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Thursday, 17 June 2021
Professor Mike Stein with Mary Moss NAYPIC - Before 'Care Less Lives' was made or published, a history of NAYPIC whilst history was being made
Dear Mike Stein, This is Ms Jo Gavin AKA Mary Moss of the old NAYPIC London office in 1987 to 1992. I remember you not sure if you remember me? You
were one of our advisors and supporters especially in leaving care
issues. You helped to write 'Leaving Care where?' and from your profile I
have just read on the York University site I see you are still at it! Mike
its a twist of fate and a bit full circle why I am contacting you. I am
involved in setting up a youth economy and have been doing that for the
past 9 years as a sole trader and social enterprise business, before I
had ever heard of a social enterprise business, by setting up businesses
that fund a youth parliament to independently lobby parliament and the
lords and to attempt through marketing and
advertising like any other elected body to change laws governing child
care policy and the penal system governing child abuse as well as the
locking up of children, for all children and to therefore improve
children's rights following the UN Convention of the rights of the
child. In a nutshell I contacted Eileen Monroe
to give an independent opinion regarding my aims to set up an
independent youth economy and to then tell me if this is in her expert
opinion unique. And why would I need such feedback well... I
am in a court case at the central london county court against my
landlord of the first model business spaceshift and the HQ of NN/YP for
the past 9 years Scarlet Maguire art gallery which I own and run. Now
as a person who has seen NAYPIC been closed down before in 1993 having
all funding wrongfully taken away by government and know the dirty
tricks
and lies people put in the press to not only knock an organisation down
but to make sure they don't get up, I confidently suspect that the
other sides solicitors will attempt to put me down on a character and on
an organisational level. I believe this
because they have copied my website and are going to use it in the
'disrepair and defective premises' trial set for January as part of
there recent disclosure. Apart from the fact
that due to business interruption which caused loss of opportunity
because I could not duplicate my model nationally with care leavers as
it did not show turnover I cannot see the relevance of showing my
website as part of only 570 pages of their evidence. I have 1700 pages
of relevant information regarding the business interruption a
contractual dispute under the landlords and tenants act. The only
mention of NN/YP in my evidence is a few lines in the schedule of loss
at 1% of what I anticipated on making for Youth Parliament through the
expansion of the business model spaceshift and an eventual membership at
£100 per head per child in the country. All
details of my plans for an economy are well established on my website
for years www.youthparliament.co.uk and could only come to pass when the
first business model succeeded. The only reason that had little chance
of success was disrepair of the shop. I have
set up this business very quietly as I don't trust the media. I also
think that I would not make such good contracts as I did with a radical
or mouthy organisation having learnt a lot from NAYPIC days and how one
can be dragged down by them and government for speaking out. Money is power and good business attracts good business. My clients were EuroStar, Diesel and channel 4 to name but a few. I
did not intend
to advertise that it was to fund Youth Parliament or was to be expanded
by care leavers being shareholders on my two businesses websites below
but kept a low profile on the www.youthparliament.co.uk website which is
not very well known but I have had for years. Www.youthparliament.co.uk
was there well before UKYouthParliament or National Voice but we do
hope that in the future when we create the backbone of children's rights
the 'economy' we can help the good work of these organisations too by
giving them money since we all share similar aims but we need the same
'economy' to achieve an independent national voice, the businesses to
then go international but with differing businesses depending on the
country. So Mike, Eileen said to contact Terri
Dowty of ARCH as Eileen is child protection but Terri did not feel
qualified to talk 'economy' and has the flu so she suggested a
university lecturer and
immediately I thought of you. I would like you
to write an independent expert opinion on the Youth Parliament website
and its aims historically and in the present climate to date and its
relevance. I can pay £10 per hour for reading
the site and any other disbursements that are necessary which may if it
came to it mean attending court. I would not
need to call you as I believe your written statement will nip a
potential attack in the bud. The other side may request you to give
evidence but after your report and opinion I really don't think it too
would be in their interest either. This is not a
case of quantum this is a case of disrepair! I do not need or want
publicity for youth parliament off the back of this case as it could do
more harm than good. I just want my expansion plans and opportunities
back in
business. I would need the report by Thursday
at the very latest but could ask for an extra few days if needs be.
Once drafted if you could send it back to me by email I could check it
and arrange for an alternative to the post to pick up the signed copy. A
template of a standard type of statement is attached. All my other
witnesses about 20 of them will be relevant to disrepair. Therefore
delete any aspects that are not relevant and please just take it as a
guidance document. Many Thanks & Best Wishes Jo spaceshift... in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery 104-108 Cromer
Street London WC1H 8BZ UK tel: 00 44 (0) 20 7278 4404 |
- ms34@york.ac.ukTo:scarletmaguire@yahoo.comSun, 22 Nov 2009 at 10:54Dear JoJust wading through a back log of emails having been away most of the lasttwo weeks - so sorry not to be able to respond sooner.Well, of course I remember you as Mary Moss! I do think about the NAYPICyears (1979-1994) from time to time, and I do have a load of papers fromall those meetings.Looking back and reflecting on NAYPIC, especially in light of what hashappened since, I do believe, despite the difficulties and differences thatcame to a head in the later years, that it made a outstanding contributionto the rights of children and young people in care. It paved the way forall the changes that have come about in law, policy and practice. I alsobelieve that all the development workers, including your self take a lot ofcredit for bringing about these changes. The concern and commitment you andthe other development workers showed - regardless of the internal disputes-was essential to bringing about change.NAYPIC's legacy is substantial. In addition to the many changes we nowwitness in practice, it also paved the way for A National Voice, aparliamentary committee, the Care Leavers Association, as well asorganisations like the National Care Advisory Service developingparticipation work. Most important of all, it has led to improvements inthe lives of young people living in care - and you played an importantpart.I keep meaning to write this up one day - and would really like to discussthese things with the former development officers like your self to getyour perspective on what has happened over time.Best wishesMike Stein--- On Fri, 11/6/10, ms34@york.ac.uk <ms34@york.ac.uk> wrote:
From: ms34@york.ac.uk <ms34@york.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: New NAYPIC/ Youth Parliament
To: "Scarlet Maguire Gallery" <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>
Date: Friday, 11 June, 2010, 9:47
Dear Jo
Hope you sorted your Gallery problem out successfully?
Going through my back log of emails, and seeing yours, spurred me to do something about the history of the NAYPIC years. I came across a Childright article (November 1989)published by the Children's Legal Centre which gives your detailed account of the Speak Out 89 event held at the Hayes Conference Centre. Do you still have this article? It is based on a long interview with you. Do you consider this to be an accurate account, if it was to be published in a history of NAYPIC. No individual young person would be identified by name in the history.
Let me know what you think
Hope all is well
Mike SteinScarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>To:ms34@york.ac.ukFri, 11 Jun 2010 at 13:18Hi Mike,
That sounds like a worthy idea. The court case is in just over four weeks and I will be representing myself in person. I have 8 evidence files all 350 pages and another dozen files of disclosure doc's etc just wading through files now. I will take a good look on Sunday as to what I have but yes the childright article was I believe quite accurate.
Onwards and Upwards in the fight for Children's Rights...
Maryspaceshift...in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery104-108 Cromer StreetLondon WC1H 8BZUKtel: 00 44 (0) 20 7278 4404www.scarletmaguire.comScarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>To:ms34@york.ac.ukSun, 13 Jun 2010 at 16:08Hi Mike,
Been to the office and there is just too much info I didn't know where to start. So just to say again the article was correct.
To be honest things have moved on so much it nearly made me faint looking at it all. I much prefer making money in an artistic way for the youth economy and leaving all that abuse to our lawyers one day soon.
Anyway although this case is full of emotion as to what we could lose I must keep my head straight on the issues of liability which is really boring but there is a lot at stake.
I am representing myself so have to work doggedly with a lot of discipline in these final weeks.
The case is at the Central London County Court for a 9 days trial. It is a David and Golieth situation against my landlord and their insurance company Royal & Sun and they have big boots and deep pockets.
You are welcome to attend if you are in London at the time on any of the dates.
Good luck with the history article will be interesting to read.
Best
Maryspaceshift...in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery104-108 Cromer StreetLondon WC1H 8BZUKtel: 00 44 (0) 20 7278 4404On Nov 26 2011, Scarlet Maguire Gallery wrote:>>> Hi Mike,>>>> This case I was dealing with got so out of hand in complete corruption>> it just reminded me of what we were up against at the end of NAYPIC when>> we were exposing all the M.P's and our offices got cleaned out by white>> suited weirdo's in a dustbin cart one day. It's that same feeling again>> when you know what you are attempting to do is right but someone out>> there will make dam sure they stop you. Paranoia I don't think so!>>>> I am fed up of dealing with this corruption myself and being the only>> one that knows about it... so I decided at personal cost as I always>> wanted a low profile.. "the revolution will not be televised" and all>> that plus too many lesson's of the past, that sod it.... read all about>> it so here it is... serial complex CORRUPTION.>>>>>> I will always be Mary Moss... yes trouble but the anger of what I have>> seen through my cases at NAYPIC and how child abuse is systemic and what>> I have also been through something that only now final pieces are making>> sense.. well some of us just have to be angry.. or angry enough..>>>>>> If you know a good landlords and tenants / insurance lawyer who is not>> a sinecure and will give the case the time and for free.. yes free...>> but not a rubbish one who won't be detailed... then you are GOD..>>>> Best Wishes>>>> Mary Josofar Valdivieso Fortuno Flores>>>>>> spaceshift...>> in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery>> 104-108 Cromer Street>> London WC1H 8BZ>> UK>> tel: 00 44 (0) 20 7837 6680>> mob: 07916 325037>> www.spaceshift.co.uk>> www.scarletmaguire.com www.onepercent4art.com
> From: "mike.stein@york.ac.uk" <mike.stein@york.ac.uk>
> To: Scarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com> Sent: Sunday, 4 December 2011, 13:18
> Subject: Please take a look at www.youthparliament.co.uk website
>
> Dear Mary
>
> Thanks for this - regret I don't know any lawyers - there used to be free law centres but not sure if they exist any more!
>
> At last, I finished the book about the history of the rights movement of young people in care. As detailed in my earlier email (see below), it covers the material from your interview for the Child Right article. I have attached a flyer, but do you want a free copy, and if so where shall I send it?
>
> Best wishes
>
> Mike SteinOn Dec 4 2011, Scarlet Maguire Gallery wrote:
> Dear Mike
>
> Don't worry about the lawyers I think I'm fast becoming one myself. It's frankly a bit like a PHD and you have just caught me whilst do the appeal morning noon and night for the past three days, just in case permission is granted fingers crossed.
>
> Yes please re the book it sounds like there are a few people who would enjoy it. Jennifer Alert from Black and In Care died as few months ago (as did my mum 3 weeks ago). I met up with many BIC and NAYPIC people due to Jen's death so will let them all know. I'm sure Maxine our once international rep now working for ANV and Paul Jordan our once International President will love the book too. By the way have you heard anything of Alison Pollington, are you in touch at all?
>
>
> Once I win this case I will throw a big party back in my premises for us oldies in this ongoing fight for the rights of young people.. onwards and upwards.
>
>
> By the way I would really like one day to commission a 'global child care philosophy' book to be made like a manifesto so as I said one day maybe soon I may need your paid assistance if all comes to pass since its always been you as our expert and so glad you are still there Mike.
>
>
> My address is 3...................................................>
> All the very best Mike
>
> Best Wishes
>
>
> Mary Josofar Valdivieso Fortuno Flores
>
>
> spaceshift...
> in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery
> 104-108 Cromer Street
> London WC1H 8BZ
> UK
> tel: 00 44 (0) 20 7837 6680
> mob: 07916 325037
> www.spaceshift.co.uk
> www.scarletmaguire.com www.onepercent4art.com
>Scarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>To:mike.stein@york.ac.ukFri, 9 Dec 2011 at 14:28Many Thanks Mike for the book.Just one piece of monumental history you missed out was the NAGM after we all united was the Liverpool 1991 NAGM with 365 delegates to re-launch NAYPIC and the publication 'The time for Change' and the two days weekend confernence in Skegness with 400 young people called 'wot more of us'. The conference you mentioned was a London conference for London with 35 delegates. However the next year 1993 we organized our very last NAGM with a street party and bands where we had 1000 young people outside the offices of London on a very sunny day voted for the first time ever the implementation of an independent 'youth Parliament'.The mention of work reports not being handed in and the accounts was not true. Its such a shame to repeat such inaccuracy. They were posted, faxed, reposted it was ridiculous. The DoH deliberatley dragged their feet and starved the organisation of funds because we had dirt on 5 of their Tory MP's and people were killed over that and the offices one day DISAPPEARED we saw the end of the suits robbbing us. Anyway good attempt and good promotion for ANV.Did you know that the creation of www.youthparliament.co.uk was done to never again depend on government funding and if that comes to pass through social enterprise then the funding will go to ANV and UK Youth Parliament from this independent youth economy.I look forward to reading more and thank you for the copy.Please remember that those nearly 2000 people existed and they won't forget our history.Kind RegardsMaryspaceshift...in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery104-108 Cromer StreetLondon WC1H 8BZUKtel: 00 44 (0) 20 7837 6680
mob: 07916 325037
From: "mike.stein@york.ac.uk" <mike.stein@york.ac.uk>
To: Scarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 6 December 2011, 9:00
Subject: Re: Please take a look at www.youthparliament.co.uk website
Thanks Mary
Have arranged for the publisher to send you to a copy - let me know t has arrived. Don't know whereabouts of Alison.
Best wishes
Mike
On Dec 4 2011, Scarlet Maguire Gallery wrote:
> Dear Mike
>
> Don't worry about the lawyers I think I'm fast becoming one myself. It's frankly a bit like a PHD and you have just caught me whilst do the appeal morning noon and night for the past three days, just in case permission is granted fingers crossed.
>
> Yes please re the book it sounds like there are a few people who would enjoy it. Jennifer Alert from Black and In Care died as few months ago (as did my mum 3 weeks ago). I met up with many BIC and NAYPIC people due to Jen's death so will let them all know. I'm sure Maxine our once international rep now working for ANV and Paul Jordan our once International President will love the book too. By the way have you heard anything of Alison Pollington, are you in touch at all?
>
>
> Once I win this case I will throw a big party back in my premises for us oldies in this ongoing fight for the rights of young people.. onwards and upwards.
>
>
> By the way I would really like one day to commission a 'global child care philosophy' book to be made like a manifesto so as I said one day maybe soon I may need your paid assistance if all comes to pass since its always been you as our expert and so glad you are still there Mike.
>
>
> My address is 32 ......................................................................PB.
>
> All the very best Mike
>
> Best Wishes
>
>
> Mary Josofar Valdivieso Fortuno Flores
>
>
> spaceshift...
> in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery
> 104-108 Cromer Street
> London WC1H 8BZ
> UK
> tel: 00 44 (0) 20 7837 6680
> mob: 07916 325037
> www.spaceshift.co.uk
> www.scarletmaguire.com www.onepercent4art.com
>
> ________________________________Mike Stein <mike.stein@york.ac.uk>To:scarletmaguire@yahoo.comFri, 16 Dec 2011 at 10:16Dear MaryMany thanks for this. Glad you got and liked the book. I didn't know about the 1993 NAGM - as I didn't know your contact details until you made contact with me and I checked out the Child Right article with you. However, If I have the energy for a second edition it will be included! On a related point, would you be interested in meeting of the NAYPIC 'old young people' if we are able to organise such an event? The book is helping to discover some of those, like yourself, who played such big part.Best wishesFrom: "mike.stein@york.ac.uk" <mike.stein@york.ac.uk>Sent: Tuesday, 6 December 2011, 9:00
To: Scarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Please take a look at www.youthparliament.co.uk website
Thanks Mary
Have arranged for the publisher to send you to a copy - let me know t has arrived. Don't know whereabouts of Alison.
Best wishes
Mike
From: Mike Stein <mike.stein@york.ac.uk>
To: Scarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, 16 December 2011, 10:16
Subject: Re: Please take a look at www.youthparliament.co.uk website
Dear MaryMany thanks for this. Glad you got and liked the book. I didn't know about the 1993 NAGM - as I didn't know your contact details until you made contact with me and I checked out the Child Right article with you. However, If I have the energy for a second edition it will be included! On a related point, would you be interested in meeting of the NAYPIC 'old young people' if we are able to organise such an event? The book is helping to discover some of those, like yourself, who played such big part.Best wishesScarlet Maguire Gallery <scarletmaguire@yahoo.com>To:mike.stein@york.ac.ukSat, 17 Dec 2011 at 00:08Dear Mike,Like Lemm and David, like Joy and Patsy, like Bridget and Alison and Paul and Dalya and Lohni and Jason and Mac and Neil and Sharon and Leon and those who passed away like Carol and Robert and Paul in them days.. oh I could go on and I could name so many... All have one thing in common each had an individual past and reason to be haunted by the past.. the power of what we all do now becomes so individual and when we have buried our past and moved on to be more healed individual of our own convictions we are using the lessons of what we have learned along the way and inadvertently we become our own cause. Perhaps we all always were. The question is what made us like that?Respect to all those individuals. It was interesting to hear of Ad-Libbers as I had never heard of them before. I loved to hear of the journey of Maxine that was interesting too.I suppose it is a selective publication for most to read and the central part of how the Government is always stopping funding only reassured me that the lessons I learned especially when I resigned in 1991 from my post to develop the organization nationally to become free, was that one does not need to be paid by them to follow their dream of independence by any means necessary.I have ploughed over half a million pounds of my own cash into my dream.. I intend to do more and won't be stopped.Long Live NAYPIC.Mad MaryXXspaceshift...in association with Scarlet Maguire Gallery104-108 Cromer StreetLondon WC1H 8BZUKtel: 00 44 (0) 20 7837 6680
mob: 07916 325037
Friday, 21 May 2021
I just finally did my personal statement to apply for an MA... I think it's too long but hey.. I'm bored now
I want to get to a point where attack is not my best form of defence.
It’s not so much that I wish to do this MA but I feel I the absolute need to.
On January 9th 2013 my life as I knew it changed forever and since then my internet print would be the work of a focus group or a PR company to figure out, how to come out of the oncoming headlights, associated with Mary Moss, me.
Children’s rights
I was born in Chelsea London, Mary Josephine Muriel Moss, from a lineage of royalty, brutality, upper class, middle class and working class, migrant status and a confusion at birth as to this multi-faceted identity that would become me, global.
I’ll start with my Mum’s side. Mary Moss (nee Gavin) was an Ireland born, wonderful Catholic in that she was ever so good and gentle. Her mother before her was a great Mexican born Catholic and her parents were rich Catholic’s beyond belief.
Mum attended church religiously and had all us children, her seven stars as she called us, in best catholic schools, the Sacred Heart in Hammersmith, the Marist Convent and the London Oratory. We were in the choirs always and my sister and I often had solo parts, up at the top of the church by the organ. We held starring roles in school plays. Our Mum was fun, often smiling, a very pretty woman, fashionable and worked hard as a secretary, to pay the rent, then the mortgage.
My Dad, he was born in Ireland into a 300 acre farm with eight other siblings. He ran away at fifteen and worked as a scaffolder. He elevated to health and safety manager of the barbican and the natural history and science museums.
In the 70’s a culture of misogyny was seen as normal and my Dad, also a looker, taught us to wolf whistle at women.
Faced with health and safety illness, where his ears rang all the time and he seemed to have severe sinus problems, he was always in a mood and very often would be in bed during the day time, getting up at night to go out and take his oldest son an infant Edward with him, into the night. He had a network of friends and family and politics kept them busy.
The family looked great in our house in Parfrey Street W6, always dressed to perfection and beaming in the photo’s.
Socioeconomics and my father’s ill health had brought the family to the attention of Hammersmith Social Services.
My mother had three young babies after a gap of seven years, after she had had us, four older ones. Young and fit she was having to do some cleaning for her wealthy, Catholic Church going neighbours and the priests to pay the mortgage.
She paid for everything herself as well as looking after her ill husband and all us kids, she a was strong, proud lady.
One day Mum went into her local social services and asked if they could get her some bunk beds, as despite having bought a three bedroom house, the parents had one room, the three older girls had one room, the older boy had his own room and Mum used to sleep on the leather sofa, pull out bed with the three babies as they made too much noise for my Dad. And so it was that an assessment was to be carried out and in walked a social worker, who was also an Irish woman.
The social worker approved the bunk beds and so life became a bit easier for Mum as the youngest girl could be in with the older girls now, four to a room and she only had the two little boy babies to deal with. However the social worker had noticed how well behaved the children all were and found that quite abnormal. She was later to say, “they were like mice”.
So it was not surprising for the social worker, when one day a call came into the area office from the Met police. The second oldest girl, me, 13, had reported with Mum’s support, to have been sexually abused by the father and also Mum reported years of domestic abuse to back up her daughters account, when the police were very nonchalant and even laughed as was the culture in the early eighty’s with things not changing much. The relationship between the parents had actually been based on a series of sexual offences perpetrated by the father whom also had a history of sexual offences.
13 court cases later, all seven children were taken into care for grievous bodily harm and Mum was put in a refuge.
You wonder at this point a few thing;
1. It was her house, albeit his name was jointly on the deeds, why did she and the children have to leave?
2. Why did he not go to jail?
3. Why when she went to meet her husband to get the house back, did social workers pack her bags and send her back?
4. Why were the children moved from their good schools?
5. Why were the children unsupervised much of the time and allowed if not encouraged to drink alcohol in pre-teens?
6. Why did social workers attempt to have the three younger children assisted adopted at £70k per child?
7. Why were the family moved to the seaside with list continuing of psychiatric abuses, in the system to this day?
At sixteen despite being a police cadet, I found myself in a secure unit for six months for taking an unauthorised trip to London with two of my siblings. The children’s home accepted the other two back, after being captured and brutalised by the police for ‘absconding’ but said, “you can keep her”. That’s no way to treat a child and this private children’s home were a couple, who had 13 children in their big house, being paid £700 per week per child. I often complained about them.
Is there any accountability, trust pilot reviews, children’s rights?
At 16 having been in a secure unit for that ‘unauthorised trip’, the net was closing in and my next journey was to prison.
The social worker that had been originally involved in the bunk beds scenario, thought this was a step too far, gave up her job and she took me to her house. I was back in London now and got a second chance to continue with my education.
By May/June 1986 The Certificate of Prevocational Education, was awarded to ‘Mary Jo (Catherine, my catholic confirmation name, later dropped) Moss’, who satisfactorily completed a full-time course of study for The C G L I (City and Guilds of London Institute) FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE (COMMUNITY CARE). 141415/6891/45137.
In 1986/87 and 87/88 I did the Preliminary Course in Social Care, gaining a sociology o-level.
At Christmas 1987 I was stopped from seeing my family by the couple at the children’s home by the sea and I was devastated about it, so the social worker whom I was living with said, “you didn’t hear this from me but there is an organisation called NAYPIC, they might be able to help you” and so I went to see Alison Pollington the London Development Officer but she was late and so I met the other London Development Officer, Carol Cox who was great.
A meeting was organised by NAYPIC with the social services and the children’s home to negotiate me being with my siblings for Christmas. The woman from the couple went mad saying I had “brought down the unions” and so I won and they were actually held to account and a bit scared to be honest, so I learned to power of children’s representation.
In the January following I learned that Carol Cox had died of a brain haemorrhage at only 20 years old.
Since we had spent four hours there and back on a train, I could only remember her words, “join our management committee” and so I did. I was in that NAYPIC office from then on every day.
It became clear to NAYPIC that I was an intellectual. When asked to consult on documents sent to NAYPIC from the Dept of Health and the Home Office, I would be able to have critical analysis and produce in-depth reports back. Then came the Children’s Act 1989 and I lobbied Baroness Faithful for leaving care provision. I learnt another bitter lesson early on there when she voted against her own bill for care leavers as it cost too much money for the Government. I was picked out of a hat to represent NAYPIC at the Canadian Youth In Care Network, that Alison Pollington had helped to set up.
So in July when Carol Cox’s job had been advertised in the Guardian, the voice and social work broadsheets I thought perhaps I should take her job and continue her legacy and so I applied and was interviewed by the landed social work gentry, the children’s legal centre and my peers, a total of 5 people but guess what I got the job and was London Development Officer for the National Association of Young People In Care. And that is how it all happened.
I worked for NAYPIC for 5 years and found the elite adult advisors very stifling. NAYPIC and it’s politic’s of adult control, of what was meant to be a children’s rights movement, run by and for under 25’s, was something I noticed and did not like.
I took to manipulation and I was in a good position to do so and was popular enough too. I started to organise the structure of the organisation to be very representative. We had steering committee meetings where a bunch of us including management committee members would go to Alison’s house in Essex for the weekend and work hard.
The structure was like my own child, I designed it, I wrote a book about it, I organised events to implement it and then I got it.
The National Executive Committee of the National Association of Young People In Care was voted in at conference in Liverpool. Everyone gave speeches and everyone who wanted to say anything formed a queue and took the mic and spoke out about their experiences. I will never forget the morning NAYPIC steering committee all turned up to the venue.
It give’s me so much joy and happiness when I remember the moment we looked into the hall and 350 young people from care were there. We had successfully done it. I decided that this structural change and development to a truly National representation was for me and so I promptly resigned from my paid post at the conference, spoke to be elected by my peers and was successfully elected as the Chair Person of the NEC of National Association of Young People In Care.
I was not tied down doing case work, I was free and I enjoyed it all so much. We met very few months at a hotel somewhere in the country. We set up new offices. We wrote more and more policy and had more and more conferences where the numbers just got bigger and bigger and the adult advisors those ex-DHSS elites were gone for good.
NAYPIC was a force to be reckoned with and a children’s revolution was errupting exposing abuses in the care system.
I was told as a criticism in 2013 that I was like a ‘black power war lord’ but I didn’t mind, I took that really well.
It was all to come to nothing in the end by 1994, and the saddest was profound of how they stopped us and killed some.
The abuses and exposures did not sit well with the powers that be and the abusers and after all they held the purse strings.
I ask myself, were the changes developmental? Was NAYPIC really to be funded by the Government? A government at the time who were also funding the Paedophile Information Exchange, PIE? Was abuse political? Was abuse being perpetrated by some of the elite? Did the elite need the voices of the survivors, through NAYPIC, as close to them as possible? History will show you that it was indeed the case. Hypocrisy was the name of the game and the integrity of ‘children’s right’s’ called into question. This so called war lord could see that from inside the organisation of NAYPIC and I and my management committee were not going to allow friends to be killed for simply doing good and stopping abuse.
However, in these political times when you have hit the toe on the stone, you have to stop and reflect in that grief.
You have to plot.
You have to plan.
And none of that will be seen, for they have hurt you all so badly, that attack is no longer an option when weakened, Neo-liberalism is the name of the game, especially when the foundations of children’s rights are so very, very new.
You accept they have won for now, 1994. “NAYPIC is Dead, Long Live NAYPIC” was the social work headline.
But then came 1999.
As NAYPIC chair apparent who had now been elected at three major conferences, I was asked by my management to continue, unpaid. That took six years, then I managed through personal loans to get a shop, a flower shop, later turned art gallery, as the respectable cover, but its only aim was to get back the offices of NAYPIC downstairs (and store all the paperwork that had been hidden or carried from one place to another), whilst self funding through commerce upstairs.
In 2000 I bought www.youthparliament.co.uk the hybrid of NAYPIC and now we called ourselves NN/YP, New NAYPIC/Youth Parliament.
Our NN/YP name came about because at our last conference in 1993 with 1,100 young people from care in attendance we had voted for a statutory budget by law for all youth in the UK, a nominal amount per child in the UK, which at 12 million UK children and young people, that would make 12 million pounds minimum. No wonder they closed NAYPIC down and withdrew funding. Child abuse was the least of their problems now, an army of dissatisfied youth with an organised structured voice, calling for a Youth Parliament and statutory budget of 12 million, I would say, was their real nightmare.
Just like in the old days, an MP got wind of what we had done, and set up their own, quite quickly it was run by the British Council, so that again ‘adults’ could control it and be close to the abuse exposures, or even at best, not have any, by not having any real case work, just have a mini parliament to discuss the environment and their no-budget, budget.
It was a joke really and still is. Little mini-me children of politicians and well to do people, going to parliament to sit on green chairs and be suited and fluffy and who knows they may even get to become abused again in the highest of places.
I mean our culture has changed but abuse has not and the family courts are closed and we just not aware of abuse.
But that is not for me to say, my job has always been, to be the architect of change through structure. Abusers are not blind though, no matter how much you think you are doing good, evil, which is what abuse is, lurks, and then they make your life hell any way they can, absolutely any way. You don’t think you deserve it, but you are just not seeing that your good, is a danger, so you must be stopped! If they tell the world you are a crook then you are a crook, if they infiltrate your life and stamp on your head, you must just get on with it. Complaining is no good, even solicitors can be paid off.
So, concept, education, and a ‘need’ and ‘want’ has to be created by the majority of the society like all changes.
I said in 2013 my life changed. A member of Parliament set out his stall and said that abuse was in the heart of the establishment, using his parliamentary privilege to do so.
I was about to win a 2 million pounds court case, after successfully setting up two businesses for NN/YP and was going strong in the true sense that the revolution was not being televised and respectability and neoliberalism was my cover.
Why on earth did we have to now go into the quogmire of attack and of abuse stories, yes they were true but why now?
Because as I said, they were more scared of a statutory budget, a youth parliament a bunch of angry youths with a proper voice that was organised. So this brought the structure tumbling down and the rest is history and Mary Moss with it. As on 9th Jan 2013 I was raided for the files of NAYPIC that became operation Fairbank/Fernbridge and now am caught up regularly being abused in one way or another and relentlessly. So I need this MA in Children’s Rights.
My current position is that I am buying a field for www.youthparliament.world I own, www.youthparlament.co.uk wwwyouthparliament.org.uk www.youthparlaiment.uk www.NewNAYPICYouthParliament.com and www.NAYPIC.org and my brother Edward owns www.menatllynil.co.uk and I run www.onepercent4art.com (although the pandemic affected that). My previous shops were www.spaceshift.co.uk and www.scarletmaguire.com and my aim now is to reconstitute NN/YP NEC and hand over the businesses and field and have a global led demand for a youth parliament statutory budget by law, if they don’t ruin or kill me first. All this will happen in 2021. Check out my blogs www.legalaidcuts.blogspot.com and www.youthparliament.blogspot.com all these will have warning notices that your data may be stolen which is a joke!