Interview: Commissioner on the case - Kathleen Marshall, Scotland's commissioner for children and young people
Gordon Carson
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
Kathleen Marshall is in her first week as Scotland's children's commissioner and her temporary office in Edinburgh still lacks the essentials.
"I don't have things such as paper clips, and I've brought in my own laptop," she says.
On her first day in office, Marshall hosted a conference in Edinburgh at which she outlined the 11 key areas that will demand "examination and consultation" from her office. "There was a real buzz," she says. "From the feedback I got it was well received."
Marshall's appointment in February was also well received by Scotland's children's services community (News, 18-24 February).
A solicitor who graduated from Glasgow University in 1973, she is a familiar face in the children's field due to her time as a visiting professor at the Glasgow Centre for the Child and Society, and her role as a director of the Scottish Child Law Centre from 1989 to 1994. She also chaired the Edinburgh inquiry into the abuse and protection of children in care, which reported in 1999.
Marshall is clear about the importance of consulting children in her role. She plans to set up a think-tank of under-18s and wants to go back to school to experience the issues young people must deal with on a day-to-day basis. This is particularly pertinent when you consider that Marshall suffered sustained bullying as a child growing up near Glasgow.
"I remember what it felt like. I remember there was this understanding that you had a world mapped out that was different from the adult world," she says. "There was a feeling that there wasn't any point in taking the matter forward. There were mixed messages; the subject wasn't addressed in school. Some adults would tell you to hit back; others would say that if you did you were as bad as the others."
Bullying in itself is not one of the 11 issues Marshall has identified, and she does think there are better measures in place to tackle it now.
However, one area in which she does intend to get involved is the "desertion" of skilled staff from child protection work.
She has her own theories why this is happening, gathered from talking to professionals in the field. "It can be difficult to operate in an environment where you have responsibilities you take very seriously but don't have the resources to back you up," she says. "They often find themselves working at the crisis end, which can be very draining. People get into the job because they want to help, but if you are constantly fire-fighting and dealing with criticism for not saving the world, it can be very difficult."
Although Marshall does not have the power to change legislation, she feels she can influence the Scottish Executive and Parliament. However, she has taken up her role too late to shape the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Bill, which is making its way through the Scottish Parliament. She does have concerns about the Bill, though, particularly its powers to disperse groups of youngsters.
"We have all been in the situation where we have seen a group of young people we think are intimidating, but they turn out to be nice," she says. "There may be a role for mediation and more facilities for youth groups."
Marshall constantly brings up the issue of consultation and involvement.
As well as her plans for the think-tank and returning to school, she also aims to travel the length and breadth of Scotland to find out what young people really want.
"I said I wanted to start off in the Shetlands and someone from there came forward at the conference to say she would help me," she says.
And when she moves into a permanent office, hopefully near the Scottish Parliament building, she also wants to involve young people in the design of the premises.
"It's important," she says, "to see the world through a child's eyes."
BACKGROUND
Kathleen Marshall's 11 key concerns
- The desertion of skilled staff from child protection
- Earlier intervention by agencies
- Drug abuse within family units
- Over-protection of children
- Teenage pregnancy and its wider impact
- Stability within the family unit
- Multi-generational unemployment within families
- Children held in asylum detention centres
- Children's health
- Youth homelessness
- Culture of "punitive measures" towards children and antisocial
behaviour