Sir Harry Burns has spent his career working to alleviate poverty and improve conditions for children at risk of abuse. He talks to Isabel de Bertodano about the ways in which society is getting it wrong

The former chief medical officer for Scotland spent his career working to alleviate poverty and improve conditions for children at risk of abuse. He talks about the ways in which society is getting it wrong

Each year, more than 5,000 children below the age of 12 months are subject to care proceedings to remove them from their parents. About half are newborn babies less than a month old. For Sir Harry Burns, this situation demonstrates how badly society is dealing with the difficulties facing some parents and children. Burns is professor of global public health at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and an expert in early years childhood development.

“It’s very clear that when the public sector, social workers and so on, get involved, that’s bad news,” he says. “The public model is very much one of doing things to people – we know what’s good for you.”

Burns, who trained as a surgeon, was chief medical officer for Scotland until 2014, overseeing health care north of the border and providing policy advice to government ministers. He is adamant that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which include abuse, neglect and chaotic family environments, are the cause of many of the health and drug problems people experience later in life. ACEs can disrupt brain development in children, causing disease and social problems. They can lead to a life of addiction, homelessness and mental-health problems.

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