From the Scottish Daily Mail:
"The SNP is ploughing ahead with its controversial state guardian scheme despite a similar initiative in the Isle of Man proving a costly disaster. The Scottish Daily Mail can reveal the Manx policy - known as `Every Child Matters` (ECM) - is now the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into its toxic fallout."
"On Tuesday, the Tynwald, the Manx legislature, will debate a motion condemning the `oppressive treatment` of families by social workers on the island, and calling for an urgent independent inquiry."
"Some 2,200 professionals including police and headteachers were trained to inform social services about even the slightest concern over a child`s welfare."
"This led to an explosion in the number of referrals to social workers, reaching 959 a year - roughly equivalent to the annual number of births on the island."
"A Tynwald committee is now probing the repercussions of implementing ECM six years ago - a decision now officially acknowledged as a `mistake`."
"In Scotland a similar policy, the hugely controversial `Named Persons` initiative, is due to begin in August..."
"The ECM policy was introduced on the Isle of Man, a self-governing Crown dependency with a population of around 85,000 (17,000 children) in 2010."
"Previously, social workers could only take radical action such as forcibly taking children into care if there was a risk of `significant harm`."
"But this was broadened out to include a much wider series of new yardsticks to ensure children were `healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving [and] making a positive contribution`."
"A 2013 submission to Holyrood`s Education and Culture Committee by Tristram Llewelyn Jones - a Manx civil liberties campaigner and a critic of ECM - warned against introducing Named Persons in Scotland because of the problems on the Isle of Man."
"It said the Manx approach allowed `compulsory` intervention for a threshold as low as a concern that a child apparently might not be `enjoying` life."
"The submission noted that the first indications of problems with ECM arose in July 2011 when the Isle of Man government had to ask the Tynwald for £489,000 additional funding for more social workers..."
"`The point we have reached is the point Scotland will reach in a few years` time, if it goes ahead with Named Persons.`"
"On Tuesday, the Tynwald will debate a motion lodged by independent MP Peter Karran, which voices concern about `serious allegations.. regarding the repeated conduct of the Department of Health and Social Care in the management of vulnerable families` cases`."
"Demanding an independent inquiry, the motion also notes that particular allegations have been made relating to the falsification of files and to oppressive treatment of individuals`."
"Alison Preuss of Home Education Forums, which opposes Named Persons, said: `We don`t need a crystal ball to see that Scotland is heading towards its own inquiry in a few years` time as complaints from victims start to mount up.`.."
"A Scottish Government spokesman said: `The Named Person isn`t someone new or unknown - it is part of the role undertaken by a person already working with the child and family and this simply strengthens that relationship.`"
http://www.pressreader.com/
Read more http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_EducationandCultureCommittee/Children%20and%20Young%20People%20(Scotland)%20Bill/LlewellynJonesTristramC.pdf
Wow! That video is short and shocking. Exactly what is needed right now...
ReplyDeleteI was not sure about the meaning of the tree analogy in the video until today. NO2NP have pointed to the statements made by the Children`s Parliament which referred to the Named Person as `head gardener` and children as plants. The image of the tree is plastered all ove the place, so this analogy is well used.
ReplyDeleteNAMED PERSON AS `HEAD` GARDENER
"The Children’s Parliament was commissioned to engage with primary school age children. In total, over 100 children were involved in the two-day workshops at six primary schools throughout Scotland. As a way of considering the Bill, children were asked to imagine Scotland as [a] garden and each and every child as a unique and special plant growing within. This allowed children to consider what each plant would need to grow, and thus the care children need and the important role of adults in providing this..."
"For Children, Dundee Youth Housing Service consultation stated that the Named Person should be ‘the first point of call should they require advice about a situation which they felt was getting out of control’."
"Similarly, this was identified in the Children’s Parliament workshops, with children feeling the Named Person (or ‘Head Gardener’) should be ‘someone to go to - for children and parents."
CONFIDENTIALITY
"Of particular importance to young people was the issue of confidentiality, with regard to the Named Person role and other professionals working with them. Markedly fewer Young Scot/SYP respondents selected the Named Person responsibility relating to the sharing of confidential information. 75% of the approximately 20 young people who discussed the Bill at an NHS Forth Valley even stated that they would feel upset if their Named person shared private information with another professional ‘without discussing it with them first’."
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0041/00413847.pdf
Whoops !
ReplyDeleteI should have said plant, not tree. But sometimes children`s needs are displayed as branches of a tree. Same idea really.