Opinion: To the point - Where decisions are made
Bronwen Cohen, chief executive of Children in Scotland
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
'It's the economy, stupid' might be an apt description of the 2010 election campaign, as well as the subsequent coalition agreement and Queen's Speech. And we have to hope that the coalition gets the economy right, because the consequences on family welfare of getting it wrong will not be pleasant.
So what does the new Government offer children and parents in Scotland? Many areas of public policy affecting children, including education, health and justice, are determined by the Scottish Parliament, which looks set to gain more powers. The coalition Government has signalled its intention to implement some of the recommendations of the report on Scottish devolution (Calman Commission) which reported in 2009.
However, even in those areas that are, in principle, devolved to Scotland, Westminster decisions can have a considerable impact. Significant areas that remain reserved to the UK Government include tax, social security and employment - all areas which have a major impact on children's lives in Scotland.
Parental leave and flexible working, which come under the jurisdiction of the Department for Work and Pensions and so have UK-wide impact, are to change, with all employees to have the right to request flexible working and with a proposed 'system of flexible parental leave'.
Responsibility for services for young children is one of the areas devolved to the Scottish Parliament, but decision-making in Scotland in this area is more influenced than is sometimes realised by Westminster. For example, decisions to provide funding for childcare through the tax and social security systems as well as from parents themselves, while funding early education services directly, lie at the heart of the continuing education/care divide throughout the UK. In Scotland this constrains the ability of the current Scottish government to deliver transformational change through integrated services. The coalition agreement contains very little on early years services and policy.
It has, however, retained a commitment to meet the target of ending child poverty by 2020 - a target enshrined in law by the Child Poverty Act 2010. According to the Government's own official statistics, 23 per cent of all children in Scotland are living in poverty. Early years services have an important contribution to make in addressing this - and in doing so, can represent a major investment in the economy as well. Let's hope the coalition agrees.
