The Scottish Government's plan to force a state guardian on every young person in Scotland has been blasted as an "assault on the responsibility of parents and families" by local Conservative candidate Jamie Greene.
The current proposals, as part of the Scottish Government's Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) drive, would see all zero to 18-year-olds given a "named person" such as a teacher or social worker. The controversial policy has been criticized by the local Tory candidate who said that "it is unaffordable, an intrusion on people's right to family life, and will dilute resources for those most in need."
The policy is designed to ensure that every child in Scotland has a compulsory state appointed guardian who will report to health or social care services if they think there is a problem which should be investigated. The current plans mean that all Scottish school children will receive such a guardian, not just those is already identified problem families or seen as being at potential risk.
Mr Greene, candidate for Cunninghame North, said that "there is a genuine fear that by making it compulsory for every child it will be much less possible to direct sufficient attention to those who need it most or, worse still, they fear that they will miss that very vulnerable child altogether because of extensive paper work and bureaucracy. If there are thousands of parents across Scotland doing a thoroughly good job – and there are – then what right does the Scottish Government have to tell them that the state knows better?"
Mr Greene added "What on earth is the point of insisting that these families have a named person on exactly the same basis as those families who face genuine problems? I have no doubt that there is much work to be done to ensure that vulnerable children are looked after, cared for and removed from risky situations but the idea that every child should have a state appointed guardian is an affront to the majority of sensible Scottish parents. It is about time that hard working, caring families in Scotland are aware of the level of state interference that is being proposed before they go to the ballots next year. This is another example of an ideological strategy of centralisation, state control and –government knows best- mentality. I say NO to Named Person and I invite parents to raise their concerns with the Scottish Government."