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