I was labelled a bad kid in care. That really hurt

It’s easy to judge or stereotype children in care, but it’s not helpful and can be damaging

• Ellen Maloney is a care experienced adult

The closest I came to getting into trouble at school was when I was six years old. I was colouring in large pictures of sunflowers and my best friend, Anna, wanted to borrow my crayons. I didn’t object to sharing in principle but Anna always put them back in the wrong order and I had a very particular way of keeping all my belongings.

I believed that every action I took had the power to impact my entire day; if I was to keep my pencil case on the left side of my desk rather than the right, my day would unfold in an entirely different way than it would otherwise. I really believed that letting Anna mess up my crayons could have terrible consequences. My teacher came over, but when I tried to explain she peered over her glasses and said: “You are a strange little thing!”

Related: Children in care are not just numbers: we must challenge the stigma | Jimmy Paul

The problem with labels is it becomes difficult to see the person underneath

Related: Time for social workers to rediscover their counselling skills

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from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2weoTzT