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Meeting of the Parliament 25 September 2013

25 Sep 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Children and Young People (Named Persons)

Smith, Liz Con Mid Scotland and Fife Watch on SPTV

I do not accept that. The fact is that the approach taken to GIRFEC in the Highlands has been hugely successful and, as many witnesses who have given evidence have told us—and Mr Maxwell will know this because he was at the same evidence sessions—it is all about changing a culture rather than introducing top-heavy legislation.

My colleague Gavin Brown will explain our concerns about the proposal’s costs, which is an issue that has been discussed in great depth by the Finance Committee and the Education and Culture Committee, but I must point out a number of other problems. We have frequently been asked about how the named person will be chosen, and specifically whether the parents or child or both would have any input into that; what happens when relations break down between the named person and the family; what will be the relationship between the named person and a lead professional; and whether there really will be a single point of contact. There are also concerns about data sharing, particularly what is meant by the stipulation that information should be shared if it “might be relevant” to a child’s wellbeing and if it “ought to be provided”. What do those phrases mean? The law officers have made it very clear that such wording is open-ended, and it is simply not acceptable.

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill contains some excellent policy commitments, including those that seek to address pressing issues with regard to childcare, care leavers and kinship carers but, taken in its entirety, it is designed to take an unacceptable degree of responsibility away from many parents and families.

We fundamentally disagree with that, as, indeed, do some powerful voices to which I have referred in my opening remarks. We therefore want the Scottish Government to review its approach to the bill, specifically to ensure that the limited resources are targeted at the most vulnerable and that responsibility is placed in the right hands. In particular, we want the Scottish Government to review the policy on named persons, which is the issue that has already aroused the greatest controversy and concern. Expecting all children to have a named person in the terms stated in the bill is an assault on the responsibility of families and parents for whose children there are no real problems. It is unnecessary and an undesirable intrusion of the state and, just as important, it threatens to take away resources from the most vulnerable.

I move,

That the Parliament notes with concern the Scottish Government’s proposals to introduce a named person for all children and young people up to age 18; agrees with those groups that believe that, for many families, the named person would undermine the role of parents, and agrees with the many stakeholders who have expressed concerns about the extensive costs and bureaucracy of the policy and the likely implications of diverting limited resources away from the most vulnerable children.

16:05

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Meeting of the Parliament 25 September 2013

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