Every young person in Scotland has the right to a Named Person – someone who can support you and your family if things aren’t going well.
For young people the named person would most likely be your guidance teacher or sometimes the head teacher at your school.
Guidance teachers and head teachers should already be looking out for your wellbeing and the new law will be there to make sure that this happens in every school in Scotland.
Of course, most families give their children all the love and support they need.
But sometimes things can’t be easily sorted out and that where the named person comes in.
It should be someone who can help you and your family to get any help and support you might need to get back on track with your life. It should mean there is one person who coordinates any extra support if it is needed. They might suggest other people you and your family can talk to.
Most likely you won’t notice anything different at school. You only get help from the named person if there are any concerns about your wellbeing.
You might speak to them yourself, or maybe your parents or family will be involved.
If someone else, like a youth worker, was worried about you, they could suggest that you speak to your named person. That way, there is only 1 person who knows what is going on and can keep an eye on things.