FORMER teachers attacked plans plans to appoint a named person for every child during a ministerial event in Glasgow.
Social Justice secretary Alex Neil was in the firing line as members of the public were asked for their views on how to create a 'Fairer Scotland."
The event, held in the disused Govanhill Baths yesterday, was tabled as a discussion rather than a Q&A but turned heated as the government's named person scheme became the focus.
The child protection measure is already being piloted in parts of Scotland including South Ayrshire, Highland, Edinburgh, Fife and Angus. It is due to be extended to other parts of Scotland in 2016.
One retired teacher accused the government of "sending spies into people's homes."
She said: "We should be giving teachers less work and not more.
"I can't see how Scotland can get fairer when we have go this level of state interference in the family."
One mother, who asked not to be named, suggested that proposals included a that children to have the right to decide what TV programmes they watch.
Frances Burnistoun, a retired teacher from Woodside, said: "Parents put their children into the hands of teachers but I feel this goes beyond...
"Who is going to decide what is acceptable. People are going to feel that this is an intrusion."
However, another mother said the scheme would have helped her cope with her daughter.
She said: "When my daughter was young she was a very troubled girl and I got bounced about all the different agencies.
"I think the named person scheme might be a solution to some of that.
"I wouldn't have found it invasive."
Mr Neil said the government was taking concerns about the scheme on board.
He said: "Their main issue is where a child has ended up in a bad situation, all the agencies are involved but they don't talk to each other.
"The point of the named person scheme is to make sure that doesn't happen. All the agencies are talking to each other and identifying if there is a problem.
"The named person scheme has been tried in a number of different areas and has worked effectively."
The event was organised to stimulate debate in communities about the priorities for the Scottish Government and a policy document will be produced next year.
Welfare cuts, foodbanks, homelessness, drugs policy and government transparency were also highlighted by residents as priority areas.
Mr Neil said: "Nicola Sturgeon has made the creation of a fairer Scotland absolutely a top priority for the Scottish Government.
"One of the things we need to do is to make sure that every child has the same opportunity to go to university, if they choose to.
"The biggest issue for us is changes to social security.
"Some of the powers are going to be transferred to the Scottish parliament - such as disability benefit and bereavement allowance and we need to decide how we can make this better.
"Housing is a big issue. Health is a big issue.
"Community involvement is a great way to make sure communities get what they need."
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