Three members of Highland Council named as children's champions, amongst them a veteran Ross-shire representative
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HIGHLAND Council has appointed three “children’s champions” to advocate for young people and their families.
Members of the health, social care and wellbeing committee agreed that councillors Muriel Cockburn, (Badenoch and Strathspey) Isabelle MacKenzie (Inverness Millburn) and Margaret Paterson (Dingwall and Seaforth) would take on the roles.
According to the report: “Very simply, champions gather opinions and insights from every corner of the organisation, then funnel them to the appropriate people who can act decisively. This is what we want to encourage and develop.”
Chairwoman Linda Munro has high hopes for the scheme.
She said: “Highland Council had children’s champions for many years, and they were synonymous with great networks and links with the community and third sector.
“Each brought their own knowledge to the role but each provided the crucial link between policy, committee, communities and the individual child. These roles have now returned to council at the direct request of elected members and our third-sector colleagues.”
The three champions will work as part of a pilot ending in April 2022, and will receive training from Who Cares Scotland.
Unlike previous children’s champions, they will not have a specific area remit.
Instead, each champion will shape the role according to their own area of interest or experience – for example, mental health and wellbeing.
At the core of the response is the “village” that surrounds a child – specifically their family/carers and wider community.
“School isn’t where children spend most of their time – they spend most of their time in their family and community,” Councillor Munro said.
“This means shifting minds, but it should also mean shifting resources. In my view, we need pennies in the pot.
“We have to make this role relatable and important to communities, otherwise there’s no point in doing it.”
Cllr Cockburn is also unequivocal about the need to make the role work for children.
She said: “My reason for taking on this role is that coronavirus made us acutely aware of system failures.
“We can have rose-tinted specs sometimes, thinking that our young people are all safe and all cared for. Some are not.
“There are glitches in the system and people can slip through the net.”
But while she feels the pandemic revealed the true extent of the problem, she does not presume to know the answer.
“This is beyond being a councillor, it’s about me learning to look and listen and be aware of the needs of young people,” she said.
