Blog: 'Postcards from the Fringe': Families give evidence about Named Persons [Scotland]

Andy · Nov 24, 2017

Guest blog by Lesley Scott of Tymes Trust and Alison Preuss of Scottish Home Education Forum

Evidence from families affected by GIRFEC shows parents shun family services as they do not trust Named Person scheme

A ‘fringe’ event was held in Edinburgh on 15 November to hear families’ own testimonies on the Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill, which is currently before the Education and Skills Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

Although the Government has claimed the new Bill will remedy the defects of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, those adversely affected by the GIRFEC policy and the premature implementation of the Named Person scheme were excluded from Holyrood’s invitation-only evidence sessions and focus groups. In order to redress the balance, Tymes Trust and the Scottish Home Education Forum issued their own call for evidence.

‘Postcards from the fringe’ allowed attendees-in-person to respond to questions that had arisen from over 90 pieces of evidence submitted, and to raise other points for discussion.

A delegation of parents and children later visited the Scottish Parliament to deliver their evidence (www.np-fringe.uk/the-evidence) to James Dornan MSP, convener of the Education and Skills Committee.
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http://no2np.org/postcards-fringe-families-give-evidence-named-persons/

Highlighted by Tymes Trust
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https://twitter.com/NO2NPcampaign/status/934049216401494016
https://twitter.com/user/status/934049216401494016
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https://www.facebook.com/tymestrust/posts/2076671052618026

Sly Saint · May 15, 2018

recent press release from TYMEs trust:

TYMES TRUST ME AWARENESS WEEK SPECIAL
Press release for our petition that is now live.

*Scots parents petition parliament for public inquiry into 'illegal' data sharing.*

Joint petitioners to the Scottish Parliament are calling for a public inquiry into the human rights impact of the government's getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) policy and allied named person scheme, which they say has unleashed an illegal data-sharing regime that has infringed family privacy and led to a breakdown in trust in public services.

Lesley Scott and Alison Preuss, on behalf of Tymes Trust and the Scottish home education forum, have submitted their petition to highlight the problems created by the premature roll-out of illegal data-mining and sharing practices set out in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, which were later struck down by the UK's highest court.

With assistance from concerned families, they have amassed a raft of evidence of professional misconduct and data misuse - mostly by councils and the NHS, but also the third sector - via freedom of information and statutory subject access requests.

Commenting on the petition, Lesley Scott, Tymes Trust Scottish Officer said:

“Essentially nothing has changed since the UK Supreme Court struck down the information-sharing aspects of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 back in July 2016. GIRFEC and the Named Person agenda has continued unabated. Families are still at the whim of hearsay and subjective opinion.

"The Scottish Government has failed to acknowledge or address the breach of human rights that their flagship GIRFEC Named Person policy continues to sanction. The people of Scotland deserve better and there must now be an independent public inquiry.

"We need to know how our rights can be so easily overridden despite our history as a nation that values freedom. Where were the checks and balances; why did nobody in authority resist; where is the accountability in government?”

Jane Colby, Tymes Trust Executive Director added:

"Who is ultimately to blame for this fiasco? Will anyone put their hands up and resign? Who will apologise to these families?"

Joint petitioner and co-ordinator of the Scottish home education forum, Alison Preuss, said:

"Home educators were among the first to raise concerns about the human rights violations of collecting and sharing children's and adults' personal data without their consent under the guise of GIRFEC and the 'named person' whose job description blatantly breached Article 8 of the ECHR.

Our representations during the passage of the 2014 children and young people bill were completely ignored, yet we accurately predicted the ultimate ruling of the Supreme Court which thwarted the Scottish government's attempts to mandate information-sharing on the basis of vague and subjective 'wellbeing' concerns, rather than risk of harm to a child.

"Members of our community have been targeted by professionals acting outwith their areas of competence and illegally trawling health and other private records in a bid to prevent parents from home educating their children, often after the school system has failed them.

"The fact that national guidance has remained uncorrected and training for professionals continues to 'get it wrong' is nothing short of a national scandal, and victims of this destructive policy are clamouring to have their voices heard after being sidelined for years by state-sponsored vested interests."

The petitioners embarked on an independent evidence-gathering exercise last year after they were blocked from providing oral evidence to the parliament's Education and Skills committee on the information-sharing bill that the Scottish government hoped might satisfy the court ruling.

The bill has since been stalled by the committee until issues with the accompanying code of practice are resolved, and the the deputy first minister has also come under pressure over alleged government attempts to influence witnesses.

A spokesperson for NO2NP, which spearheaded the successful court challenge, said:

"The named person scheme – and the Scottish government‘s insistence on trying to drive it through despite massive public opposition and a damning Supreme Court judgement – has done a great deal of damage to public trust. No one has ever been held accountable for this. It’s long past time for an independent inquiry."

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force on 25 May, will tighten up the use of personal data so that consent for the collection and sharing of information must be opt-in and unambiguous, rendering unlawful the pre-ticked boxes and presumed consent that are a feature of school surveys and child health programme participation.

Since the first minister herself has given public assurances that GIRFEC information-sharing is fully consent-based, every named person and service provider will be required to evidence their compliance and provide individuals with copies of data held on them within a much shorter statutory timescale.

ENDS
See also feature by Third Force News
http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/tfn-news/parents-demand-inquiry-into-named-person-scheme
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9 May at 12:42

Amw66 · May 15, 2018

Really ironic- when we had bullying issues and tried to get gp and cahmns to share concerns with school ( who really were not interested in addressing root cause) this could not be done due to " confidentiality". So only when it suits ....

Allele · May 15, 2018

Can someone give a brief summary about what Named Persons is?

Andy · May 15, 2018

Allele said: ↑

Can someone give a brief summary about what Named Persons is?
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Wikipedia says

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC[1]) is Scotland's approach to supporting children and young people. It is intended as a framework that will allow organisations who work on behalf of the country's children and their families to provide a consistent, supportive approach for all.[2] It is best known for the controversial "Named Person" requirement.

It requires that services aimed at children and young people – social work, health, education, police, housing and voluntary organisations – adapt and streamline their systems and practices and work together. The approach encourages earlier intervention by professionals to avoid crisis situations at a later date.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_it_right_for_every_child

While the BBC say

The Scottish government wants to appoint a "named person" to monitor the welfare of every child in Scotland.

The scheme was due to have been rolled-out across Scotland by 31 August 2016 - but that timetable was delayed after the Supreme Court ruled that some of the proposals around information sharing breached the right to privacy and a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Scottish government has vowed to amend the legislation, and hopes to have it introduced by August of this year.

Opponents of the scheme had been attempting to have it quashed by the law courts, arguing that the legislation amounts to a "Big Brother" scheme that will undermine parents, breach privacy and divert resources away from children who are genuinely vulnerable.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-35752756

Allele · May 15, 2018

Thanks, Andy. That does sound creepy.

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Blog: 'Postcards from the Fringe': Families give evidence about Named Persons [Scotland]

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Blog: 'Postcards from the Fringe': Families give evidence about Named Persons [Scotland]

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