"the potential to be used to undermine families". The Law Society of Scotland warned it amounted to "disproportionate state interference" because it could conflict with the right to respect for private and family life as set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.
What were they all getting so exercised about? Simply this. The Scottish government is planning to legislate for something that is already operating widely across Scotland: assigning a "named person" for every child from birth until they reach 18. You may question the wisdom of the government legislating on something that is already in place. However, its reasoning is that legislation will result in consistent practice across Scotland, which is not there at present.
As a result, the proposal is contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill. The legal bodies are arguing in their written evidence to Holyrood's education and culture committee that the provisions are ill-considered and state that they want law that is "clear, proportionate and enforceable". But I support the principle behind the named person proposal.
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