
The role of CELCIS in residential child care
At CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, our Residential Child Care team works alongside people who work in and are connected to residential child care.
We are focused on working with partners to meet the needs of children, young people and their families so that every child in Scotland has the high quality and well-rounded care and education they need, deserve and have a right to.
Our insights, relationships and partnerships enable us to work across a range of roles and settings where we:
- support quality improvement and the implementation of small scale and transformational change projects;
- deliver specific training and support;
- facilitate connections between professionals;
designing and delivering work that aligns with the individual needs and priorities of everyone we work with. In these ways we work to help ensure that all our care experienced children and young people can grow up loved, safe and respected.
The SIRCC Conference
For over 20 years, the Scottish Institute of Residential Child Care (SIRCC) Conference, hosted by CELCIS, has been a staple annual event in the residential community’s calendar in Scotland. Through in-person conferences and, more recently, online events, we have brought together a community to access and share keynote presentations, practical and creative immersive workshops, and networking opportunities.
CELCIS and the future of residential child care in Scotland
There are fundamental questions facing residential child care in Scotland:
- What is the role and place of residential child care in Scotland now and the future?
- What does high-quality care look and feel like for children?
- What are the emerging developments in practice to learn from?
- And, how do we do this together as a community with all the new ways to connect, share and come together?
We have been exploring these questions with our partners, stakeholders and the workforce.
The Residential Child Care Learning and Development Community of Practice
The Residential Child Care Learning and Development Community of Practice is a collaborative initiative by CELCIS. This brings together people working directly in learning and development roles in residential child care settings. The purpose of the group is to offer support to practitioners working in learning and development roles in residential child care by facilitating spaces to provide each other with opportunities for ongoing learning, sharing best practices, and building a supportive network. Key activities include:
- Connection and collaboration: Offering opportunities to build connections and relationships with practitioners in similar residential child care learning and development roles across Scotland.
- Knowledge Exchange: Sharing of insights, evidence, and experiences among learning and development practitioners working in residential child care to improve care practices.
- Support and Resources: Sharing information resources, webinars, and events that focus on current good practice, issues and challenges, in the residential child care sector.
To find out more about the Residential Child Care Learning and Development Community of Practice at CELCIS, contact CELCIS@strath.ac.uk and a member of the team will be in touch.
More information about Residential Child Care on the CELCIS website

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