Member

Amendment 164C reinforces this by requiring “reasonable steps” of support to be offered and recorded before escalation. The point is not paperwork; the point is getting the right order. Systems that begin with support build trust; systems that begin with enforcement build resistance, and resistance is not the same thing as risk. Most parents who encounter these powers are not avoiding responsibility. Many are dealing with unmet needs, special educational needs, mental health pressures, trauma, bullying or medical fragility. Escalation should not be the opening move; it should be the last. We have to think about the people we are working with before we haul them up for a meeting, which might seem quite draconian to them.