Has the child protection agenda gone too far?

I don't, of course, know the circumstances under which you were working at the time but, in general (and assuming that you were a regular rather than a casual employee of an educational establishment) I think that the best approach to take in a situation such as you describe, where tutors are 'not allowed to touch children under any circumstances' would be to: 1) Immediately move away from the child and thus put yourself in a 'formal' situation with him. 2) Make a formal (written) and reasoned complaint to the principal/manager (your superior) that you feel that you are unable to perform your job to the level required of you because of unreasonable restrictions. 3) Gain the support and sympathy of the parents, if possible, in their trust in you to discipline their child responsibly. 3) If, because of the impracticality of the restrictions imposed, you are disciplined or dismissed or otherwise appear discriminated against, use employment law (unfair dismissal, &c) and the media to the fullest extent possible to show how inappropriate this ruling is for teachers - and especially personal tutors of special needs children. It is sad that you would not feel able to 'comfort a strange child in distress'. I think that if I saw a child alone and in distress (in a public place), I would do my best to help them, even if I were concerned that some person who hadn't properly recognised the situation might see fit to report their perception of my actions to the authorities! If I saw someone hurting a child (or an animal), I would FIRST try to make sure that I had my facts straight - well, see above - and THEN call the police ... or in a very extreme situation, call the police and try to intervene. I have confidence that the law (British law, at any rate) does work both ways, though it can be quicker to accuse someone unjustly than to recompense someone for a wrongful accusation.

I was working in a tutoring center, not a school. The children were mostly gifted children rather than children with special needs. Although I did tutor a few children with ADD and a few with language delays due to not speaking English at home. The hard part was that at this center you were always stuck tutoring three children at a time.

I would say that 'gifted' children actually have broadly similar needs to many others who we class as 'below normal' or 'disturbed' or 'special needs'. Being gifted is a liability and sets one apart from the rest of society as much as the problems associated with what are termed 'low achievers'.

When I was a child, the local policeman would think nothing of taking one by the ear (if one was caught red handed in a minor offence) and delivering one home in this fashion to be dealt with by one's parents. No thought of paperwork or 'criminal record' for a simple offence like scrumping, minor shoplifting, ringing doorbells, fighting in the street or other such rudery.

I, too, used to wander all over the countryside with my brother or friends. It was enough to say where one was going (approximately) and who one would be with. If one fell in the river (a mile away) one had to traipse home, dripping, and just put up with a mild scolding (and a hot bath) when one got home.

Thanks for the br award.