Targets & Strategies
National
The main legislative base for social work with children and families of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, Protection Of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 etc. has recently been complemented by the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 and the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2011. In addition, there are many national and local strategies, policies and procedures that govern & influence the work done in Scotland and Glasgow with children and families, however only those with direct relevance to the indicators noted in the “Safety” section of this website are referred to here.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) underpins all national and local policy and strategy relating to children and young people. Key national policy and strategy documents relating to the indicators noted in this section of the website are listed below:
Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is the core strategic document which outlines the Scottish approach to improving outcomes for all children and young people. It focuses on the eight ‘SHANARRI’ areas of well-being – Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included.
In terms of Child Protection, national guidance has been recently been updated in the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2010. This guidance is aimed at all services, agencies, professional bodies and organisations, and for individuals working within an adult and child service context who face child protection issues.
The Early Years Framework is about giving all children in Scotland the best start in life by outlining the steps the Scottish Government, local partners and practitioners in early years services need to take. It focuses mainly on children from pre-birth to 8 years old.
More Choices More Chances is a national strategy aimed at reducing the number of young people (aged 16-19 years) not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Glasgow
The approach and aims of the national policy framework are firmly embedded in the Glasgow Child and Family Services Plan 2009 - 2012 which sets out the key strategic priorities for the period 2009 to 2012. The Plan governs the activity of all partner agencies providing services to children, young people, their parents and carers in Glasgow.
The vision of the Plan is that: “We want every child to be supported to achieve their full potential and contribute positively to their communities, throughout their lives”.
One of the main priorities outlined in the Plan is ‘Keeping Children Safe’ to which a whole section is devoted. The action plan from this and the Corporate Parenting section of the Plan, detail most of the local strategies and improvement objectives that relate to indicators in the Safety section of this website. Some of these improvements objectives are:
- Protect children and young people from abuse, harm and neglect
- Reduce the harm to children and young people affected by parental alcohol or drug misuse
- Protect children and young people and their families from Homelessness
- Shifting the balance of care to community based services (looked after children)
Glasgow City Council's Strategic plan: 2012 to 2017 sets out the Council's priorities for the next 5 years. It is focused on economic growth and resilience for the city and its communities.
Further local policies are available:
Every Child is Included Policy
Safeguarding Action Plan
Glasgow Improving Futures Framework
Local Social Work Services indicators are monitored through the Annual Service Plan and Improvement Report (ASPIR). Two of the indicators from the ASPIR that relate directly to children’s safety are:
- Balance of care – maintain level of children & young people being looked after at home. The 2011/12 target is 60% of looked after children to be looked after at home and 40% away from home. For 2010/11, the actual proportions of 63% looked after at home and 37% away from home, meant that this target was exceeded.
- Parental substance misuse – increase the number of children with one or more parent with a substance misuse problem who are supported by Social Work Services. 2,762 children/young people were supported in 2010/11, falling just short of the target of 2,800 children/young people. From 2011/12, this indicator has been replaced with the following:
No. of children sharing an address with an addiction client who has had a parental assessment. The 2011/12 target of 30% is likely to be exceeded - as at the end of Dec 2011, this was 37%.
