A Progressive’s wet dream

A legal fight in Scotland’s highest civil court starts today to block an SNP plan to assign every child a state guardian over claims it rides roughshod over parents’ rights to raise their children how they see fit.

Judge Lord Pentland is to examine the lawfulness of the measure, contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act, which assigns a “named” person such as a teacher or health visitor to anyone aged under 18. […]

Aidan O’Neill, a senior human rights lawyer, is expected to argue during the four-day judicial review at the Court of Session that the legislation represents an “unjustified interference” into private and family life.

The campaign warned last night that the standard of proof for intervention had been reduced to the extent that the state could gain “unbridled access to every living room in the land” and warned parents’ role could be reduced to that of “assistant” to the state. […]

Under the Act, which was passed by MSPs in February and is due to come into force in 2016, the NHS will appoint a health worker to act as a “named person” for every child until the age of five.

The responsibility will then pass to councils until the child reaches 18, with teachers expected to be asked to take on the role.