Named Person ‘approach’ will continue, says Swinney
● Sharing a child’s information still the objective, if ‘proportionate’
John Swinney has said he intends to carry on implementing the “named person approach”, despite having to withdraw the controversial policy from law.
The Deputy First Minister has also revealed he is still searching for ways to have “proportionate and appropriate” information sharing between organisations who would be tasked with implementing the Named Person scheme.
Mr Swinney was forced to announce he would repeal sections of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act dealing with the Named Person scheme earlier this year, after an expert panel established to write a workable code of practice to enable the legislation to be implemented failed to produce one.
The scheme had also previously received a major blow when the Supreme Court ruled the information sharing required breached the right to privacy and a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.
However, writing in The Scotsman today, Mr Swinney said that, while he accepted the government’s work of Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) had not been “able to reach its full potential due to uncertainties arising out of the Supreme Court judgment on the named person issue”, he was not prepared to abandon the idea. He said: “The named person approach will continue as an approach, which is now well embedded and can be delivered within existing legislation in partnership with parents. This government’s commitment to getting it right for every child is therefore undiminished.”
Despite the worries over information sharing, he added: “I have tasked officials to work with stakeholders to develop materials to support and promote proportionate and appropriate information sharing practice.”
The Scottish Government had wanted to appoint a Named Person to monitor the welfare of every child in Scotland, with the scheme due to have been rolled out across Scotland in August 2021.
The new role would have been given to midwives, health visitors and headteachers.
The Scotsman understands the government intends to develop a suite of materials to support good information sharing practice for those implementing GIRFEC, reinforcing the existing laws and guidance, and providing “assurance” to those working with children that they can share necessary concerns about a child’s wellbeing “provided it is lawful and proportionate to the individual circumstances”.
A spokesman for the campaign group No To Named Person said Mr Swinney had to ensure data sharing in any scheme was lawful and added: “The public will not accept the kind of sinister data sharing free-for-all we’ve seen previously.”