The concept of a Named Person for every child in Scotland is the ‘ultimate insult’ to every loving parent, senior academic, Dennis Hayes of Derby University, warned in mid-September.
Under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, every child under the age of 18 in Scotland is set to be assigned a state-employed Named Person who will be able to share information with a wide range of public authorities. Professor Hayes noted that, as a result of this law, a decisive battle in the war against parents is about to take place: ‘What this Act does for the first time is to say to parents that a person appointed by the state has authority over them and their child.’
Appalling idea
A legal challenge has been launched against the scheme. But Professor Hayes commented: ‘Even if it is stopped in the courts, the idea of a Named Person sends the message that parents can’t be trusted to raise their own children. By dreaming up this appalling idea, the very concept of parenting is being challenged’.
