A teacher who was appointed one of Scotland’s first 'named persons' has been struck off the teaching register for discussing fantasies about sexually abusing children.
Dayna Dickson-Boath had been appointed 14 months ago as a 'state guardian' for 200 secondary school pupils, as part of the Scottish government's 'named person' scheme.
Under the scheme, which has already been rolled out in parts of Scotland and will come into full effect this August, every child under 18 will be allocated a 'named person', such as a teacher or health visitor.
This 'named person' has responsibility to monitor the child's welfare and raise concerns, and also has access to medical and other confidential information about the child.
The scheme has been widely criticised from the outset. The No to Named Persons (No2NP) coalition is continuing a legal challenge to the measures, highlighting that they undermine the role of parents and put children at risk of overbearing state interference.
Removal from teaching register
Ms Dickson-Boath consented last week to being struck off the teacher's register by the General Teaching Council for Scotland, following a conviction for sharing sexual fantasies about abusing children.
She accepted a charge that between 8 August 2014 and 10 September 2014, she "did send, by means of a public electronic communications network, messages to another person that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, in that you did converse regarding the sexual abuse of children."
The offences were committed while Ms Dickson-Boath worked as an additional support teacher at Forres Academy in Moray. She was convicted of the offence on 26 August 2015, at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Hugh Paton, convener of the panel, said: "The registrant should be removed from the register in view of the facts admitted.
"The panel has also decided that it is appropriate that the registrant’s name is referred to Scottish Government ministers for consideration in connection with inclusion on the list of those barred from working with children and vulnerable young adults."
Ms Dickson-Boath will be banned from working with children for the rest of her life, if the Scottish government agrees with the teaching watchdog's recommendation.
Gateway to abuse
A spokesman for No2NP explained last year that the scheme undermines parental authority and familial privacy:
"[T]he Named Person is legally empowered to monitor parents and children, to share their confidential data, and to put services in place, all without parental consent and even in defiance of parental wishes.
"The Government actually put out a leaflet for parents saying the Named Person is there to monitor children’s happiness.
"It said this means the Named Person will check 'Your child gets a say in things like how their room is decorated and what to watch on TV', 'You trust your child to do the right thing'. This is an outrageous invasion of private family life."
Commenting on the incident, Alison Preuss, spokeswoman for the Scottish Home Education forum, said:
"We've always been concerned about the fact the Named Person scheme could be used by persons with malicious intent.
"Those who have power over youngsters, and over parents. It means children are more vulnerable to predators like this."
Chief Executive of Christian Concern Andrea Williams said that the scheme was not only an invasion of privacy, but a potential gateway to abuse.
"Not only does this scheme create suspicion and undermine parents' autonomy in raising their children, it also puts the children at greater risk of mistreatment, by placing them within easier reach of those who may wish to exploit them."
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