Disappointment as MSPs reject proposed amendments to Children and Young People Bill

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's Education Committee have rejected a number of amendments to the Children and Young People Bill, prompting concern from campaigners who had wanted the legislation to feature a more explicit emphasis on preventative services covering the first 1001 days of a child’s life.

A campaign group, Putting the Baby IN the Bathwater Campaign, had wanted to see amendments that would explicitly place primary prevention and robust support for under-threes in Scotland at the centre of the Bill.

The five SNP members of the Committee rejected the need for the amendment, however, with the Minister Aileen Campbell insisting they were unnecessary because prevention in early years is implicit in the existing Bill and covered by its provision for 'promoting well-being for all children’.

SASW, a co- signatory to the Bathwater campaign, along with over 50 other organisations and individuals in Scotland, expressed disappointment at the Committee’s decision.

SASW Manager Trisha Hall said: “We are absolutely supportive of the spirit of the Bill, its grounding within Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), and welcome the promotion of well-being for all children.

“We also know from extensive research on early years and from the very many experiences of social workers working with the most vulnerable families, that promoting, ensuring, and monitoring optimum well-being requires adequate resourcing. The campaign aims to ensure that this support is available at the most primary preventive stage, not at the frequently reactive level we see so often.”

The Education Committee vote was part of Stage 2 of the Bill's passage through Parliament. Members will reconvene when the Committee makes its final Stage 2 deliberations on 14 January.

The Putting the Baby IN the Bathwater Campaign is urging social workers to take up the campaign with their local MSPs or directly with ministers in the hope of securing a different outcome when the Committee next week.

You can also get in touch with SASW with your views, so please click here to email now