End of week one and culture shock

As I walked into this week I imagined I knew how the world worked. I read the papers, I know about the bad things that happen in this country I call home. None of the facts have changed, but when this has been put into words by people I have spoken to it is so much more real. The story of the father who raped his daughter, the girls whose ambition at 15 is to have a baby as it will be someone to love them, the mother who considered drowning her kids, the lads who go to prison as it is the only place they feel safe, the young boy who thinks his pimp is looking out for him. It goes on and it does not get any happier in terms of what it says about the human condition. This is not some third world country terrorised by a despotic unelected leader (there is a Gordon Brown gag in there somewhere, but it is not the time), this is the sunny south coast of England where we holiday, moor our boats and send our parents to retire. This is little England and I am feeling rather less smug tonight than I was 7 days ago.

Amidst this doom and gloom there are rays of light. Of those who call what I just described as normality, many have a sense of humour that amazes me. I am also amazed by those who work or volunteer in this space. I have met many who do what they do for love and for duty, but certainly not for money. It is those that give of their time and energy above and beyond what almost anyone, me included, would think of as generous that stick in my mind. The head teacher who turned around a failing school, the woman who acts as an advocate for kids in care, the trustee of several local charities and the builder who ploughs his own money into community facilities; all are heroes who have made me look harder at myself in the mirror each morning since.

This week has been a whistle stop tour of many agencies, quangos and volunteer organisations. I have been in hospitals, prison, care homes, advice centres. I have also spent much of my time with Dreamwall, Brett and Natasha. Jonathan and I are working with them to establish how we can help best now that we know something of the landscape. This is not easy and I am staggered at the complexity of the public and third sectors. There are so many bodies who run into each other at all levels, every one with a different agenda. Policy changes with the wind or the latest tabloid headline and this means the rules of game forever move. That is no backdrop to deliver lasting care. However, despite that doom and gloom, it is the backdrop we are working with and so we are now getting our heads down to see what we can do.