currently camping on a very limited budget with help from family and friends. They have long term plans.

We are looking to raise funds in the region of £1000. Any donation, no matter how small, is very gratefully received. We will post regular progress updates on the amount raised, but should we exceed our target, with full agreement from donors, we will put any additional funds to one side for ongoing relocation costs. The Paypal collection address is HEfamily@innocent.com and one of the people listed below will transfer all funds to the family's bank account at the end of this appeal.

We would like to point out that relocation is NOT necessarily the best or only option for families in similar circumstances. However in this situation, the multiple factors were such that the family in question strongly felt it to be the best course of action to ensure the children remained safe and protected in a loving environment. Whilst discussions about where and when to go, and how to take a more proactive stance in such situations are extremely important, we would very much appreciate it if they did not hinder this family's progress.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, we will do our best to answer them without compromising the anonymity of this home educating family. We are most appreciative of the community's support in continuing to protect their identity.

Alison Preuss 
Barbara Stark
Elaine Kirk
Gill Kilner
Karen Gallant
Lisa Amphlett
Louisa Herbs
Maire Stafford
Michelle Beeny
Neil Taylor Moore
Raquel Toney
Sheila Struthers
Susanna Matthan
Techla Wood

[Comments are disabled on our news pages, but registered HEF members may post responses on this forum thread. Updates on the appeal will also be posted there.]

Thursday 10th May 2012