So who cares?
Before discussing the Green MSP John Finnie’s draft Bill to ban smacking of children, the Scottish Government needs to fully examine the bad outcomes for children currently in care. Government statistics show the following situation. 1.5 per cent of children in Scotland (15,000 approximately) are currently in care at an annual cost of over £700 million. Only 1 child in 4 in the system has been reported for criminal offences. The rest have supposedly “been at risk”. On leaving care, 25 per cent are pregnant by the age of 19 years, 25 per cent are homeless between 16 and 25 years. 25 per cent of the same group have criminal convictions, are unemployed and homeless.
A recent survey by the Scottish Children Reporters Administration of 15 and 16 year olds on Compulsory Supervision Orders shows 60 per cent of females and 30 per cent of males have a mental health problem and 30 per cent have other health issues. Research in England shows 50 per cent of the prison population have a history of being in care.
A person who has been in care has a 20 times higher chance of dying by the age of 25. Only 4 per cent of those in care go to university compared to 39 per cent of those not in care. Parents with learning difficulties/disabilities have a 50 times higher chance of having their children taken into care. Mothers are demonised and family members, especially grandparents, marginalised and ignored.
All this in a system that is based on opinion, suspicion and supposition without hard evidence of abuse or neglect. In the main, enforcement is by middle to upper class volunteers with no legal training or experience and oblivious to the impact of low incomes and/or learning difficulties/ disabilities of the parents and children in the system. The current system leaves no family in Scotland, irrespective of social class or income, with immunity from accusations of child abuse and neglect.
Under the current system, children, mothers and family members are emotionally and psychologically damaged for life and as a result often suffer serious medical conditions. The system is self-perpetuating, wasting hundreds of millions of pounds of public sector money that could be better spent providing true support to mothers and children rather than in a system that causes abuse and neglect of children by the State.
JAMES A MACKIE South Road, Garmouth, Moray