Sturgeon and SNP ‘failed to improve children’s lives’
NICOLA STURGEON and the SNP Government “absolutely” failed to improve the lives of young people, Scotland’s children’s tsar has warned.
Bruce Adamson, the children and young people’s commissioner, said the past administration had presided over some “real failures” in an excoriating parting shot at the former first minister.
Mr Adamson also criticised Humza Yousaf, who took over as SNP leader in March, saying that he was “hugely concerned” that “action isn’t following the words”. The SNP has faced repeated attacks over its record on education and children’s lives, with opposition parties arguing that child poverty has persisted, that an attainment gap remains and care-experienced young people are not getting the support they need.
Ms Sturgeon repeatedly said she wanted her record in office to be judged on education, which she described as her “number one priority”, and has also said she was committed to alleviating child poverty and improving the lives of care-experienced young people
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show, Mr Adamson, who leaves his post this week after six years, said children were no better off now than when he took up his post in 2017.
“No, they are not,” he said when asked if children’s lives were better now. “Some of that was external factors like the pandemic and the cost of living which has been exacerbated by the invasion of Ukraine but some of it is due to political decision-making.
“There are real questions to be asked and answered by the Scottish Government in particular but also local authorities and others about why we haven’t delivered on all these promises to children and young people.” Asked by the show’s host Martin Geissler if Ms Sturgeon had failed to improve the lives of children, Mr Adamson said: “Absolutely. I think all of us need to look at what we can do better.
“We have to acknowledge that the pandemic had a huge impact on children’s rights and it had a disproportionate impact on those whose rights were already most at risk, and I think that’s the really concerning thing. We really need a step-change in the way that we address those concerns by putting funding into those support services that families need, in order to get that early and effective support, because otherwise we end up in a crisis situation which costs a lot more.”
The Scottish Government declined to put up a minister to appear on yesterday’s programme alongside Mr Adamson but a spokesman defended the administration’s record.
“The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland the best place in the world to grow up and we will continue to place children and young people at the heart of decision making. The First Minister wants to ensure every family has equality of opportunity, regardless of their background or where they live,” they said.