Meeting of the Parliament 08 June 2016
I will be supporting my own amendment—I drafted it, so I will be voting for it. I do not think that that was a great moment of parliamentary triumph.
What else has changed in the debate? Perhaps it is the language that some have used in their opposition to the policy. We had another example of it today. We have all heard many comments about “state snoopers” who will be “intruding” in family life but those so-called snoopers are the health visitors and teachers whom families across Scotland work with, trust and turn to for advice right now. Such language insults the vital work that they do and makes their work much more difficult.
I accept that the Scottish Government now has work to do to build confidence in this policy; to ensure that the guidance is appropriate—that is why I have given a commitment to refresh the guidance; and to ensure that the public are fully and properly aware of the intentions behind the policy. We understand the challenges of communicating that change to the public, not least in a climate thick with misinformation and scaremongering. The public deserve a considered, transparent presentation of the facts around the named person, and I commit myself to deliver exactly that.
Working with those who work with families and with parent groups, we will ensure that the public information is clear and timely. I accept that more needs to be done by the Scottish Government, which is why our amendment signals the need to carry out that work. I commit to Parliament that, working with the Minister for Childcare and Early Years, with other parties, with stakeholders and with public servants around the country, the Government will do exactly that.
I do not underestimate the task but, equally, I am proud of the huge progress that has been made across Scotland to ensure that the duties will commence this August. I believe that to pause that huge effort to transform our services would be a loss of faith in the principles we have commonly espoused for delivering better lives for this and future generations.
Ultimately, this is not simply a debate about whether and how fast the named person duties in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 should be taken forward. It is about how we can make our public services more responsive and more effective to our children and young people and to the families who are raising them. It is about how we can best help families to get the help they need, when they need it. It is not about undermining family life but about how we can give a guarantee of the assistance that can strengthen and improve it.
I move amendment S5M-00345.1, to leave out from “, irrespective” to end and insert:
“believes that most children and young people get all the help and support that they need from their parents or guardians, wider family and community but that sometimes some of them may need extra support; supports the creation of the Named Person role to provide a central point of contact if a child, young person or their parents or guardians want information or advice and, where appropriate, reach out to different services that can help; recognises that the Named Person provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 are backed by leading child welfare organisations, including Barnardo’s, Save the Children, Children 1st, Children in Scotland, Aberlour and the NSPCC, and by Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Federation; acknowledges, however, the concerns that some people have expressed about the implementation of the policy, and agrees that more must be done to ensure that implementation is successful and that the Scottish Government should, therefore, refresh the guidance provided to professionals and the communication of the policy to the public.”
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S5M-00345.1 Education Motion