06/02/2012 Inside Out West

Hello from Gloucester Road in Bristol. It is. There are more

independent shops along here than any other street in Britain. In the

programme tonight... The launch of the new local currency for Bristol.

But what's the point? And will anyone want to use it? This isn't

an attack on national companies, we see it as a positive thing to

support local traders. Also... Staying safe on the

internet. Are websites like Facebook threatening the stability

of families with adopted children? For birth parents who have had

their children removed by be courts, they are stuck in grief and of

course they are curious. Big question is not why did they get in

contact, but why wouldn't they? online bullying, at age and at the

side accused of spreading good for gossip. -- an internet site. You do

not know he is he is making particular comments.

With revealing stories from close to home, this is Inside Out West.

Britain, they say, is a nation of shopkeepers. Four traders on

streets like this at the moment, life is pretty tough. Would it help

if we printed our own local currency to be spent in our own

local shops? We report on today's launch of the Bristol pound.

The old Corn Exchange in Bristol, once the heart of the city's trade.

Before anyone invented credit cards or a debt obligations, deals in

Bristol were done simply. Cash on the old brass nail. Now, this

street is home to the farmers' market. People here reject local --

global trade and prefer to sell local. We are here to talk about

the Bristol pound. It is the perfect place to launch the

currency. There will be notes. It will be a one-to-one parity system.

You will be charging the same for Bristol pounds as pounds sterling.

As far as the taxman is concerned, it is the same. These traders may

sell local produce, but this man wants them to join a financial

system where local is locked in. will be a big push to get everybody

engaged so that everybody can see the benefits. We want to drive more

business to people like you. These are the designs for the new notes.

There it is, one Bristol pound. This little cockerel is a security

bonded hologram. When it is printed it will be a forgery proved. What

goes here is down to the people of Bristol. We feel it is important

for Bristol's currency to reflect the values and lives of the people

that live here. That is why we have opened a design to the public.

There must be some favourites. BT you would get a good response?

There are plenty of people with ideas. We are going to be very

open-minded with what can be submitted. People are welcome to

some it people for designs but it is no -- by no means restricted to

people. It is anyway Basie Bristol should be represented visually.

Will it be him or her? Or perhaps a big bunch of Bristol balloons? What

should it be? Bristol Evening Post is running a competition. They have

got five weeks to choose designs. What is the idea? How does Bristol

having its own money have kiss traders? If I was to spend a

Bristol �10 or at the market, that will be spent again in Bristol,

another person here in the region will use it. That keeps the money

going round and round the businesses and people of the area.

That is NORMALLY. It will go into the big companies, through their

mark financial system -- through the financial system and possibly

offshore. If an independent currency will work anywhere, it is

here. I think I'd want a pasty. This family-run bakery will be the

first to take the two -- the new notes. They are appealing to

customers' love of all things are local. It is better going to be

little man. The local shops are going to introduce the Bristol

pound. Do you reckon people in Bristol will go for that? Yes, they

will. I think they realise that the money will only be spent in Bristol,

it will not go outside Bristol. It will be spent on local suppliers,

wages locally, so everything is local. That is when things get

interesting. If customers start using the new currency, the bakery

will have to spend it on their own suppliers. Suppose Michelle metre

computer repair... Why do they never do what they are supposed to

do? They will have to call a local computer repairman, and this will

get a currency moving. -- the currency. Paying invoices in cash

would be a pain. If the scheme is to succeed, it on the a 21st

century system. -- it will need. You can pay electronically. That

should make things easier. course it is still early days. Or

only a handful of independent businesses have signed up so far.

There is one way to get around the City, Bristol fashion. A ticket to

the centre, please. Do you take Bristol pounds? I certainly do.

This Bristol currency is riding a very Bristol weir. -- weird. There

are lots of independent people who like things off the wall and like

to keep it in house and they are RTE, that sort of thing. I pick it

will do good. -- RTE. As we cruise at a harbour, all I can see his

banks, Halifax, the Bank of Scotland, Lloyds. Can the new pound

really take on the big money? look over -- after over �22 million

of assets. We have got 100,000 clients. This Bristol firm now

employs hundreds of people and senior investment strategist, Ben

Yearsley, doubts the new currency will make eight difference. You are

not going to boost spending in Bristol. You are just taking it

from one sector or one part of the retail economy or the service

economy and putting it to another part that is more locally-based.

are trying to give local traders an advantage over the multiples. Local

traders are disappearing from the high streets. We don't like that. I

want my high street to be diverse. But people are employed by national

companies and there is the danger that if this works, you could see a

reduction in the number of people employed in some of the national

chains a great gets taken away. -- if trade gets taken away. It is

more likely that the City will thrive and people will want to live

here and work here. This is not an attack on national companies and

traders. This is a positive thing, a way of supporting local traders.

There have been other experiments like this before. Totnes had their

own currency, and so did Froud. -- strode. But Bristol has a trump

card... I am going to the council has to pay my taxes. This is a coup

for the Bristol pound. Local currency, with the approval of the

local authority. You have got your taxes. Hello, Barbara, I am going

to pay my taxes in Bristol pounds. This is very good to see. We are

going to enable people to pay their taxes in the Bristol currency and

they can pay online. They are going to be able to use their mobile

phones. We will make it as easy as possible for people to use the

Bristol pound and see how useful it is. For the council, it is a bit of

history, showing a change in how councils do business. Of course, if

taxes are paid in Bristol pounds, the council will have to spend them.

Go on, give the photographer his money. Bristol is known for its

creativity and independence. It is a way of people having power with

their money. Spend local, its days local. Spend it in Tesco, who knows

where it goes? If everything goes according to

plan, the first Bristol pound notes should hit the high streets in May.

Later... Online bullying, but is there anything you can do about

hurtful gossip posted on a website? These days it is easier to keep in

touch with people than ever before. Websites like Facebook and Twitter

means catching up with friends and family can be done at the click of

a button. With that comes a hidden danger. Christine Hemming has been

investigating how a social networking sites can be a real

problem for families were adopted More than 600 children have been

adopted by families in the region since 2007. Their identity is

usually kept confidential. Keeping that the case is becoming more

challenging. What do I do, how do I safeguard my child? They are on the

internet. And suddenly have the reappearance of a cyber bullying.

cyber bullying chasing them could turn her life upside down --

tracing. For those who have had a child taken into care, all they

need is a name and date of birth to find them online. The birth parents

who had to the children removed by the courts are stuck in grief. They

are curious. The question is not why they get in contact, the

question is why wouldn't they? adopted children have a background

of neglect and abuse. Adoption UK supports them and their new

families. How is the contact between the two managed ideally?

ideally, how it is meant to happen is any contact is managed so that

the history and background that led to the adoption can be explored and

any reunion can be managed in a positive and supportive way. This

father of three adopted children wishes to remain anonymous to

protect his family. We have contact with other birth relatives but not

the birth parents and that goes well. It goes well but it is a

traumatic time for the children. It can have an after effect when it

can remind them of things in the past. Contact between adopted

children and parents can range from letters to director visits. This

can be traumatic. But a surprise message on a social networking site

can be devastating for an adopted child. Are you worried your

children might have a negative experience with social networking?

We hope we have taken the measures so there is no contact with the

birth family, which would have a negative effect. For example, not

using the whole name on the into that. Being careful what you do.

Parents monitoring what you do it. Helen knows the impact of social

networking on adopted children too well. The issue came into my life

because one of my children was contacted by a member of their

birth family and subsequently people I know in the adoption world

had the same experience. I wrote about it. People gave me

information. Children should be over 13 to use social networking

site, but helen predicts there are over 65,000 younger adopted people

in England and Wales who could be located online by their birth

families. She thinks one way to prepare children for this contact

is to be honest to about their past. Why the children need to have 100%

truth during that event. To have help piecing it together. It is

like coming downstairs, if you take one step at a time, holding on say

you have support, you can take one step at a time and integrate the

learning as you go down. When you get to the bottom, you have the

information and knowledge. You integrate it. If it happens in one

go, it is like falling down the stairs. You are hurt as you descend

and end up in a big pile at the bottom. That is really what is

happening when contact happens via Facebook. Children might leave home

to be reunited with their birth parents and put themselves into

difficult and dangerous situations. Children are getting a

misunderstanding of wide they were adopted and the birth family, he

needs support, that needs to be acknowledged, they are giving out

and untrue situation about the history of the child, saying you

were removed. We always loved you. There were no issues of abuse and

neglect. The child becomes confused. To explain to children why they

were adopted, life story books and memory boxes are kept. They are

assessed for supportive services, but if they see them is at the

discretion of the local authority. Helen thinks this is not enough.

She says the national impact of social networking could be

disastrous without support. would come forward and take on

somebody else's damaged child and be in effect an unpaid foster carer

for 15 years and then have the child leave? People will not come

forward to adopt a unless the adoption Support is put in place

solidly. Frankly, that is what all adoptive parents need. It is a

challenge that some agencies in the West are trying to meet. Parents

need lifelong support. Their needs are so complex, it needs to be a

multi-disciplinary approach to supporting families. We liaise with

education systems, health, psychologists, medical agencies, to

get the support needed for the individual child. But are the

challenges associated with social networking putting people off

adopting? We have not seen evidence. When people first come forward to

adopt, they are thinking of adopting young children who do not

use social networking. It is not affecting people at the beginning.

When we identify a particular child and share the birth parent history

and the nature of the reason why the child is with the adopting

parents, they become conscious of how safe this isn't have saved

their family will be. Adoptive families, as they adapt, say it is

a positive experience. My kids are fantastic. They might struggle but

they have a lot of talent, sport, music, or just being fantastic

people. You might meet big challenges, but it is worth it.

When you are lucky to help these children with a difficult passed

fit into a new family, it is rewarding.

If you have concerns about social networking, we have expert advice

on our website. We will stay with the internet for

the final story. Sam has been investigating so-called cyber

bullying. If somebody says hurtful things about you can probably do

something about it, but what if it is anonymous? We teach young people

on issues concerning safe sex, drugs and rock and roll. We are

here to show you what can happen with young people who have been

cyber bullied. An internet at safety workshop and a reminder of

the dangers of online abuse. Pictures of five young people whose

suicides have been linked to so called cyber bullying. It is not

like the old days when anybody was starting on somebody it would be in

the playground, in the classroom. Now, cyber bullying is an easy way

to target somebody. I do not want to be around them because of racist

comments. Seeing people in the town saying there is that girl. Hugo --

Jade Sarwar was cyber bullied. got home one night and it was on

Facebook. Because I was not replying, she got other people

involved. I was crying. What they were saying, I did not like it. It

just kept going on, saying she is dirty, she has not washed, the

colour of her skin. Lots of people got involved. There were 19 pages

of it. She went to the police. The teenagers who posted the abuse,

trolling as it is known, ended up in court. Referral orders were

given to the five responsible. was nervous about going to the

police thinking it would make it worse. But it made it better. They

dealt with it straight away and made a good job of it. If I did not

go, I do not know what would have happened. She knew the bullies

because they were sending messages on Facebook. It discourages

anonymous postings. But there are places where you can be anonymous,

such as Little Gossip. I do not see the point of it. Nobody is posting

anything nice. It is not like Facebook or Twitter, it seemed

spied for and pointless. The -- spiteful. Now studying in France,

Bianca Coughlin words in university when she discovered she was being

talked about on Little Gossip. pertained to my reputation.

Habrough -- how promiscuous I have been, which I have not! It would

not be funny if somebody such as an employer or parents... It did turn

out to be a joke by one of her friends, but it did not seem so

funny when the French tried to delete the post. That is when she

said she could not. She had posted it but she could only reporter it.

-- she could only reporter it. message was eventually removed. But

Little Gossip, which is in 15 countries, is still rife with abuse

posted by anonymous users -- 50 countries. I have come to Taunton

to meet the entrepreneur who created the site. I discovered a TV

show called gossip girl in America. I suddenly saw a lot of gossip from

nights before, people going out. It was light hearted. I thought that

is an amazing idea. But Ted had unleashed something big. It

snowballed out of control. The had 33,000 hits in the first hour.

we had. The server crashed. It was impossible to police by myself.

was inundated with complaints. you have 60,000 pieces of gossip

and 10% bark malicious, that is 6000 pieces of gossip I have to try

to find and delete -- are malicious. After four days, he sold the site

for, he says, $50. I did not sell it for financial gain, but just to

get rid of it. Why did you not close it down and not tell anybody

how to do this? That was a mistake. I am sorry for that. I set up the

site with good intentions. I should have shut it down when I knew that,

for me, it was spiralling out of control. But Little Gossip goes on

under its new owners. The business he set up as harmless for his

school friends has turned into a global internet phenomenon, but one

with an ugly side. It is the anonymity on such sites that

experts say is making them harder to police. If you are the victim of

that abuse, it is difficult to get recourse and closure. You do not

know who is making the comments. is not just young people being

targeted. Rate My Teacher features abuse about staff at schools and

colleges across the world. We spoke to a south-west teacher who says he

has been bullet on Rate My Teacher for more than one year. -- bullied.

We disguised his identity. It has been tough. I had considered

leaving the profession. It was almost on a daily basis that

comments were left. There were almost 200. I felt helpless to do

anything about it. It affected my confidence. I am sure it affected

my performance in the classroom. Action against internet sites like

Little Gossip and Rate My Teacher is made harder by the fact that

they appear to operate out of America. Getting internet sites

closed down is virtually impossible. Many are hosted not in the UK but

America. The freedom to speak is everything with the US constitution.

People have the right to say what they want to say. In the UK, we are

not used to that. We tried to contact Little Gossip to ask why

they do not remove abusive comments. Our e-mail bounced back. Jade

Sarwar has come to terms with the racist abuse she suffered. It took

a while to get over it. It is one year and a half ago. I have not had

anything since. It was horrible at the time. Her story shows that the

courts can bring online bullies to book. But governments appear unable

to tackle the operators of internet sites, which seemed to tolerate the

trolls. If that has not put you off using