I can easily sympathise with the mother in question - this situation has happened to me, and I suspect, to every parent at one time or another.

I can also easily recall the temptation to blame someone other than myself for the anguish I suffered when my daughters went missing.

What is harder to understand is why the Guardian is also willing to blame the CVS Playscheme.

I thought it was understood by all parents whose children participate that the playscheme is an attempt to enable their children to make more productive use of the long summer holidays, rather than to provide a free baby-sitting service for their offspring.

I also thought it was accepted by users that the playleaders are unlike teachers and that parents still have the ultimate responsibility for their children's wellbeing.

There is supervision, but only while the children are participating in events.

Playleaders have no power to prevent children from leaving, and have no training to deal with anything other than minor emergencies.

Thus mishaps and complications will inevitably arise from time to time.

DR JANET MATHER

Northway, Northwich.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't 'shoot the messenger'. The Guardian reported the genuine concerns of a mother and in no way set out to 'blame' the playscheme concerned. In fact as much space was given to the CVS to put its case across.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.