Annexe 2: Scotland - Policy Detail
1. Ministerial Vision for Scotland's Children .................................................. 1
2. Getting it right for every child..................................................................... 1
3. Its everyones job to make sure Im alright, 2002 ....................................... 2
4. Child Protection Reform Programme ........................................................ 2
5. Protecting Children and Young People: The Charter & Framework for Standards
2
6. For Scotland’s Children ............................................................................. 2
7. A Curriculum for Excellence ...................................................................... 2
8. Children (Scotland) Act 1995 & other legislation....................................... 3
9. Commissioner for Children and Young People ......................................... 3
10.
GCC Children’s Services Plan 2005-2008............................................. 4
11.
The Children’s Hearing System ............................................................. 4
12. Child
Strategy
Statement ....................................................................... 4
13.
MOVING FORWARD: A strategy for improving young people’s chances through
youth work......................................................................................................... 4
14.
GCC SWS Admission, Care Planning and Review Procedures for Looked After and
Accommodated Children and Young People 2004 .......................................... 4
15. References............................................................................................. 4
1.
Ministerial Vision for Scotland's Children
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/childrensservices/vision
Safe: protected from abuse, neglect or harm at home, at school and in the community.
Healthy: having the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, access to
suitable healthcare, and support in learning to make healthy and safe choices.
Achieving: being supported and guided in their learning and in the development of their
skills, confidence and self-esteem at home, at school, and in the community.
Nurtured: having a nurturing place to live, in a family setting with additional help if needed
or, where this is not possible, in a suitable care setting.
Active: having opportunities to take part in activities such as play, recreation and sport
which contribute to healthy growth and development, both at home and in the community.
Respected*: having the opportunity, along with carers, to be heard and involved in
decisions which affect them.
Responsible*: having opportunities and encouragement to play active and responsible
roles in their schools and communities and where necessary, having appropriate guidance
and supervision.
Included: having help to overcome social, educational, physical and economic inequalities
and being accepted as part of the community in which they live and learn.
* In testing and applying the Ministerial vision within the Getting it right approach, we are
exploring the separating out of Respected and Responsible as a way of encouraging
understanding among children and young people.
2.
Getting it right for every child
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/childrensservices/girfec
A national approach to helping children and young people in Scotland. The approach sets
out guidelines, and possible new legislation, that will help families and professionals to
work better together with children and young people, and to give children and families
more say in the help that they get.
Getting it Right for Every Child: Proposals for Action
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/54357/0013270.pdf
3.
Its everyones job to make sure Im alright, 2002
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/47007/0023992.pdf
Action plan to improve the protection of Scotland’s children in the next decade.
4.
Child Protection Reform Programme
CPRP, its overarching goals being to improve protection of children at risk of neglect and
abuse and reduce the numbers of children who need protection. The first half of the
CPRP delivered a range of initiatives including the Children's Charter, the new child
protection Framework for Standards which applies to all agencies and the strengthening of
the 30 multi-disciplinary Child Protection Committees across Scotland.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/children-families/17834
5.
Protecting Children and Young People: The Charter & Framework for
Standards
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/children-families/17834/10245
The Charter sets out what children and young people need and expect to help protect
them when they are in danger of being, or already have been, harmed by another person.
The Standards build on these Charter statements and the pledges made to help deliver
better, more joined-up, child focused services for vulnerable children and young people.
6.
For Scotland’s Children
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/education/fcsr-00.asp
Several recent reports have highlighted the need for better systems to share information
(eg the Child Protection Audit and Review and the Victoria Climbie Inquiry) and this forms
part of the action points to emerge from For Scotland's Children.
7.
A Curriculum for Excellence
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/11/20178/45862
Published in November 2004, clearly set out that children and young people should be
successful learners; confident individuals; effective contributors to society and responsible
citizens.
8.
National Care Standards
The Care Commission regulates and inspects all care services in Scotland using the
National Care Standards to ensure that service users receive the same standard of care
wherever they live in Scotland. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/care/17652
National Care Standards have been published for the following services for children and
young people:
• Adoption agencies
• Care homes for children and young people
• Childcare agencies
• Early education and childcare up to the age of 16
• Foster care and family placement services
• School care accommodation services
9.
Children (Scotland) Act 1995
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/Ukpga_19950036_en_1.htm
This sets out a range of ways in which children in Scotland should be supported,
protected, accommodated and cared for. It also identifies the circumstances in which a
child may be accommodated by a local authority. This includes situations where ‘no-one
has parental responsibility for’ a child under 16 (Section 25) and the manner in which
accommodation is provided for children looked after by a local authority (Section 26).
Furthermore, this Act also seeks to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, up to
the age of 18, who are in need (Section 22). Among the duties that the authority has
towards a child so accommodated are to: safeguard and promote the child’s welfare;
promote contact with parents; take account of the child’s views; give consideration to the
child’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background.
Part of the
Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 applies to Scotland and stipulates that a
child who was previously looked after and accommodated is entitled to financial support
from the local authority. Under the
Children Leaving Care Act of 2000, social services
departments must provide support for those leaving care, ensuring their continuing
welfare. The Hillingdon judgement extended this responsibility to include unaccompanied
asylum-seeking children. Although the Hillingdon judgement was a landmark case in
England, the great majority of the Children Act 1989, including the provisions for looked
after and accommodated children, does not apply to Scotland.
The Support and Assistance of Young People Leaving Care (Scotland) Regulations
2003 also require local authorities to provide a range of other preparation, planning and
support measures for young people
The main relevant statutes are the
Education (Scotland) Act 1980, with subsequent
amendments, and the
Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000. For instance,
any education authority has general powers to provide education (including nursery
education) to anyone living within their area, while children below the statutory age limit
have a right to receive education. CARIS web-site
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/caris/
10. Commissioner for Children and Young People
The
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2003 established
the role of Commissioner. The first incumbent took up post in April 2004. The
Commissioner has a duty to promote and safeguard the rights of children in Scotland up to
the age of 18 (or 21 if they have ever been looked after by a local authority).
http://www.sccyp.org/
11. GCC Children’s Services Plan 2005-2008
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Care_Support/Families_Children/childrensservic
esplan.htm
Integrated Children's Services Plans have a vital role in ensuring that local authorities in
Scotland and other relevant agencies and organisations come together to plan services
and support for children and families in each area in a co-ordinated way. This is done
following a shared local vision and making effective use of combined knowledge and
resources.
Children's Services Plan should link with other relevant local plans, including the child
component of the local Health Plan, the local Education Improvement Plan, and the wider
Community Plan.
12. The Children’s Hearing System
One of the overarching principles that apply to decision making in Children's Hearings is
that the child has a voice. www.scra.gov.uk
13. Child
Strategy
Statement
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/social/css-00.asp
14.
Moving Forward: A Strategy for Improving Young People’s Chances Through
Youth Work
http://www.article12.org/pdf/Moving_Forward_Youth_Work_Strategy.pdf
National Youth Work Strategy
Scottish Executive March 2007
15.
GCC SWS Admission, Care Planning and Review Procedures for Looked After
and Accommodated Children and Young People 2004
http://connect.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3E1B0C9D-974A-4F14-83B6-
9811E8DE8E2E/0/LAACPro04revised.doc
16. References
1. This is a good place to live and think about the future…The needs and experiences of
unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Scotland, published by the SRC March 2006
2. Scottish Executive website
3. GCC website
4. CARIS website legal section
