Calum Munro adds to the confusion

 

Calum Munro is the former policy lead to Highland Children’s Forum (2004 – 2014) and outlines his support of the Named Person scheme in Third Force news:

"There is so much misinformation and misunderstanding around the concept of the named person it is no wonder the public are confused about it." [Nicola is not helping much, is she?]

"The people most vociferously opposed to the concept of the named person seem to be based around organisations for families who want to home educate their children. There is nothing that I have read in the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) agenda or the named person concept that interferes with the current right of a family to do that. But their right to home educate should not interfere with the right of families with children and young people who have additional support needs to have a simpler way of accessing services. Home educators have nothing to fear from the named person and should not be campaigning to deny those who have need of it from getting it into place."

What an appalling statement which only adds to the confusion. Home educators have every right to be concerned about the Named Person scheme, as do the rest of us. They have followed the scheme from its beginning with the abandonment of the ContactPoint database; but data-mining is the part of the Named Person scheme that nobody is prepared to talk about.

"The key issue for me is that it gives parents (and children) a single point of contact through which they can seek help. It should ensure the end of the pass the parcel` syndrome in some areas where difficult cases were passed from agency to agency with the carers becoming more fraught as nobody wanted to listen. It is now the named person’s duty to listen and to seek the appropriate help for the family/child."

http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/images/uploads/articles/_secondary/Calum_Munro2WEB.jpg

Single point of contact eh? No it`s the excuse around which to gather every child and family`s data, not forgetting associated adults.

Now from the Scottish Daily Mail:

"The SNP`s `state snooper` scheme has plunged into further chaos after teachers warned they will not perform the role during school holidays."

"The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country`s largest teaching union, also revealed that members will ditch the role at weekends."

"Minister are already facing a rebellion from health visitors, who fear they will be made scapegoats and sued by angry parents if children are harmed."

"Now teachers - the other profession singled out to act as Named Persons through the project - have joined the revolt."

"With civil war erupting in the public sector, council chiefs hit out at the EIS for unveiling its stance without holding talks."

"First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has refused to bow to demands to `pause` the roll-out, which is due to take place this August, despite growing opposition."

"The SNP wants state guardians to be a single point of contact for children up to the age of 18 to spot early signs of abuse or neglect."

"However, the Scottish Daily Mail can reveal that responsibilities could be passed to council workers, who may have little knowledge of their background, for several weeks every summer. Already stretched local authority workers will be expected to take on thousands of additional cases."

"Larry Flanagan, general secretary of EIS said: `The EIS is also clear that though the service will continue throughout holiday periods and beyond the hours of the working week, members of local authority staff rather than teachers will fulfil the named person role at these times. Arrangements such as this already operate in relation to child protection matters.`"

"However, child protection teams focus on vulnerable youngsters, while the Named Person scheme is designed to provide a single point of contact for them all."
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Calum Munro, there will be no single point of contact.