Church attacks SNP plans for a ‘named person’ for each child
ONE of Scotland’s most senior churchmen has warned that SNP plans to appoint state guardians for every child will lead to ‘ unwarranted interference in family life’.
Archbishop Leo Cushley called for ministers to pledge the ‘named persons’ would not meddle in the private lives of families, unless there was an ‘objective and significant cause’.
The attack by the Catholic Church is the latest setback for the initiative, which is to be challenged by campaigners in Scotland’s highest civil court on Wednesday.
The Most Rev Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said: ‘The common good of society depends on the stability of family life. We share the widely expressed reservations of many who fear some provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act could permit unwarranted interference in family life due to the broad nature of the pow- ers of the “named persons service’’ and the low threshold set for triggering the sharing of information about children among state agencies.
‘While recognising the good intentions behind such efforts, we hope the Government will act in a proportionate and focused way, with due respect to the autonomy and privacy of the family.’
In a challenge to the SNP, the Archbishop added: ‘Many fears could be allayed and the legitimate concerns of many could be addressed by ensuring that ministerial guidance on implementation embeds a threshold for intervening in family life only when objective and significant cause is shown.’
The new law is due to come into force in August next year. All under-18s will be appointed a named state guardian, such as a health visitor or teacher, to oversee their welfare.
If anyone – such as a dentist, doctor or teacher – has con- cerns about a child’s wellbeing, they are required to report it to the named person, who will draw up an action plan involving relevant professionals or agencies.
At a conference of childcare workers earlier this month, Bob Fraser, the senior civil servant behind the plan, said every child will be monitored – ‘not just the usual suspects’ who are known to social services. The disclosure fuelled new fears that thousands of fami- lies could be targeted if they fail to meet a state- defined ‘happiness index’.
Mr Fraser told the NHS Health Scotland National Maternal and Early Years Conference in Edinburgh: ‘There are many children and young people with needs who are not in the usual targeting or profiling groups and we want to help young people achieve all they can be. Every child deserves to have positive well-being. We have had suggestions of different indicators, of love, hope and spirituality.’
Lord Pentland refused a petition for the judicial review of the legislation at the Court of Session in January, but campaign group No To Named Persons (NO2NP) appealed the decision
A NO2NP spokesman said: ‘We remain deeply concerned about the threats to the human rights of families to privacy in their own homes, as well as the breaches of data protection laws, as the state passes confidential family information to and from public bodies.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘A named person is a single point of contact for help, support or advice that children, parents and those working with children can go to if they need help with a particular issue. They will offer advice or assistance when it’s needed; there is no obligation on parents or children to approach the service.’
‘Unwarranted interference’