In a statement to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced that the mandatory named person scheme for every child – enshrined in the Children And Young People Act 2014 – will be repealed.
Mr Swinney also confirmed that the proposed new law on information sharing on named persons will not proceed. Continue reading Controversial Named Person scheme is ditched
‘If we are to stop young people going down the wrong path in life and into a life of crime we need to be smart in our response’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson
Scotland’s new strategy to prevent children and young people from offending has been announced by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson as latest figures show the number of under 18s in custody has reduced by 70%.
Opening this year’s Annual National Youth Justice Conference, the Cabinet Secretary paid tribute to huge falls in youth crime and the work of agencies across the country, saying that the time was right to build on the success through a new strategy for Scotland.
Around 200 youth justice practitioners were in attendance at the launch of the two-day long event which will also feature leading professionals discussing current issues in the field.
‘Preventing offending: getting it right for children and young people’ builds on recent progress made in the youth justice sector and sets out three main priorities to take forward.
These include advancing the Whole System Approach which ensures young people receive the right help at the right time, improving life chances for young people and developing capacity and improvement throughout the youth justice sector.
The announcement coincides with the publication of a new independent evaluation of the Whole System Approach which has been in place since 2011. The approach provides a clear focus on early and effective intervention and diversion as well as appropriate support to improve outcomes for children and young people involved in offending.
Speaking at the Conference this morning Mr Matheson said: “We have already seen dramatic and positive changes in the youth justice sector since our decisive shift towards prevention in 2008 and on a recent visit to Polmont YOI I was extremely encouraged to learn that the population there has more than halved since 2007.
“The number of under 18s in custody has reduced by 70%, there has been an 83% reduction in the number of children referred to the Children’s Hearings System on offence grounds and there has been a 74% reduction in children appearing in court over the last seven years.
“These are significant achievements which have also made a major contribution to overall crime reductions in Scotland with recorded crime currently at a 40 year low.
“We are not complacent though and the new youth justice strategy launched today will continue to prioritise preventative approaches which confront offending in a constructive way – using an evidence-led, child-centred approach.
“I’ve seen various justice policies over the years labelled ‘tough’ or ‘soft’ but I think the time is right to move away from those kinds of descriptions. What we are doing in Scotland today – and will continue to do – is adopting ‘smart’ approaches, based firmly on evidence.
“If we are to stop young people going down the wrong path in life and into a life of crime we need to be smart in our response – ensuring timely, appropriate and effective interventions so that we can address offending behaviour at the outset and keep our communities and children safe from crime.
“Today’s independent evaluation of the Whole System Approach is very positive and confirms the tactics we have in place are the right ones.
“The report makes clear that our approach has been a major factor in enabling partnership working, information sharing and shared learning across youth justice agencies offering an all-inclusive service for young people at risk of offending.
“Scotland already has a proud record of taking an evidence-based approach to the needs of children and young people as part of our Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) program. By keeping this method at the heart of youth justice we can continue to reduce crime, improve life chances and make good use of public resources.
“Preventing offending is integral to GIRFEC and I look forward to playing my part in helping to ensure Scotland is the best and safest place to grow up.”
The new strategy has been widely welcomed across the spectrum of organisations with a role in the youth justice system.
Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, Police Scotland said: “Police Scotland welcomes the publication of Scotland’s new youth justice strategy
‘Preventing offending: getting it right for children and young people’ which sets out a clear framework to build on the progress that has been made in reducing offending and improving life chances.
“The evaluation of the Whole System Approach reaffirms the direction of travel being taken in Scotland and we are committed to working ollaboratively with partners to promote, support and safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people.”
The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC added: “The Crown welcomes the new Youth Justice Strategy and is committed to working with others to make sure that cases involving young people are considered in an effective and proportionate way.
“As Scotland’s Prosecution Service, we are committed to the prosecution of crime when appropriate and recognise the impact that involvement in the criminal justice system can have on young people. We will make the best use of alternatives to prosecution where appropriate to ensure that young people are treated with dignity and respect whether they are accused of crime or are victims or witnesses of crime.”
Claire Lightowler, Director Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice said: “We welcome the commitment in this strategy to further develop the culture
of continuous improvement across the youth justice sector.
“The Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice will continue to work with the youth justice sector to identify and deliver on actions to improve practice and ensure the strategy delivers real change.”
Cllr Douglas Chapman, COSLA Spokesperson for Education, Children and Young People, also supports the stategy, saying: “COSLA is supportive of the new Youth Justice Strategy particularly as it builds upon the good progress of recent years at a local level led by councils with their community planning partners in relation to youth justice. I am also pleased to note that it also continues with a focus on prevention, early intervention and providing
appropriate support to divert young people from offending to improving outcomes that has proved to be an effective approach. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and other partners to implement the new strategy.”
Neil Hunter, Principal Reporter, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) said: “SCRA welcomes the launch of the new strategy ‘Preventing offending: getting it right for children and young people’.
“We are pleased that it reaffirms Scotland’s integrated approach to youth offending, responding to deeds while taking account of the wider needs of young people, with the Children’s Hearings System at the heart of that approach.
“We look forward to working with partners to ensure children and young people who offend receive effective and timely interventions to address their offending behaviour and its causes.”
Michele Burman & Susan McVie, The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice
Research said: “We very much welcome the commitment in the new Strategy to advancing the Whole System Approach as a means of both preventing the unnecessary use of formal measures, and for ensuring that young people in Scotland receive timely and appropriate interventions that aim to keep them away from formal criminal justice processes.
“Our research showed that closer multi-agency working, closer information sharing and the strong incorporation of welfarist values in decision-making and practice are important for ensuring better outcomes for young people.”
Brian McClafferty, National Youth Justice Advisory Group Chair said: “The National Youth Justice Advisory Group (NYJAG) wish to commend the 2015 – 2020 National Youth Justice Strategy for its continued focus on developing a ‘Rights Based’ approach to young people who offend while also taking into account the key drivers emerging from the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (the 2014 Act).
“The strategy builds on the substantive progress of the last seven years through its continued commitment to the core elements of the ‘Whole System Approach’ and in specific the continued development and implementation of Early and Effective Interventions.”
There’s still time to book your place on the CAPSM training course running on Tuesday 31 March at Spartans Community Football Academy.
This course is suitable for anyone working with parents with problem substance use, or their children. This will include Early Years Practitioners, schools staff, voluntary sector, adult treatment services, social work, youth and community workers.
See above for more details.
An updated programme of activities and groups for parents and carers has been produced in a handy booklet format.
Click on the link below to find out the full range of activities available across North Edinburgh and beyond:
Getting It Right For Every Child introduction and refresher course
There is still time to book your place on the GIRFEC introduction and refresher course on 27 January at Spartans Community Football Academy.
This training session will be of interest to all staff working with children and young people and/or parents/carers. It will be of particular interest to those who wish to build confidence in the Getting It Right approach and for those who have had no previous training or wish to update/refresh previous training.
To book your place contact tracey.devenney@edinburgh.gov.uk or telephone 0131 529 5073.
High-quality nursery education helps improve performance at school at all ages, a Scottish Government research paper highlighted today.
In 100 days, families will start to benefit from an increase in the amount of funded early learning and childcare available for three and four-year-olds in Scotland – rising from 12.5 hours per week to almost 16 hours.
The same entitlement will, for the first time, be extended to over a quarter (27 per cent) of two-year-olds over the next two years – with those from workless or job-seeking households being among the first to benefit from expanded provision, starting from August 12.
Ministers have also set out in ‘Scotland’s Future’ how they would use the powers of independence to transform provision through a universal system of pre-school childcare.
Today’s paper – drawing on the findings of three major studies, which are supported by other research work – highlights evidence that:
• Pre-school experience enhances all-round development in children – and may particularly benefit disadvantaged children – with improved cognitive development, sociability and concentration when starting primary school.
• The positive effect of attending higher quality pre-school settings on children’s subsequent outcomes in reading and mathematics is evident at age 10, even accounting for the influence of background factors.
• The benefits of early education and childcare can persist into secondary school – with European research showing that, in most countries, pupils at age 15 who attended pre-school education programmes tend to perform better than those who have not.
Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell (pictured above) said: “By improving access to affordable, high-quality early learning and childcare we will deliver many benefits for Scotland, not least – as this research paper highlights – boosting children’s performance all the way through to secondary school. That’s why we’re investing in a skilled workforce and working with local authorities and partner providers to ensure that quality remains at the heart of our plans.
“In 100 days, with investment of more than a quarter of a billion pounds over two years, we will take further steps towards our ambition to transform early learning and childcare. By doing so in a well-managed, phased and sustainable way, we will support children and families both in their immediate circumstances and for their longer-term aspirations.
“With a 45 per cent increase in funded pre-school entitlement since 2007, backed by our investment in the workforce, an independent review of future skills and capacity, and capital investment of £91 million over the next two years, we are using the resources available to us now to build the foundations for the transformational change in early learning and childcare that we can deliver with the powers and resources of independence.”
Commenting on the paper, Jackie Brock, Chief Executive of Children in Scotland, said: “This paper is a helpful summary of both the national and international evidence which underpins Children in Scotland’s belief that good quality pre-school care and learning makes a significant contribution to a child’s development.
“This demonstrates, undeniably, that quality early education and care has advantages for every child but is especially important as one measure to eliminate Scotland’s inequalities in educational attainment.”
Early Years Taskforce member and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, added: “With 100 days to go until the expansion of nursery education this sound research is a reminder to parents about the real value of early education. It shows that nursery education, especially before the age of three, has long term benefits right through school.
“As a Liberal I know that investing in education, especially early education, can change lives and give great opportunities for people to get on in the world. This new research will give a further boost to our efforts for all. I would urge every two year old eligible for the new entitlement of over fifteen hours a week of nursery education be registered so they can take full advantage of the real benefits.”
Children and Young People Bill is passed
Children’s Minister Aileen Campbell has welcomed Parliament’s backing for new laws to provide greater support for children and families, saying the reforms will ‘help Scotland become ‘the best place in the world to grow up’. The Bill was not passed without opposition, however – critics have expressed concern over a lack of clarity and say that the proposals have not been fully costed.
The Children and Young People Bill will deliver more funded, flexible early learning and childcare of at least 600 hours a year for three- and four-year-olds and the most vulnerable two year olds – delivering a saving of around £700 per child per family per year – from August.
Other provisions in the Bill will see:
• From April 2015, teenagers in residential, foster or kinship care who turn 16 gaining new rights to remain ‘looked-after’ up to the age of 21, as well as extended entitlement to aftercare up to their 26th birthday.
• New duties placed on Ministers and the wider public sector to promote children’s rights, as well increased powers given to Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner.
• Kinship carers gaining enhanced legal entitlements to assistance.
• Scotland’s National Adoption Register placed in statute, improving prospects for finding homes for vulnerable young children.
• Counselling and other support provided for vulnerable children and their families.
• Improved provision of advice and help when needed for children and families from early years to adulthood, including providing a ‘named person’ for each child – usually their health visitor or head/senior teacher – available as a single point of contact.
• Every primary 1 to 3 child gaining the option of a free school lunch from next January.
• Strengthened legislation on school closures, including new requirements and improved transparency for closure proposals, particularly in rural communities.
Ministers have set out their longer-term ambition to transform childcare provision and ensure every child from one to school age is entitled to 1,140 hours each year, if Scotland gains full control of its finances following a vote for independence in September. This can help boost economic activity and support around 35,000 additional early years jobs.
Ms Campbell added: “As I have always said, this Bill is a starting point for a significant expansion of high quality, flexible early learning and childcare. It sets the foundations for our longer-term aim to transform childcare provision using the full powers and resources of independence – enabling us to support more parents wanting to move into work by re-investing higher revenues from improved economic activity back into expanded childcare provision.
“Our approach is a phased, sustainable one, where we are focusing first on those families who are most in need and who will benefit most from an expansion of funded hours. Not only will this improve the life chances of children, it will also provide opportunities for parents and families to benefit from support into training or sustainable employment.
“In Scotland’s Future we have set out phased plans to achieve 1,140 hours per year for all children aged between 1 and 5, starting with an increase to half of all 2 year olds. The expansion set out in the Bill is a significant step towards realising that vision.”
Commenting on the Bill’s wider measures, Ms Campbell added: “This landmark Bill is testament to the ambition, hard work and dedication of many young people, their families and countless others who have backed them in their calls for improved recognition and support from public and other services as they move towards adulthood.
“The legislation is the culmination of extensive consultation and discussion with a wide variety of individuals and groups all with the best interests of Scotland’s children at heart. The measures will support children and families right across the country and will help secure a widely-held ambition for Scotland to be the best place in the world for children to grow up.”
The legislation has been widely welcomed across the country. Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, Martin Crewe, said: “Children in care are one of the most vulnerable groups of people in Scotland and this Bill represents the biggest shake-up of the support we give them for nearly twenty years. It will help transform the lives of looked-after children for the better, ensuring that we begin to get it right for every care leaver in Scotland.”
There are some dissenting voices, however. Opposition MSPs raised concern that they were being asked to pass the bill without knowing the full cost of implementing the proposals, while other groups have talked about a ‘Big Brother’ state and argue that the universal ‘named person’ approach will result in a reduced services for those that need them most.
Not so, argues Chief Executive of Children in Scotland, Jackie Brock, who said: “We appreciate and understand the concerns that have been raised by some groups regarding the Scottish Government plans for a named person, outlined as part of the Children and Young People Bill, but believe that some of the opposition to this element of the Bill is a result of a misunderstanding of what the named person will actually involve.
“The role of a primary point of contact available to all children and families, is a step towards ending silo thinking and is merely the formalization of practice that already exists across the country. It is not about creating “a snoopers charter” but instead will provide a safety net for those who need one, improving information sharing around vulnerable and potentially vulnerable children.”
