Scotland Says: Government is a Better Parent for Children (Is U.S. Next?)

Here in the U.S, we should be mindful of what happens across the Atlantic. We’ve seen what happens when government violates parental rights. (Remember fifteen-year-old Justina Pelletier, who was held by the State of Massachusetts?)

According to a new government study in Scotland, parents are clueless when it comes to raising their children. Governmental involvement is needed because parenting is “too complicated” and children need a “standard to live by”. Unfortunately it is not the family standard.

Due to the belief that parents are basically incompetent, legislation passed in February 2014, which stems from the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). According to tenets within the CRC, the government will assign to children, from birth to adulthood, their own personal social worker, or guardian to ensure “safety” for all the children.

What exactly is the role of the named person/guardian (aka social worker) in the safekeeping of our most precious commodity? The guardian, along with a government representative for each family, will be obligated to protect each individual child.

Bear in mind that the named person/guardian’s responsibility is generally allocated to intervene in severe cases of neglect and/or child abuse. Yet Scotland has deemed that government has the ultimate, and final, authority in the affairs of parenting to guarantee the safety of every child.

The named person/guardian could be a health visitor, midwife, a school teacher, or some other government employee. These individuals will have access to all school and medical records. However, the parents have no idea who the named person is.

Parents receive a letter stating that all appointments, even routine medical appointments, should be kept, and if any appointments were missed it would be reported to the named person.

Part of the problem, and there are many problems with this outlandish law, is what potentially happens to the real at-risk children. The system will be so overloaded with children and the named person/guardian bombarded with their caseloads, that the genuine at-risk children would be even more at risk and in danger. As a public school teacher working long hour days, I have no idea how this would even be a possibility for schoolteachers in Scotland. I always let the parents of my students know that I need them and their input. Of course I also know teachers I wouldn’t want my dog to be in the care of, let alone a child.

This atrocious law is an invasion into private family life to the nth degree.

Another part of this invasive law includes an increase in free childcare for three, four and vulnerable two-year-olds, from 475 to 600 hours – around 16 hours per week – from August.

Children of all ages are impressionable and vulnerable, but even more so the younger they are.

The law is not supposed to go into effect until 2016, but families are already receiving their letters.The Supreme Court in London is looking at this law to determine its merit, as Scotland is still under the rule of England. Although the Scots are wanting independence from England.

Families should be protected—not violated–by the government. We have to fight and stay involved to protect our children and grandchildren so that whatever happens across the sea stays across the sea.