Launching Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People’s (SCCYP) Annual Report today Marshall said this would reinforce the Parliament’s “undoubted commitment to the rights of children”.  

The annual report highlights a number of the issues raised by the Commissioner over the last year.  These include situations of children being ‘over protected’ through extreme risk aversion and also those of children being under-protected. 

Amongst the areas covered in the SCCYP’s research outlined in the report are adult attitudes to contact with children and young people, a study of the regulation of outdoor play for children in residential care and policy surrounding the handling of children and young people with disabilities. 

Commenting on the report Marshall said:

“We entered fresh territory last year, with a new government in Scotland. Like everyone else, those of us working for children and young people have been interested to see what impact it would have on our particular concerns.

“Although some of the issues are different – with the local government Concordat, funding for children’s services are no longer ring-fenced – some of the issues do not change. The perennial ambivalence of our society towards children and young people as both vulnerable and threatening continues to cause concern.

“The debate continued about whether we are fostering a generation of ‘cotton wool’ kids who are allowed little freedom because of parental fears for their safety.

“There was public concern about children in residential care following on from the publication of a report by Glasgow City Council into abuse of young people at Kerelaw.

“Media reports around juvenile crime and the issue of anti social behaviour reached a new low this year with suggestions that young children should be dealt with more severely and the introduction of the ‘Mosquito’ device.

“However there was some good news too, with the welfare of families seeking asylum improving and with the settling of the ‘legacy cases’ that has seen well-integrated families being granted leave to remain in Scotland.”