‘IT takes a village to raise a child.” I’ve been thinking a lot about this proverb over the past week and the responsibility we all share in bringing up the next generation.

It illustrates the communal aspect of raising healthy and happy children, where parents, wider family networks, schools, healthcare professionals, neighbours, larger communities and government groups all come together to do what’s best for our little ones. But when Hillary Clinton paraphrased the proverb for the title of her 1995 book on her vision for the children of America, the Republicans were very vocal in their opposition to her idea of collective responsibility in child-rearing.

Over the past few months we’ve seen a similar response from the more reactionary parties in Scotland to the Scottish Government’s positive steps forward in making this country the best place in the world for a child to grow up. When the wonderful Baby Box initiative was launched just a couple of months ago, offering help to all parents and their newborns regardless of their background or financial situation, opposition posturing was both churlish and nit-picky.

Not a good look for either Scottish Labour or the Tories, criticising a positive beginning for new babies. And whichever way you look at it, this scheme, which offers a starter pack of baby necessities in a cardboard box with fitted mattress and bedding for a safe sleeping environment, is all about giving our little ones the best start in life, and parents a much needed helping hand. The idea originated in Finland but has been rolled out to many countries across the world to great effect and, since August, more than 10,000 boxes have been delivered to delighted parents in Scotland.

It’s all part of embedding the values outlined in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child in the very detail of government policy to give children in Scotland protection and support. It sends a positive and inclusive message and is just one of a number of measures introduced by this government to promote equality and support families. What’s not to like?

This week, the SNP launched a new recruitment drive to encourage 11,000 people into nursery education and childcare, to create a strong and motivated workforce that supports the needs of young children as they learn through education and play.

At last year’s SNP conference, our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon spoke movingly about supporting children in care and those leaving care, announcing a “root-and-branch” review of the care system in Scotland. At this year’s conference she followed up this commitment announcing council tax exemptions for care leavers to combat inequalities, a move welcomed by related charities. And let’s not forget increasing free high-quality childcare too, to 16 hours per week for three and four-year-olds, and to 30 hours by 2020, or free school meals for children in Primary 1-3, with a pledge to extend this to nursery-aged infants by 2021.

Yet still the reactionaries rage and moan about too much intervention from a “nanny state”, with the most vehement criticism saved for the recent announcement on the proposed ban on smacking, a bill initiated by Scottish Green MSP John Finnie and now supported into law by the Scottish Government. Some feel that this is an example of state invasion into the private sphere of our homes, where the parent should be in control of consequences for their children without interference from the public domain. I’ve read a number of letters and commentary on the ban, full of “it-didn’t-do-me-any harm” quips on smacking, and debates on the fall in standards of behaviour in society with a lack of respect for authority not seen in “their day”.

I’ve no time for this looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses. I grew up in Scotland in the late 1970s and I remember children – in particular boys – being belted at school. How many of these children were also being hit at home? And how many went on to a life of crime or hopelessness as a result of a disregard for their human rights or a lack of effort to look deeper into their circumstances and assess any support needs?

The people who hark back to an era when children “knew their place” and adults could punish them in any way they chose, conveniently forget that while getting a smack on the legs might not have seemed to do certain individuals much damage, for others it was a crushing experience, which destroyed their self-esteem and affected their future relationships for life.

Banning smacking children in Scotland can only be a good thing and should be viewed in the context of creating a safer and fairer environment for them, and that fundamentally, it’s wrong to hit people, and that includes our wee ones.

Getting it right for every child through new policy measures and support will help everyone, from the nuclear family right through to society as a whole. To create a truly inclusive and equal Scotland, we must continue to make progress and not be afraid to challenge the status quo on how we raise our children. And I think we’re on the right track.