13 June 2014
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PRESS RELEASE
THE YOUNG ME SUFFERERS TRUST (TYMES TRUST)
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ACTION AGAINST 'NAMED PERSON' SECURES SUPPORT OF PROMINENT M.E. CHARITY
A charity which supports young people with ME and their families has
pledged itself to take on the Scottish Government in a court action to
fight against 'state snoopers.'
The Young ME Sufferers Trust (TYMES Trust), which is the longest
established national UK service for children and young people with ME and
their families, is backing the move in the Scottish courts.
The TYMES Trust believes that the drive to impose a state appointed Named
Person, a 'state guardian' or 'state monitor' by another name, on every
family in Scotland is an oppressive, unwarranted and illegal intrusion
into family life.
Jane Colby, Executive Director of the Trust, said:
"This must not go unchallenged. The Named Person will automatically be
given details of appointments with the child's doctor, and countless
other personal information. No parent can opt out of this system. If the
family misses an appointment, or disagrees with their doctor's suggested
treatment, the Named Person can and will be told."
Under the legislation, every child in Scotland under 18 - and there are
more than a million - will be assigned a 'named person' (someone other
than their parents) who will have the power to 'advise' and 'inform' the
child or discuss or raise matters about the child with the relevant
authorities.
A Judicial Review of the proposal, which is contained in the Children and
Young People (Scotland) Act is being mounted.
Campaigners say the blanket nature of the named person provisions
constitutes a disproportionate and unjustified interference with the
right of an individual family to a private and family life.
The Tymes Trust has announced that it will endorse the campaign and in a
statement said:
"In our experience, the average professional who is likely to take this
role (as a named person) may fail to appreciate the severity and
chronicity of ME, leading to the distrust of normal, innocent families.
"ME is incurable and depends on the body to heal naturally. We have so
far advised 120 families who have come under suspicion of causing their
children's ill health, many of whom have been investigated by social
services, and none of whom have been found blameworthy.
"It is a continuing problem that can only be exacerbated by the statist
intrusion of a named guardian into the family's method of caring best for
their sick child."
"In 2010 the Trust was presented with the Queen's Award for Voluntary
Service : the MBE for volunteer groups. It was given for pursuing the
educational rights of children with ME and advancing their care. We see
our role in this legal challenge as helping to prevent every parent of a
sick child in Scotland seeing their natural role and rights usurped by an
overweening state."
Lesley Scott, Tymes Trust Scotland Representative, said:
"The Named Person provision came from the GIRFEC trial - Getting It Right
For Every Child. Far from getting it right, families in Highland tell me
that GIRFEC's approach has led to a constant battle with schools and the
local authority, who have not only failed to provide appropriate support,
but disagreed with parents' views."
Campaigners are bidding to use European law to overrule Holyrood and stop
these controversial plans to appoint a named person for every child in
Scotland.
QC Aidan O’Neill will argue that MSPs are acting illegally and exceeding
their powers by setting up the 'named person' scheme in direct
contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The QC will put forward the case on behalf of the Christian Institute
(CI) which is spearheading opposition to the flagship legislation which
MSPs passed earlier this year. The CI has been joined in the legal
challenge by the Christian charity CARE (Christian Action Research and
Education), and the Family Education Trust with the support of academics
and individual parents and now the TYMES Trust.
Christian Instutute director Colin Hart welcomed the Tymes Trust
decision, saying:
"We are delighted to have the support and backing of the Tymes Trust in
this legal action which is so crucially important to families in
Scotland. This new Holyrood law will give almost boundless powers to a
state which is driven to control every aspect of people’s private lives
despite the fact that Europe places family life above the interests of
the state."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION FROM TYMES TRUST:
The Young ME Sufferers Trust (Tymes Trust) is a practical charity that
believes in taking action to make things better for children suffering
with ME. We specialise in advising their families and we publish
information guides for them and for professionals.
June 2014 is our 25th Anniversary. We are working to the theme FIGHTING
INJUSTICE. We believe that the drive to impose a state appointed Named
Person (a guardian by another name) onto every family in Scotland is an
oppressive, unwarranted and illegal intrusion into family life. It must
not go unchallenged.
Tymes Trust : www.tymestrust.org