Chamber
Plenary, 09 Jan 2003
09 Jan 2003 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Child Protection Review
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, but the key message that has been echoed around the chamber this afternoon. Without a doubt, protecting Scotland's children from harm and abuse is a collective responsibility. I believe that the Parliament has a special responsibility to translate those concerns into action. As many members have pointed out, civilised politics is about protecting the most vulnerable in our society. There are few more vulnerable people than little boys or girls who have run away from home, or children who have been abused by the very people who should love them. The recent review leaves us in no doubt that such children exist in Scotland.
In 2002, 2,018 children were on the child protection register. They, at least, have one foot in the door of the protection system. The report also shows that there is a worrying lack of public confidence. Friends or relatives of children at risk are reluctant to report their concerns, so the problem is perhaps greater than it at first appears.
The review does not make comfortable reading, and it is clear that there is much to be done. As well as identifying the heinous problem of child prostitution in Scotland, it found from the audit sample that 21 per cent of children at risk were not getting the help that they need. It is only by exposing such statistics—uncomfortable although they may be—that we are able to understand the problem and take concerted action.
Children's problems have the potential to snowball. Family problems, if not addressed, can lead to child homelessness, and abuse through prostitution, crime and substance misuse. The essential task of protection agencies must relate to early detection, and to providing effective responses to warning signs. It will soon be too late if the warning signs are ignored.
The review makes several suggestions as to how to improve performance. The first relates to access to information, and to ensuring that both adults and children are aware of the resources available to help them, such as freephone advice lines for counselling and advice in schools. Communication between agencies is also of critical importance.
Different services and agencies must share their information and have a common strategy. It is only when we have that integrated picture of medical problems, behavioural problems at school, school absences and social work assessments that we can begin to know a child's level of risk. A lack of communication can be fatal.
The working group on young runaways and children abused through prostitution proposes the development of local protocols to tackle the problem. They form a welcome basis for an integrated approach from all the relevant agencies—police, local authority and voluntary sector alike. I am delighted that the Executive has already responded to some of the key policy recommendations in the review. The three-year programme of sustained activity to reform the child protection system, coupled with the robust monitoring of progress, indicates a commitment to the issue. New resources already announced, such as the £13.3 million for social work training and child protection measures, should also help reforms, but there is no one-off response that will solve the problem. We need a continuing commitment to improve the way that children at risk are identified and protected because even one child suffering is one child too many.
If we needed a reminder, only this week a 5-year-old girl was discovered drowned in the Caledonian canal. Her body, found in a weighted bag, might have been there for several months. What kind of a society is ours that that could happen? I hope that that will spur on the Executive in its determination to build on the good efforts that it has made to reform the child protection system, and to build on them quickly.
"It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright" is not just the title of the review, but the key message that has been echoed around the chamber this afternoon. Without a doubt, protecting Scotland's children from harm and abuse is a collective responsibility. I believe that the Parliament has a special responsibility to translate those concerns into action. As many members have pointed out, civilised politics is about protecting the most vulnerable in our society. There are few more vulnerable people than little boys or girls who have run away from home, or children who have been abused by the very people who should love them. The recent review leaves us in no doubt that such children exist in Scotland.
In 2002, 2,018 children were on the child protection register. They, at least, have one foot in the door of the protection system. The report also shows that there is a worrying lack of public confidence. Friends or relatives of children at risk are reluctant to report their concerns, so the problem is perhaps greater than it at first appears.
The review does not make comfortable reading, and it is clear that there is much to be done. As well as identifying the heinous problem of child prostitution in Scotland, it found from the audit sample that 21 per cent of children at risk were not getting the help that they need. It is only by exposing such statistics—uncomfortable although they may be—that we are able to understand the problem and take concerted action.
Children's problems have the potential to snowball. Family problems, if not addressed, can lead to child homelessness, and abuse through prostitution, crime and substance misuse. The essential task of protection agencies must relate to early detection, and to providing effective responses to warning signs. It will soon be too late if the warning signs are ignored.
The review makes several suggestions as to how to improve performance. The first relates to access to information, and to ensuring that both adults and children are aware of the resources available to help them, such as freephone advice lines for counselling and advice in schools. Communication between agencies is also of critical importance.
Different services and agencies must share their information and have a common strategy. It is only when we have that integrated picture of medical problems, behavioural problems at school, school absences and social work assessments that we can begin to know a child's level of risk. A lack of communication can be fatal.
The working group on young runaways and children abused through prostitution proposes the development of local protocols to tackle the problem. They form a welcome basis for an integrated approach from all the relevant agencies—police, local authority and voluntary sector alike. I am delighted that the Executive has already responded to some of the key policy recommendations in the review. The three-year programme of sustained activity to reform the child protection system, coupled with the robust monitoring of progress, indicates a commitment to the issue. New resources already announced, such as the £13.3 million for social work training and child protection measures, should also help reforms, but there is no one-off response that will solve the problem. We need a continuing commitment to improve the way that children at risk are identified and protected because even one child suffering is one child too many.
If we needed a reminder, only this week a 5-year-old girl was discovered drowned in the Caledonian canal. Her body, found in a weighted bag, might have been there for several months. What kind of a society is ours that that could happen? I hope that that will spur on the Executive in its determination to build on the good efforts that it has made to reform the child protection system, and to build on them quickly.
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 ...