New Director of CELCIS appointed
Claire Burns has been appointed as the new Director of CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection.
CELCIS’s Acting Director since April 2020, Claire Burns has steered the organisation through the most challenging period of time in recent history for children, young people, their families and carers and all those who work to support them.
Under Claire’s leadership CELCIS has been able to provide advice, guidance and evidence to inform the national response to the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency, including advising and supporting the Scottish Government; ensuring that leadership in child protection and safeguarding continues to be well-supported across Scotland; and has developed approaches in how to use participation for listening to and including the experiences and voices of lived experience in how CELCIS works, including increasing representation at Strategic Board level.
CELCIS’s Strategy for 2019-24, Building Brighter Futures, prioritises the goals of early help, quality care, effective decision-making and valuing experience and is focused on driving improvement to support transformational change, advocating for inclusion and participation, and increasing the use and understanding of data.
Professor Alexis Jay, Chair of CELCIS’s Strategic Advisory Board, said:
“I am very pleased that we have been able to appoint Claire as the new permanent Director to carry forward our strategic direction as we strive to make a difference so that children and young people in care and protection are always well supported to be all they hope to be.
“I know that under Claire’s leadership CELCIS will continue to be able to make an impact in supporting the implementation of improvements in services, support and practices we all want and need to see, not least in realising the aims of The Promise for children, young people, families and care leavers in Scotland.”
Claire Burns said:
“I am delighted to have been appointed as the Director of CELCIS on a permanent basis.
“This is an exciting and important time to lead the organisation as we work to support, develop and demonstrate effective local and national delivery in implementing real change to deliver on national commitments and key policy aspirations, such as The Promise of the Independent Care Review and work towards the incorporation of the UNCRC into law, all centred on the needs and rights of all our children.
“However, I am also aware of the ongoing challenges many children, young people and families face, especially in light of increased levels of poverty and adversity. The pandemic has exposed inequities more than ever before and we do not yet understand what the full impact of the pandemic will be on families over time. We are committed at CELCIS to doing all that we can to contribute to the prevention of poverty and creating and implementing solutions with our partners to respond to these needs.
“I am looking forward to continuing to work with the talented and dedicated colleagues at CELCIS and our Strategic Advisory Board, as well as our partners, stakeholders and everyone with lived experience who is advocating for and championing change for children and young people in need of care and protection in Scotland and around the world.”
With considerable experience in children and families social work practice, Claire has been part of CELCIS’s Senior Management Team since 2011.