CELCIS publish research report on Scotland’s children’s services reform
- Area of Work: Children and Young People, Policy and Research
- Type: News Item
- Published: 21st November 2023
The Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) publish findings on how to reform Scotland's children's services.
The Scottish Government has commissioned the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) to conduct independent research to gather evidence to inform decision making about how best to deliver children’s services in Scotland.
The over-arching research question CELCIS has aimed to answer with this final report is: “What is needed to ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need, when they need it?”. The findings of this research project will be used to inform consideration of the future of children’s services in the context of the proposed introduction of the National Care Service for Scotland, and the Scottish Government’s commitment to Keep the Promise of the Independent Care Review (2020).
The views and experiences of Scotland’s children’s services workforce are critical to understand as
they have direct experience of how children’s services are delivered, managed or commissioned,
and reveal important insights into how children, young people and families experience services.
Key findings from the report include:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on Scotland’s children’s services
- Scotland’s children’s services are responding to greater diversity and complexity of need
- The children’s services workforce is in crisis and urgently needs investment
- There are persistent gaps and weaknesses in children’s services and transitions
- Implementation is hindered by a cluttered legislative, policy and funding landscape
Find more details on the research study
A full report with the findings of the research, a supplementary document explaining the methodology used, and an accompanying summary can be found below.
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