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Plenary, 17 Nov 1999

17 Nov 1999 · S1 · Plenary

Item of business

Child Care Strategy

Gorrie, Donald LD Central Scotland Watch on SPTV

I would like to congratulate the Executive on the progress that it has made on child care. The issue is widely supported across the parties and the Executive has grounds for being congratulated on what it has achieved. However, I was disappointed that Sam Galbraith did not accept the amendment. I could not see why the phrase that he apparently objected to—

"considers that efforts must now be directed at securing long-term sustainable funding for childcare"— was necessarily critical of the Executive; it could be taken as adding to the motion.

Regardless of party, all Governments have a problem about sustainable funding of anything. There is flavour of the month funding: new issue funding, when new names are invented. New projects get the funding, but once they are up and running, they are forgotten about. Often, after two or three years, when everyone is doing a splendid job and has learned what to do, a project gets cut off in its prime. We would not like that to happen to this Parliament, nor does anybody in a voluntary group or project like it happening to them, but it does. It is an important issue. Nicola Sturgeon is right to draw attention to it and it is not necessarily a criticism of the Government to include it.

One or two speakers have already mentioned the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We should pay more attention to that. The programme so far could be described as pro- parent rather than pro-child. It helps children, of course, but it helps them from the parents' perspective. We need to consider the child's perspective and work up a system of advocates to look after the interests of children in policy making, in addition to our efforts to promote youth forums and other projects for slightly older children.

We do not necessarily need a commission or commissioner for children, although some of the issues surrounding that idea are well worth considering. The Government must examine the ways in which we can represent the interests of children as well as the interests of parents.

The subject of child care includes facilities for the older age group, such as after-school clubs. I recently met senior representatives of Strathclyde police, who feel that reducing truancy would do more than any other measure to improve our society, because many young people go wrong through truancy. Our child care strategy should include the slightly older age group. If we could put together a sensible procedure—not just a heavy in a big hat coming to arrest kids—for working with children, families and schools to get the children back into school, we would achieve a great deal.

With some exceptions, we are quite good about children and are working on the issue of child care. However, our performance as far as youth work is concerned has been absolutely lamentable. Voluntary organisations that help young people have been cut, cut, cut and cut. We give teenagers less and less to do, but we blame them for going wrong. Our child care strategy must extend into the double figures age group as well as the younger age group. I give the Executive some good marks for effort but, rather like the Scottish football team, it could do better.

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Plenary, 17 Nov 1999

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