This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Action pledged on failures of child protection system
25/11/2002
New measures to improve child protection have been put
in place following publication of a report which found that
half of children at risk of abuse or neglect are not being
adequately protected or cared for.
They include:
- a three-year reform programme for child protection
services
- an expert team to oversee reform and tackle poor
performance locally
- a tough new inspection system to ensure reform is
delivered
- a Children's Charter setting out the support that
every child has the right to expect
- increased investment in helplines, including cash
to allow Childline Scotland to increase by up to 60%
the number of children it helps.
First Minister Jack McConnell said:
"The findings of the child protection review make
worrying and uncomfortable reading. The report describes
the unacceptable circumstances in which some children live
- circumstances which are simply intolerable in a civilized
society.
"All involved must do better to ensure that children in
danger do not fall through the net. There are no instant
solutions but the clear plan of action announced today will
make a real difference in both the short and long term.
"Delay is not an option. I expect everyone to start
working to deliver change now and we will be hosting a
Child Protection Summit in the near future to demand action
from senior local authority, health, police and voluntary
sector representatives."
A review of child protection was ordered by Mr McConnell
in March last year following the death of three-year-old
Kennedy McFarlane from Dumfries.
Since then a team drawn from across education, health,
social work, police and children's hearings have been
examining current systems, case files and staff
practices.
Recommendations on how to reduce abuse and neglect and
offer children more protection are published today in the
review report
It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright.
Depute Chief Inspector of Social Work Services in
Scotland Stella Perrott, who led the review team, said:
"We found much good practice and identified a number of
cases where children were being protected. But we also
found that in many cases children were not protected and
more could have been done by agencies to help them.
"In over half of cases investigated, children were
either not getting the protection they needed or were only
partially protected.
"Inter-agency working needs to be improved substantially
in order for children to be protected better. There is also
a shortage of services, particularly counselling and
therapeutic services, and a lack of time for social workers
to spend with children and their families.
"We found children, their parents and members of the
public often did not trust the agencies designed to help
children and many feared that reporting concerns about a
child would lead to the child being removed from home.
People need more information about how to get help and what
will happen if they seek it."
Minister for Education and Young People Cathy Jamieson
said:
"At the moment too many children get lost in the system.
Those working to protect children need to spend less time
satisfying the needs of bureaucracy and more time
satisfying the needs of the child. Closer co-operation is
needed between all agencies working with children and
families.
"This joined-up approach must start at the top.
Education, Health, Justice and Social Justice Ministers all
have a part to play in making this work.
"I accept that local services need extra resources to
help them reform. Our Social Services Action Plan,
including a high-profile recruitment campaign, is crucial
and last week I announced that investment in the Changing
Children's Services Fund would double from £33 million to
£66 million in the next three years."
The Executive has outlined a programme of action in
response to the report's findings:
- a three-year programme of sustained activity will
reform child protection services by establishing clear
practice standards, developing the role and
responsibilities of Child Protection Committees, and
building capacity to deliver
- a team of experts from relevant agencies, with
top-level backing from the Executive, will work
directly with local agencies to implement the reform
programme and tackle poor performance
- a tough new system of inspection will monitor
progress over the next three years to ensure that
reform is delivered
- a Children's Charter, to be drawn up in conjunction
with professionals and children, will set out the
support that children have the right to expect
- extra support will be given to helplines that
provide counselling and support for children -
Childline and Parentline - including £500,000 to allow
Childline Scotland to open up a new call centre and
increase by up to 60% the number of children they are
able to help.
A 12-point Social Services Action Plan was launched in
April this year to deliver a competent and skilled social
services workforce. A copy of the news release is available
at
www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/04/SEed005.aspx
5. Investment in the Changing Children's Services Fund,
which funds innovative projects which join up services for
vulnerable and disadvantaged, will double from £33 million
to £65.5 million between 2002-03 and 2005-06. This was
announced by Cathy Jamieson at the Barnado's Conference on
Friday 22 November 2002 (
www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/11/SEED139.aspx).