Maggie Mellon
Maggie Mellon (CQSW, MSc, Dip Child Protection)
I am social worker with many years’experience in both Scotland and England. Currently Trustee of PAR, Parents Advocacy and Rights, 2016- Howard League Scotland board member 2018 – Formerly Director of Services for Children 1st and Head of Public Policy for NCH Action for Children in Scotland. I was chair of the Scottish Child Law Centre from 2009 -12, Non Exec Director NHS Health Scotland 2008-16, Vice Chair, BASW Council 2014-16, Chair of BASW Policy, Ethics and Human Rights Committee 2014-16, member of PEHR 2016-20
I now work independently as a consultant on social work practice and public policy. I write and speak on issues arising from my work, particularly where these affect mothers, children and families.
Maggie Mellon (CQSW, MSc, Dip Child Protection) is a social worker with many years’ experience in both Scotland and England. She has been vice chair of the British Association of Social Workers since 2014, and also chairs the Association’s Ethics and Human Rights Committee. She was formerly Director of Services for Children 1st and Head of Public Policy for NCH Action for Children in Scotland. Chair of the Scottish Child Law Centre from 2009 -12. Currently non–executive Director of NHS Health Scotland and a member of the editorial Board of Scottish Justice Matters.
Maggie now works independently as a consultant on social work practice and public policy.
Be brave and vote against the Gender Recognition Reform Bill
To Labour MSPsI hope that the court of session ruling last week has finally convinced you that it is reckless to open the path to getting a GRC to anyone who wants one? Life changing decisions which have a major impact on others should not be “simplified” (the main argument advanced for this legislation). All of the government’s disingenuous assurances that single sex spaces will be safe as “sex” is a...
To get justice in Scotland, you must be rich or popular
If there is one thing that we citizens might agree on, in the wake of Alex Salmond’s successful legal challenge, it is that we need to have a shedload of money to take on our government. Alex Salmond’s successful crowdfunding appeal safeguarded his own personal financial security. By contrast, the government did not need to seek our support before setting out to defend itself vigorously in court with our money. Then it lost our money. But the same civil servants are still in charge.
Petition to the Scottish Parliament
I gave evidence to the Petitions Committee in November 2017 in support of Mr. Mackie’s petition calling for a review of the children protection and children’s care system in Scotland. This links to my comments on the points that the Government has made.
We need to stop and consider the impact on children of accepting and promoting transgender explanations for children’s feelings
Paper by Maggie Mellon On the impact of poverty on Children and Families in Social Work system
Easterhouse is about 6 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Building began in the mid-1950s by Glasgow Corporation. The same age as I am roughly. The goal was to provide better housing for the people of the east end of Glasgow. It was built to house over 50,000 people – a town with no amenities, no centre, no theatre, few shops
Stand up for social work by joining BASW
Guest blog from Maggie Mellon, Vice Chair of The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Community Care has reported less than a tenth of the profession are involved in the debate following the College of Social Work’s closure announcement. I want as many people as possible to get involved in talking about social work, we must defend and promote our profession and not expect others to do it on our behalf. Here’s my case for why social...
‘Where’s Kilbrandon Now?’: reviewing child justice in Scotland
Maggie Mellon reports on 'Where's Kilbrandon Now?', the inquiry into the future of the Scottish children's hearing system. Child Justice in Scotland is based on a system of hearings held by panels .It was established in 1968, in response to a report by Lord Kilbrandon, a senior Scottish laws lord. In recent years the hearings system has come under criticism for being 'too soft', and there have been calls to take child justice back to the...
Named Person: National Caseworking
By Maggie Mellon Supporters of the Named Person (NP) scheme, who relied mainly on assurances given by the Government and NP’s architects and supporters, might have been surprised by the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that the law needed to be dropped or substantially revised. It was, however, not the assurances that were the subject of the challenge and the Supreme Court ruling. Why the Government and its supporters chose not to refer...
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