The battle for Scotland is on. The future of the Labour and LiberalDemocrat coalition that has controlled the Scottish Executive since itscreation is now in doubt with the pro-independence Scottish NationalParty leading in the polls.
The loss of power in Scotland on 3 May would be a serious blow to Labourso the political propaganda machines are already working overtime aheadof the 3 May election.
But the good news for children is that nearly all the parties have puteducation, young people and families at the forefront of theirmanifestos. In fact, it's right up there with hot topics such as climatechange, nuclear disarmament and, of course, Scottish independence.
Many Scottish children's charities and organisations have publishedtheir own manifestos ahead of the elections, calling for universalaccess to children's services and an end to child poverty (Children Now,11-17 April).
Expectations are high. As Jonathan Sher, head of policy and research atChildren in Scotland, puts it: "We have had a devolved Scotland forseven years now. While the Scottish Parliament and executive haveachieved a lot for children and young people, we expect more in itsthird term."
Whether the policies outlined by political parties ahead of theelections go far enough remains to be seen, but Scottish independence isnot the only issue that will be close-fought on 3 May.
CHILD POVERTY
Scottish Labour has pledged to end child poverty within a generation,lifting a further 120,000 children out of poverty by 2010.
Rather than outline specific policies that are aimed at tackling theproblem, the party believes a holistic approach across education,health, transport, housing and other areas is the best way to achievethis target.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have promised an annual report measuringthe wellbeing of children in Scotland and showing progress against othernations, along with the introduction of children's rights impactassessments that show how executive decisions affect children'swellbeing.
Save the Children has welcomed Labour's focus on child poverty, butClaire Telfer, the charity's policy and parliamentary officer, says theparty could have been "bigger and bolder" in their plans to tackle childpoverty. She cites free school meals as one way to address the problemand says she is pleased at the priority the matter has been given.
Labour has pledged to extend free school meals to a further 100,000children from low-income families and free school meals for all areintegral to policies from the Scottish Green Party, the ScottishSocialist Party and the Solidarity Party. The Scottish National Party isalso committed to extending free school meals.
Telfer says: "We are in favour of any plans to extend free school mealsas one way of tackling child poverty. Official statistics show 25 percent of children are living in poverty but only 17 to 18 per cent areentitled to free school meals and we have been campaigning to have thatgap addressed."
EDUCATION
The big news from the Labour Party is a promise of 500 more languageteachers and teaching assistants, many of whom will be native speakers,and a particular emphasis on Spanish and Mandarin.
First Minister Jack McConnell says he will introduce an Education Billwithin the first 100 days of the new executive. It will include plans toset up 100 skills academies and six regional science centres ofexcellence specialist schools.
Labour wants to raise the school leaving age to 18 and extend modernapprenticeship schemes. Young people not in education aged 16 and 17would have to be in employment, training or full-time volunteering, amove welcomed by children's charity NCH.
NCH's director of children's services Andrew Girvan says: "The focus onyoung people not in education, employment or training is one we arepleased to see and we welcome skills academies. A lot of our work liesin picking up the pieces for children who have failed in schools, and inrebuilding the confidence of young people who have fallen off the laddera little and getting them back into education."
Labour has also committed itself to lowering class sizes and rebuilding250 schools by 2011.
The Liberal Democrats have gone one better and pledged 250 new schoolsand 1,000 extra teachers in a bid to cut class sizes. Lib Dem leaderNicol Stephen wants to give more power to head teachers, including beingable to require parents to attend meetings to discuss bad behaviour.Incentives will be offered to the very best head teachers to get themmoving to new schools every five to seven years and a fund will beavailable to turn failing schools around. Other Lib Dem pledges includea focus on skills, including financial skills, and an emphasis, likeLabour, on science and languages.
In both the Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos, schools are to beseen as community and family centres, with a focus on wrap-aroundactivities before and after school. The Lib Dems also say they wantschools open at weekends to offer activities.
All the political parties have pledged to reduce class sizes and TommySheridan's Solidarity Party, formed after he broke away from theScottish Socialist Party, counts a Class Size Bill among the legislativemeasures it would push through if elected.
The Scottish Conservative Party has pledged to support a "yellow schoolbus" initiative aimed at cutting the number of cars on the schoolrun.
HEALTH
Dental health features in several manifestos. The Conservatives havepledged to invest 10m in training dental hygienists to go intoschools in mobile dental units to look after children's teeth.
The Scottish Green Party wants to introduce tooth-brushing schemes inschools and the Scottish Socialist Party promises free toothbrushes andtoothpaste for all children. Labour plans to consult on banning junkfood vans from setting up right next to schools, and extending healthyeating standards to health and leisure centres.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) would offer free fruit to allchildren, and pregnant women. The party wants to double the number ofschool nurses and run annual fitness checks for pupils. An SNP executivewould remove fizzy drinks and junk food from all schools, and junk foodadvertising on children's TV would be banned.
The Scottish Green Party wants all school food to be 70 per cent freshand 30 per cent organic, and the Scottish Socialist Party says it willban adverts for alcohol and junk food. Separate measles, mumps andrubella jabs would be offered by a Scottish Socialist Party executiveuntil the combined MMR jab is proved safe.
EARLY YEARS
The Conservatives are calling for local authorities to allow parents tochoose which nursery they send their children to under the freechildcare entitlement, currently 12.5 hours a week. The ScottishPre-School Play Association welcomes the move. Its chief executive IanMcLaughlan says: "There is at least one party advocating a parentalchoice and the voluntary sector has a very worthwhile role to play ingiving parents a choice in young children's learning. We are veryencouraged by that."
Labour has pledged to extend the current free childcare entitlement from12.5 hours to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks a year, and to two-year-oldswho are most in need. The Scottish National Party has also promised 50per cent more childcare places and flexible working for parents andcarers.
Free childcare for 15 hours a week has also been promised by the LibDems. The Scottish Socialists have gone a step further and promised freepre-school education for all three- and four-year-olds. In addition, theLib Dems have promised to double the number of playgroups in Scotland,giving every two-year-old a free place in playgroup for 15 hours aweek.
YOUTH JUSTICE
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Labour is supporting anti-social behaviourorders, pledging to fast track the process and name and shame persistentoffenders.
The party has also promised to set up more youth courts in Kilmarnock,Paisley and Dundee.
The Conservative Party wants persistent young offenders aged over 14 tobe put before a youth court.
The Scottish National Party has pledged to treat behaviour likevandalism as a crime and wants to see offenders go through the criminaljustice system rather than be given anti-social behaviour orders.
WOOING WOMEN VOTERS
While the Scottish National Party has a lead over Labour in the polls,the two parties are still neck-and-neck among female voters despite thenationalists' 10-point lead among men.
This has prompted some commentators to argue that the key to victory on3 May is winning over Mrs Labour Lite, female voters who backed Labourin 1997, but may have been turned off because of the war in Iraq.
As if in answer to that theory, Labour have launched a women'smanifesto, detailing policies aimed at women and particularlymothers.
It includes plans to extend maternity leave to a full year by the end ofthe next UK Government, extend the free childcare entitlement to 15hours a week, improve play services, extend before- and after-schoolclub places, and double the number of community wardens.
VIEWS FROM THE SECTOR
Ian McLaughlan, chief executive, Scottish Pre-School Play Association -"We are pleased to see that young children's learning is high on theagenda. The opportunity to learn through play has very much taken a highprofile and we want to encourage that, particularly around the area ofcreative play and outdoor play. We are still looking for parties to saysomething positive about a commitment to increasing spending onpre-school education. In Scotland we spend half a per cent of our grossdomestic product on this compared to an EU recommendation of one percent."
- Jim Sweeney, communications manager, YouthLink Scotland - "We're alittle disappointed that there's not much in any of the manifestos byway of a specific mention of particular support for youth work, but wehave a promise from the out-going administration that it will beaddressed."
- Claire Telfer, policy and parliamentary officer, Save the Children -"We're encouraged by the priority that has been given to children andyoung people. The Liberal Democrats in particular have young people as apriority area. Our priority is ending child poverty and we areencouraged that Labour has reinvested their commitment to tackling childpoverty. We would have hoped however for bigger and bolder ideas of howto address child poverty and ensure it is eradicated by 2020."
- Andrew Girvan, director of children's services, NCH Scotland -"There's a massive problem with young people living in poverty inScotland and we would have liked to see more of a focus on what is to bedone about it. For us, that is by far the biggest issue."
- Jane Peckham, organiser, NASUWT Scotland - "Education is naturally oneof the main focuses of the manifestos and we welcome that. There hasbeen a lot of input into education since the Scottish Parliament cameabout and a lot of it has been innovative. All these things beingbrought in are great but it is having an impact on the workload of theclassroom teacher."
