Chamber
Plenary, 09 Jan 2003
09 Jan 2003 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Child Protection Review
I apologise to the minister and to Irene McGugan for missing part of their speeches, although I explained my absence to them beforehand.
The report of the child protection audit and review did not make pleasant reading. Some of the cases that were referred to were harrowing. It almost makes one despair to read of parents who are prepared to treat their children in ways varying from malign neglect to callous brutality. The report does well to underline the horrors of the lifestyles of what is, fortunately, a small minority of Scotland's children.
There must be great concern at the weaknesses in Scotland's child protection system that the review has highlighted. Although the Executive is to be congratulated on some of the steps that it has taken, the content of the report indicates that a great deal more must be done.
Let us deal with the positive aspects first. The Executive was correct to call for the review against the background of the appalling case of Kennedy McFarlane. In some respects, the review points a way forward.
If I may respond to the point that the minister made earlier, the Executive is of course right to have launched, as it did the other day, a campaign to warn youngsters about the dangers posed by paedophiles on the internet. Although a sense of proportion is always necessary in dealing with the issue of child abuse, it cannot be denied that the problem exists. I fully concede that anything that can assist in dealing with the problem is worth doing.
However, time and again, the report underlines the fact that the children's hearings system, in its present form, is failing. As I have said in the chamber before, children's reporters must obviously give priority to cases that involve children who are at risk. The document contains many examples of that. However, it is clear that the system's current lack of resources has from time to time resulted in worrying failures.
On offending, it must be stressed yet again that, in most cases, the actual victim of the crime or offence is another child. The existing system's impotence in dealing with offenders makes a significant contribution towards putting more children at risk.
We are therefore fortunate that the wiser counsel of the Conservatives prevailed at stage 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill and that the Executive's plan to refer 16 and 17-year-old law-breakers to the children's panel was scrapped. Frankly, that was a daft idea, which would have delayed an effective response to offending while further clogging up an already overburdened system, and which would have resulted in vulnerable children being placed at even greater risk.
The report of the child protection audit and review did not make pleasant reading. Some of the cases that were referred to were harrowing. It almost makes one despair to read of parents who are prepared to treat their children in ways varying from malign neglect to callous brutality. The report does well to underline the horrors of the lifestyles of what is, fortunately, a small minority of Scotland's children.
There must be great concern at the weaknesses in Scotland's child protection system that the review has highlighted. Although the Executive is to be congratulated on some of the steps that it has taken, the content of the report indicates that a great deal more must be done.
Let us deal with the positive aspects first. The Executive was correct to call for the review against the background of the appalling case of Kennedy McFarlane. In some respects, the review points a way forward.
If I may respond to the point that the minister made earlier, the Executive is of course right to have launched, as it did the other day, a campaign to warn youngsters about the dangers posed by paedophiles on the internet. Although a sense of proportion is always necessary in dealing with the issue of child abuse, it cannot be denied that the problem exists. I fully concede that anything that can assist in dealing with the problem is worth doing.
However, time and again, the report underlines the fact that the children's hearings system, in its present form, is failing. As I have said in the chamber before, children's reporters must obviously give priority to cases that involve children who are at risk. The document contains many examples of that. However, it is clear that the system's current lack of resources has from time to time resulted in worrying failures.
On offending, it must be stressed yet again that, in most cases, the actual victim of the crime or offence is another child. The existing system's impotence in dealing with offenders makes a significant contribution towards putting more children at risk.
We are therefore fortunate that the wiser counsel of the Conservatives prevailed at stage 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill and that the Executive's plan to refer 16 and 17-year-old law-breakers to the children's panel was scrapped. Frankly, that was a daft idea, which would have delayed an effective response to offending while further clogging up an already overburdened system, and which would have resulted in vulnerable children being placed at even greater risk.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S1M-3748, in the name of Cathy Jamieson, on the review of child protection, and two amendments to that motion.
The Minister for Education and Young People (Cathy Jamieson):
Lab
The new year is traditionally a time to look back and reflect, but also a time when we make our resolutions for the future and signal the changes that we wan...
Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
Will the minister give way?
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
I am almost finished.We are not just listening to young people, but hearing them loud and clear and acting on their concerns.Presiding Officer, I am disappoi...
Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
From the outset, I say that we welcome the review and its recommendations. It can only be good that the issue is being debated and addressed at a national le...
Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con):
Con
I apologise to the minister and to Irene McGugan for missing part of their speeches, although I explained my absence to them beforehand.The report of the chi...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
Does the member care to explain the comments that were attributed to Tory spokespersons yesterday? They did not welcome the funding that was announced to sup...
Bill Aitken:
Con
I personally did not issue that release. In any event, the obvious sense of that is that resources are finite, so such resources as are made available must h...
Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab):
Lab
Does Mr Aitken agree that cases involving older young people who are in their teenage years can be quite complex, in that the grounds for referral will often...
Bill Aitken:
Con
I disagree in part with Mr Barrie's original premise. I agree that it quite frequently happens that younger offenders can offend because they have been offen...
Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD):
LD
I start by welcoming the various and wide-ranging announcements that the minister has made today. Child protection issues almost always come to public attent...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
We have until 16:38 for open debate. Seven members have requested to speak, which means speeches of four minutes, although I will accept extra time for inter...
Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab):
Lab
It is now almost six years since the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 came into force, which totally updated our child protection system from the one laid out in...
Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP):
SNP
I will talk mainly about social work, because my experience of that is twofold. My wife is a social worker from the days when such a thing as Edinburgh Corpo...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
Does the member accept that the forthcoming summit, which will bring together all the agencies that are involved, is designed to deal with some of the recomm...
Alasdair Morgan:
SNP
I hope that the summit will do that. The recommendations will need to be examined hard, because if they are taken as they are, they will increase bureaucracy...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
As the debate is important and concerns a vital subject, it is depressing that the benches are so empty. Perhaps yesterday's excitement was too much for memb...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
The member's colleague, Bill Aitken, has already disassociated himself from the remarks that were made by whoever issued his party's press release yesterday....
Murdo Fraser:
Con
My colleague Bill Aitken has just confirmed to me that he disassociates himself from the remarks that were made. I think that it was my colleague Brian Monte...
Scott Barrie:
Lab
Will the member give way?
Murdo Fraser:
Con
No, I am in my last minute and wish to make another point.Mr Barrie will be pleased to hear that I wish to congratulate the Executive on one particular aspec...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr Murray Tosh):
Con
You certainly are.
Murdo Fraser:
Con
I will just conclude with one final point.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
No, there really is no time for that. I think that you have had your cut. I would be obliged if you would take your seat so that I can move on to Jackie Bail...
Murdo Fraser:
Con
Thank you, Presiding Officer.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab):
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am sure that that will come as a relief to other members.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
That comment was not entirely helpful.
Jackie Baillie:
Lab
I always want to be helpful. Let me return to the substance of my speech."It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright" is not just the title of the review, ...
Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
This is a topic of huge concern to every human being in the country. The fact that any child suffers physical or mental abuse, either deliberately or acciden...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
I welcome the steps that the Executive has taken to try to deal better with the problem of child protection. I shall try not to rehash some of the excellent ...