Say no to NPS
As someone with long experience of the Scottish Children’s Hearing system, I am very concerned that the Scottish Government appears to be intent on implementing Named Personsscheme(nps)legislation despite the many concerns from all parts of our society, including parents.
They appear to fall back on support from many agencies, including all political parties in the Scottish Parliament. However, I would suggest this support was “in principle” and before the full implications and decisions of the Supreme Court were understood.
It would be unfair of me to say none of the aims of the NPS were wrong, but it is my view that the required legislation was already in place and did not require this draconian approach. First parents were told it would be “compulsory”, now we are told it is not; then it was head teachers and health visitors that would be responsible – now it appears it could be just about anybody.
Drop NPS and encourage and require the relevant agencies to work even closer together and so protect our children while respecting them and their families.
BOB BERTRAM
Main Street, Pathhead, Midlothian
I’d like to pass on my opinion of the proposednpslegislation. I am a grandparent of a fouryear-old in Scotland and of a five-year-old and 13-year-old in America. My children were
born in Edinburgh and educated in the West Midlands. I was a mathematics teacher in Scotland in the initial part of my career before moving to a long term career in IT. My son and daughter–in-law are long term teachers in secondary schools in Scotland.
I do wish that the Scottish Government would drop their support of the NP legislation as it is a) too complicated and time wasting for practitioners to implement. Greater emphasis should be placed on supporting specific families in need of care and b) it is in conflict with data protection law and an individual’s privacy.
I wish the government would focus on improving educational standards across Scotland so we can once again claim to be amongst the top countries for education.
BRIAN MCCROW Cardrona Way, Cardrona
I am a grandparent and I believe this scheme by the SNP is nothing but dictatorship. They know families do not want people invading their privacy and interfering, most parents can look after their own children. I’m so sick of the Scottish Government trying to make us into robots with their rules.
MARGARET BROWN
Clincarthill Road, Rutherglen, Glasgow