Sinister creep of the ‘state snooper’ plan

WE are sleepwalking towards the arrival of the Named Person, the state-appointed guardian who will watch over every Scottish child from birth to 18.

The noises from the Scottish Government are designed to keep us slumbering on, with lots of soothing talk of ‘safety’ and ‘wellbeing’.

There can be no doubt that the intentions are good. Some children are at risk of very real and horrible harm.

But the language of opponents of the scheme ought to be a wake-up call as it is the very antithesis of that from the SNP. ‘Sinister’ and ‘Orwellian’ are two of the most common descriptions.

For the reality is that Named Persons and their surrounding battalions of healthcare professionals are being given unprecedented power to pry into family circumstances.

Health visitors, expected to make a minimum of eight visits to families in the first year of a baby’s life, must consider everything from the mother’s attitude to breastfeeding to whether the parents have financial concerns.

It is not difficult to imagine what would once have been regarded as a matter of personal preference for parents now becoming cause for state-backed intervention by the Named Person.

From religion to what a child eats, what they watch on TV, to how their bedroom is decorated – all these could become battlegrounds between parents and the all-powerful Named Person, who can weigh in on any aspect of a child’s ‘wellbeing.’

You might think such a dramatic shift in the balance of power between state and families would come with a host of safety checks and a robust appeals system. Not so. Public Service Ombudsman Jim Martin has written to ministers to say the system for complaints by unhappy parents is ‘outdated and out of step with modern complaint handling’.

A legal challenge to the whole concept is coming soon but, as we report today, £61.5million has already been spent on a precursor to the Named Person system.

Critics warn legislation designed to protect a few children is in danger of undermining parents and the basic building block of society, the family.

The clock is ticking and the dogmatic SNP is not listening to any concerns.