0:00:00 > 0:00:05Hello from Gloucester Road in Bristol. It is. There are more
0:00:05 > 0:00:09independent shops along here than any other street in Britain. In the
0:00:09 > 0:00:15programme tonight... The launch of the new local currency for Bristol.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19But what's the point? And will anyone want to use it? This isn't
0:00:19 > 0:00:26an attack on national companies, we see it as a positive thing to
0:00:26 > 0:00:30support local traders. Also... Staying safe on the
0:00:30 > 0:00:35internet. Are websites like Facebook threatening the stability
0:00:35 > 0:00:39of families with adopted children? For birth parents who have had
0:00:39 > 0:00:44their children removed by be courts, they are stuck in grief and of
0:00:44 > 0:00:51course they are curious. Big question is not why did they get in
0:00:51 > 0:00:59contact, but why wouldn't they? online bullying, at age and at the
0:00:59 > 0:01:02side accused of spreading good for gossip. -- an internet site. You do
0:01:02 > 0:01:12not know he is he is making particular comments.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14
0:01:14 > 0:01:18With revealing stories from close to home, this is Inside Out West.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23Britain, they say, is a nation of shopkeepers. Four traders on
0:01:23 > 0:01:27streets like this at the moment, life is pretty tough. Would it help
0:01:27 > 0:01:37if we printed our own local currency to be spent in our own
0:01:37 > 0:01:41
0:01:41 > 0:01:47local shops? We report on today's launch of the Bristol pound.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52The old Corn Exchange in Bristol, once the heart of the city's trade.
0:01:52 > 0:01:59Before anyone invented credit cards or a debt obligations, deals in
0:01:59 > 0:02:05Bristol were done simply. Cash on the old brass nail. Now, this
0:02:05 > 0:02:09street is home to the farmers' market. People here reject local --
0:02:09 > 0:02:14global trade and prefer to sell local. We are here to talk about
0:02:14 > 0:02:24the Bristol pound. It is the perfect place to launch the
0:02:24 > 0:02:24
0:02:24 > 0:02:31currency. There will be notes. It will be a one-to-one parity system.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36You will be charging the same for Bristol pounds as pounds sterling.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41As far as the taxman is concerned, it is the same. These traders may
0:02:41 > 0:02:48sell local produce, but this man wants them to join a financial
0:02:48 > 0:02:53system where local is locked in. will be a big push to get everybody
0:02:53 > 0:02:58engaged so that everybody can see the benefits. We want to drive more
0:02:58 > 0:03:04business to people like you. These are the designs for the new notes.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09There it is, one Bristol pound. This little cockerel is a security
0:03:09 > 0:03:15bonded hologram. When it is printed it will be a forgery proved. What
0:03:15 > 0:03:18goes here is down to the people of Bristol. We feel it is important
0:03:18 > 0:03:24for Bristol's currency to reflect the values and lives of the people
0:03:24 > 0:03:31that live here. That is why we have opened a design to the public.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35There must be some favourites. BT you would get a good response?
0:03:35 > 0:03:40There are plenty of people with ideas. We are going to be very
0:03:40 > 0:03:44open-minded with what can be submitted. People are welcome to
0:03:44 > 0:03:50some it people for designs but it is no -- by no means restricted to
0:03:50 > 0:03:58people. It is anyway Basie Bristol should be represented visually.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04Will it be him or her? Or perhaps a big bunch of Bristol balloons? What
0:04:04 > 0:04:10should it be? Bristol Evening Post is running a competition. They have
0:04:10 > 0:04:18got five weeks to choose designs. What is the idea? How does Bristol
0:04:18 > 0:04:25having its own money have kiss traders? If I was to spend a
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Bristol �10 or at the market, that will be spent again in Bristol,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32another person here in the region will use it. That keeps the money
0:04:32 > 0:04:36going round and round the businesses and people of the area.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42That is NORMALLY. It will go into the big companies, through their
0:04:42 > 0:04:47mark financial system -- through the financial system and possibly
0:04:47 > 0:04:57offshore. If an independent currency will work anywhere, it is
0:04:57 > 0:04:59
0:04:59 > 0:05:07here. I think I'd want a pasty. This family-run bakery will be the
0:05:07 > 0:05:12first to take the two -- the new notes. They are appealing to
0:05:12 > 0:05:17customers' love of all things are local. It is better going to be
0:05:17 > 0:05:22little man. The local shops are going to introduce the Bristol
0:05:22 > 0:05:28pound. Do you reckon people in Bristol will go for that? Yes, they
0:05:28 > 0:05:33will. I think they realise that the money will only be spent in Bristol,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38it will not go outside Bristol. It will be spent on local suppliers,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42wages locally, so everything is local. That is when things get
0:05:42 > 0:05:47interesting. If customers start using the new currency, the bakery
0:05:47 > 0:05:54will have to spend it on their own suppliers. Suppose Michelle metre
0:05:54 > 0:06:01computer repair... Why do they never do what they are supposed to
0:06:01 > 0:06:09do? They will have to call a local computer repairman, and this will
0:06:09 > 0:06:15get a currency moving. -- the currency. Paying invoices in cash
0:06:15 > 0:06:23would be a pain. If the scheme is to succeed, it on the a 21st
0:06:23 > 0:06:29century system. -- it will need. You can pay electronically. That
0:06:29 > 0:06:39should make things easier. course it is still early days. Or
0:06:39 > 0:06:44only a handful of independent businesses have signed up so far.
0:06:44 > 0:06:54There is one way to get around the City, Bristol fashion. A ticket to
0:06:54 > 0:07:02the centre, please. Do you take Bristol pounds? I certainly do.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07This Bristol currency is riding a very Bristol weir. -- weird. There
0:07:07 > 0:07:11are lots of independent people who like things off the wall and like
0:07:11 > 0:07:17to keep it in house and they are RTE, that sort of thing. I pick it
0:07:17 > 0:07:22will do good. -- RTE. As we cruise at a harbour, all I can see his
0:07:22 > 0:07:29banks, Halifax, the Bank of Scotland, Lloyds. Can the new pound
0:07:29 > 0:07:37really take on the big money? look over -- after over �22 million
0:07:37 > 0:07:43of assets. We have got 100,000 clients. This Bristol firm now
0:07:43 > 0:07:48employs hundreds of people and senior investment strategist, Ben
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Yearsley, doubts the new currency will make eight difference. You are
0:07:52 > 0:07:56not going to boost spending in Bristol. You are just taking it
0:07:56 > 0:08:01from one sector or one part of the retail economy or the service
0:08:01 > 0:08:10economy and putting it to another part that is more locally-based.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14are trying to give local traders an advantage over the multiples. Local
0:08:14 > 0:08:20traders are disappearing from the high streets. We don't like that. I
0:08:20 > 0:08:27want my high street to be diverse. But people are employed by national
0:08:27 > 0:08:31companies and there is the danger that if this works, you could see a
0:08:31 > 0:08:39reduction in the number of people employed in some of the national
0:08:39 > 0:08:43chains a great gets taken away. -- if trade gets taken away. It is
0:08:43 > 0:08:46more likely that the City will thrive and people will want to live
0:08:46 > 0:08:53here and work here. This is not an attack on national companies and
0:08:53 > 0:09:00traders. This is a positive thing, a way of supporting local traders.
0:09:00 > 0:09:08There have been other experiments like this before. Totnes had their
0:09:08 > 0:09:18own currency, and so did Froud. -- strode. But Bristol has a trump
0:09:18 > 0:09:20
0:09:20 > 0:09:23card... I am going to the council has to pay my taxes. This is a coup
0:09:23 > 0:09:32for the Bristol pound. Local currency, with the approval of the
0:09:32 > 0:09:42local authority. You have got your taxes. Hello, Barbara, I am going
0:09:42 > 0:09:47to pay my taxes in Bristol pounds. This is very good to see. We are
0:09:47 > 0:09:50going to enable people to pay their taxes in the Bristol currency and
0:09:50 > 0:09:54they can pay online. They are going to be able to use their mobile
0:09:54 > 0:10:03phones. We will make it as easy as possible for people to use the
0:10:03 > 0:10:09Bristol pound and see how useful it is. For the council, it is a bit of
0:10:09 > 0:10:14history, showing a change in how councils do business. Of course, if
0:10:14 > 0:10:21taxes are paid in Bristol pounds, the council will have to spend them.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Go on, give the photographer his money. Bristol is known for its
0:10:23 > 0:10:28creativity and independence. It is a way of people having power with
0:10:28 > 0:10:35their money. Spend local, its days local. Spend it in Tesco, who knows
0:10:35 > 0:10:40where it goes? If everything goes according to
0:10:40 > 0:10:45plan, the first Bristol pound notes should hit the high streets in May.
0:10:45 > 0:10:55Later... Online bullying, but is there anything you can do about
0:10:55 > 0:10:56
0:10:56 > 0:11:01hurtful gossip posted on a website? These days it is easier to keep in
0:11:01 > 0:11:05touch with people than ever before. Websites like Facebook and Twitter
0:11:05 > 0:11:11means catching up with friends and family can be done at the click of
0:11:11 > 0:11:14a button. With that comes a hidden danger. Christine Hemming has been
0:11:14 > 0:11:24investigating how a social networking sites can be a real
0:11:24 > 0:11:30
0:11:30 > 0:11:34problem for families were adopted More than 600 children have been
0:11:34 > 0:11:39adopted by families in the region since 2007. Their identity is
0:11:39 > 0:11:48usually kept confidential. Keeping that the case is becoming more
0:11:48 > 0:11:57challenging. What do I do, how do I safeguard my child? They are on the
0:11:57 > 0:12:02internet. And suddenly have the reappearance of a cyber bullying.
0:12:02 > 0:12:10cyber bullying chasing them could turn her life upside down --
0:12:10 > 0:12:15tracing. For those who have had a child taken into care, all they
0:12:15 > 0:12:20need is a name and date of birth to find them online. The birth parents
0:12:20 > 0:12:25who had to the children removed by the courts are stuck in grief. They
0:12:25 > 0:12:31are curious. The question is not why they get in contact, the
0:12:31 > 0:12:37question is why wouldn't they? adopted children have a background
0:12:37 > 0:12:42of neglect and abuse. Adoption UK supports them and their new
0:12:42 > 0:12:51families. How is the contact between the two managed ideally?
0:12:51 > 0:12:56ideally, how it is meant to happen is any contact is managed so that
0:12:56 > 0:13:03the history and background that led to the adoption can be explored and
0:13:03 > 0:13:06any reunion can be managed in a positive and supportive way. This
0:13:06 > 0:13:11father of three adopted children wishes to remain anonymous to
0:13:11 > 0:13:18protect his family. We have contact with other birth relatives but not
0:13:18 > 0:13:22the birth parents and that goes well. It goes well but it is a
0:13:22 > 0:13:29traumatic time for the children. It can have an after effect when it
0:13:29 > 0:13:34can remind them of things in the past. Contact between adopted
0:13:34 > 0:13:39children and parents can range from letters to director visits. This
0:13:39 > 0:13:44can be traumatic. But a surprise message on a social networking site
0:13:44 > 0:13:48can be devastating for an adopted child. Are you worried your
0:13:48 > 0:13:53children might have a negative experience with social networking?
0:13:53 > 0:13:58We hope we have taken the measures so there is no contact with the
0:13:58 > 0:14:03birth family, which would have a negative effect. For example, not
0:14:04 > 0:14:10using the whole name on the into that. Being careful what you do.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16Parents monitoring what you do it. Helen knows the impact of social
0:14:16 > 0:14:20networking on adopted children too well. The issue came into my life
0:14:20 > 0:14:26because one of my children was contacted by a member of their
0:14:26 > 0:14:31birth family and subsequently people I know in the adoption world
0:14:31 > 0:14:36had the same experience. I wrote about it. People gave me
0:14:36 > 0:14:41information. Children should be over 13 to use social networking
0:14:41 > 0:14:47site, but helen predicts there are over 65,000 younger adopted people
0:14:47 > 0:14:51in England and Wales who could be located online by their birth
0:14:51 > 0:15:00families. She thinks one way to prepare children for this contact
0:15:00 > 0:15:06is to be honest to about their past. Why the children need to have 100%
0:15:06 > 0:15:11truth during that event. To have help piecing it together. It is
0:15:11 > 0:15:16like coming downstairs, if you take one step at a time, holding on say
0:15:16 > 0:15:21you have support, you can take one step at a time and integrate the
0:15:21 > 0:15:26learning as you go down. When you get to the bottom, you have the
0:15:26 > 0:15:31information and knowledge. You integrate it. If it happens in one
0:15:31 > 0:15:37go, it is like falling down the stairs. You are hurt as you descend
0:15:37 > 0:15:44and end up in a big pile at the bottom. That is really what is
0:15:44 > 0:15:48happening when contact happens via Facebook. Children might leave home
0:15:48 > 0:15:54to be reunited with their birth parents and put themselves into
0:15:54 > 0:15:58difficult and dangerous situations. Children are getting a
0:15:58 > 0:16:05misunderstanding of wide they were adopted and the birth family, he
0:16:05 > 0:16:10needs support, that needs to be acknowledged, they are giving out
0:16:10 > 0:16:15and untrue situation about the history of the child, saying you
0:16:15 > 0:16:20were removed. We always loved you. There were no issues of abuse and
0:16:20 > 0:16:28neglect. The child becomes confused. To explain to children why they
0:16:28 > 0:16:32were adopted, life story books and memory boxes are kept. They are
0:16:32 > 0:16:36assessed for supportive services, but if they see them is at the
0:16:36 > 0:16:41discretion of the local authority. Helen thinks this is not enough.
0:16:41 > 0:16:48She says the national impact of social networking could be
0:16:48 > 0:16:57disastrous without support. would come forward and take on
0:16:57 > 0:17:02somebody else's damaged child and be in effect an unpaid foster carer
0:17:02 > 0:17:06for 15 years and then have the child leave? People will not come
0:17:06 > 0:17:14forward to adopt a unless the adoption Support is put in place
0:17:15 > 0:17:19solidly. Frankly, that is what all adoptive parents need. It is a
0:17:19 > 0:17:27challenge that some agencies in the West are trying to meet. Parents
0:17:27 > 0:17:32need lifelong support. Their needs are so complex, it needs to be a
0:17:32 > 0:17:38multi-disciplinary approach to supporting families. We liaise with
0:17:38 > 0:17:43education systems, health, psychologists, medical agencies, to
0:17:43 > 0:17:47get the support needed for the individual child. But are the
0:17:47 > 0:17:54challenges associated with social networking putting people off
0:17:54 > 0:17:59adopting? We have not seen evidence. When people first come forward to
0:17:59 > 0:18:05adopt, they are thinking of adopting young children who do not
0:18:05 > 0:18:10use social networking. It is not affecting people at the beginning.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14When we identify a particular child and share the birth parent history
0:18:14 > 0:18:19and the nature of the reason why the child is with the adopting
0:18:19 > 0:18:29parents, they become conscious of how safe this isn't have saved
0:18:29 > 0:18:33
0:18:33 > 0:18:39their family will be. Adoptive families, as they adapt, say it is
0:18:39 > 0:18:43a positive experience. My kids are fantastic. They might struggle but
0:18:44 > 0:18:49they have a lot of talent, sport, music, or just being fantastic
0:18:49 > 0:18:53people. You might meet big challenges, but it is worth it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58When you are lucky to help these children with a difficult passed
0:18:58 > 0:19:06fit into a new family, it is rewarding.
0:19:06 > 0:19:16If you have concerns about social networking, we have expert advice
0:19:16 > 0:19:21
0:19:21 > 0:19:28on our website. We will stay with the internet for
0:19:28 > 0:19:34the final story. Sam has been investigating so-called cyber
0:19:34 > 0:19:41bullying. If somebody says hurtful things about you can probably do
0:19:41 > 0:19:46something about it, but what if it is anonymous? We teach young people
0:19:46 > 0:19:50on issues concerning safe sex, drugs and rock and roll. We are
0:19:50 > 0:19:56here to show you what can happen with young people who have been
0:19:56 > 0:20:03cyber bullied. An internet at safety workshop and a reminder of
0:20:03 > 0:20:09the dangers of online abuse. Pictures of five young people whose
0:20:09 > 0:20:14suicides have been linked to so called cyber bullying. It is not
0:20:14 > 0:20:19like the old days when anybody was starting on somebody it would be in
0:20:20 > 0:20:26the playground, in the classroom. Now, cyber bullying is an easy way
0:20:26 > 0:20:36to target somebody. I do not want to be around them because of racist
0:20:36 > 0:20:39
0:20:39 > 0:20:45comments. Seeing people in the town saying there is that girl. Hugo --
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Jade Sarwar was cyber bullied. got home one night and it was on
0:20:50 > 0:20:59Facebook. Because I was not replying, she got other people
0:20:59 > 0:21:06involved. I was crying. What they were saying, I did not like it. It
0:21:06 > 0:21:11just kept going on, saying she is dirty, she has not washed, the
0:21:11 > 0:21:19colour of her skin. Lots of people got involved. There were 19 pages
0:21:19 > 0:21:25of it. She went to the police. The teenagers who posted the abuse,
0:21:25 > 0:21:32trolling as it is known, ended up in court. Referral orders were
0:21:32 > 0:21:37given to the five responsible. was nervous about going to the
0:21:37 > 0:21:40police thinking it would make it worse. But it made it better. They
0:21:40 > 0:21:47dealt with it straight away and made a good job of it. If I did not
0:21:47 > 0:21:54go, I do not know what would have happened. She knew the bullies
0:21:54 > 0:21:58because they were sending messages on Facebook. It discourages
0:21:58 > 0:22:05anonymous postings. But there are places where you can be anonymous,
0:22:05 > 0:22:12such as Little Gossip. I do not see the point of it. Nobody is posting
0:22:12 > 0:22:20anything nice. It is not like Facebook or Twitter, it seemed
0:22:20 > 0:22:25spied for and pointless. The -- spiteful. Now studying in France,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30Bianca Coughlin words in university when she discovered she was being
0:22:30 > 0:22:40talked about on Little Gossip. pertained to my reputation.
0:22:40 > 0:22:46
0:22:46 > 0:22:52Habrough -- how promiscuous I have been, which I have not! It would
0:22:52 > 0:22:57not be funny if somebody such as an employer or parents... It did turn
0:22:57 > 0:23:03out to be a joke by one of her friends, but it did not seem so
0:23:03 > 0:23:13funny when the French tried to delete the post. That is when she
0:23:13 > 0:23:21said she could not. She had posted it but she could only reporter it.
0:23:21 > 0:23:28-- she could only reporter it. message was eventually removed. But
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Little Gossip, which is in 15 countries, is still rife with abuse
0:23:32 > 0:23:37posted by anonymous users -- 50 countries. I have come to Taunton
0:23:37 > 0:23:47to meet the entrepreneur who created the site. I discovered a TV
0:23:47 > 0:23:51
0:23:51 > 0:24:00show called gossip girl in America. I suddenly saw a lot of gossip from
0:24:00 > 0:24:07nights before, people going out. It was light hearted. I thought that
0:24:07 > 0:24:15is an amazing idea. But Ted had unleashed something big. It
0:24:15 > 0:24:25snowballed out of control. The had 33,000 hits in the first hour.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26
0:24:26 > 0:24:34we had. The server crashed. It was impossible to police by myself.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40was inundated with complaints. you have 60,000 pieces of gossip
0:24:40 > 0:24:46and 10% bark malicious, that is 6000 pieces of gossip I have to try
0:24:46 > 0:24:53to find and delete -- are malicious. After four days, he sold the site
0:24:53 > 0:24:59for, he says, $50. I did not sell it for financial gain, but just to
0:24:59 > 0:25:07get rid of it. Why did you not close it down and not tell anybody
0:25:07 > 0:25:12how to do this? That was a mistake. I am sorry for that. I set up the
0:25:12 > 0:25:19site with good intentions. I should have shut it down when I knew that,
0:25:19 > 0:25:25for me, it was spiralling out of control. But Little Gossip goes on
0:25:25 > 0:25:30under its new owners. The business he set up as harmless for his
0:25:30 > 0:25:36school friends has turned into a global internet phenomenon, but one
0:25:36 > 0:25:42with an ugly side. It is the anonymity on such sites that
0:25:42 > 0:25:47experts say is making them harder to police. If you are the victim of
0:25:47 > 0:25:53that abuse, it is difficult to get recourse and closure. You do not
0:25:53 > 0:26:00know who is making the comments. is not just young people being
0:26:00 > 0:26:08targeted. Rate My Teacher features abuse about staff at schools and
0:26:08 > 0:26:14colleges across the world. We spoke to a south-west teacher who says he
0:26:15 > 0:26:20has been bullet on Rate My Teacher for more than one year. -- bullied.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25We disguised his identity. It has been tough. I had considered
0:26:25 > 0:26:31leaving the profession. It was almost on a daily basis that
0:26:31 > 0:26:36comments were left. There were almost 200. I felt helpless to do
0:26:36 > 0:26:46anything about it. It affected my confidence. I am sure it affected
0:26:46 > 0:26:47
0:26:47 > 0:26:50my performance in the classroom. Action against internet sites like
0:26:50 > 0:26:58Little Gossip and Rate My Teacher is made harder by the fact that
0:26:58 > 0:27:05they appear to operate out of America. Getting internet sites
0:27:05 > 0:27:10closed down is virtually impossible. Many are hosted not in the UK but
0:27:10 > 0:27:18America. The freedom to speak is everything with the US constitution.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22People have the right to say what they want to say. In the UK, we are
0:27:22 > 0:27:29not used to that. We tried to contact Little Gossip to ask why
0:27:29 > 0:27:34they do not remove abusive comments. Our e-mail bounced back. Jade
0:27:34 > 0:27:43Sarwar has come to terms with the racist abuse she suffered. It took
0:27:43 > 0:27:53a while to get over it. It is one year and a half ago. I have not had
0:27:53 > 0:27:56
0:27:56 > 0:28:02anything since. It was horrible at the time. Her story shows that the
0:28:02 > 0:28:08courts can bring online bullies to book. But governments appear unable
0:28:08 > 0:28:15to tackle the operators of internet sites, which seemed to tolerate the
0:28:15 > 0:28:23trolls. If that has not put you off using