Meeting the care and protection needs of children and their families in Scotland: A statement on the proposals for the National Care Service
Professor Alexis Jay OBE (Chair) and Claire Burns (Director, Acting)
As a leading improvement centre in Scotland, our focus is always: is this in the best interests of children and young people in need of care and protection, their families and carers?
It is this question that is driving our analysis and consideration of the proposals in the new National Care Service for Scotland currently out for consultation.
To do this requires a critical understanding of and reflecting on the current situation: the persistent barriers and fundamental challenges in making real change happen; the impact on existing measures underway such as those advocated in The Promise and implementation of UNCRC – and therefore, if and under what conditions transitioning to a National Care Service could address these.
This offers a new opportunity to look at what it will take to get it right for every child.
Working across our dedicated team in CELCIS, our response will be based on an understanding of:
- The views and insights of people with care experience and knowledge of the care system
- The views and insights of people working in the children’s care sector
- The evidence of what works for children and families and what matters to them
- The experience, evidence and learning of how to make change happen, including from national improvement programmes such as CELCIS’s five year national Permanence and Care Excellence Programme to improve stability and security for children
- The expertise, knowledge and experience of CELCIS’ staff
We have been listening intently and engaging with many people in the last few weeks through the networks, Communities of Practice, and the many national and local groups we host and are part of.
By engaging in these forums and events in different ways a picture is developing of what else needs to be considered for the proposals to be effective. We are keen to still hear more views specifically on the implications for children in need of care and protection, their families and carers.