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Response by CELCIS to the Scottish Government’s consultation on Universal Credit: mitigation of the two-child limit

Year: 2025 | Topic: Financial Insecurity | Author: CELCIS

Our response is underpinned by research evidence, practice experience, and extensive insight and intelligence from people with lived experien…

How the Scottish Child Interview Model is improving experiences for children and young people

Year: 2025 | Topic: Child protection, Child sexual exploitation (CSE), Domestic abuse, Neglect, Sexual abuse, Voices of young people | Author: Jennifer Morrison

The Scottish Child Interview Model is a new model of practice for interviewing children who are victims or witnesses of crime, abuse, neglect…

New indicators and new insights. What do the latest child protection statistics tell us?

Year: 2025 | Topic: Child protection | Author: Dr Alex McTier

In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2023-2024…

Family pictures on the wall and a strong sense of self – growing up in kinship care

Year: 2025 | Topic: Kinship care | Author: CH, a CELCIS Consultant with lived experience

In this blog post for Kinship Care Week 2025, CH, a CELCIS Consultant with lived experience discusses the importance of maintaining links to …

Scottish Government Review of the Trafficking Strategy 2023

Year: 2023 | Topic: Child trafficking | Author: Scottish Government

This report sets out the Scottish Government’s second review of the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy, first published in 2017 and review…

Education Forum February 2025

Year: 2025 | Topic: Education | Author: CELCIS

At our February meeting of the Education Forum, we were delighted to welcome Gavin Morgan, Co-CEO, and Diana Whitmore, Founder and Co-CEO, of…

My port in a storm – the relationship that helped to shape who I am today

Year: 2025 | Topic: Voices of young people | Author: Beth-Anne McDowall

In this blog post for Care Day 2025, Beth-Anne McDowall, a CELCIS Consultant with lived experience, discusses the power of long-lasting relat…

New information guides to help children, young people and families understand child protection processes

Year: 2025 | Topic: Child protection, Domestic abuse | Author: Scottish Government

New guides to help children, young people and parents and carers in Scotland to learn about child protection have been published by the Scott…

Response from CELCIS to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the ‘Future of Foster Care’

Year: 2025 | Topic: Foster care | Author: CELCIS

We strongly support a flexible and evolving approach to foster care, which will ensure that all children get the safety, security and love th…

Response by CELCIS to the Scottish Government’s consultation on developing a universal definition of ‘care experience’

Year: 2025 | Topic: Legislation, Voices of young people | Author: CELCIS

Our response is underpinned by research evidence, practice experience, and extensive insight and intelligence from people with lived experien…

Working together to strengthen practice in residential child care: Key learning from our change journey

Year: 2025 | Topic: Residential care | Author: Marc Blyth

In the final post in this series, Marc Blyth, Lead Learning Co-ordinator at Aberlour Children's Charity Sycamore Residential Service, which p…

Working together to strengthen practice in residential child care: The power of observation, reflection and feedback

Year: 2025 | Topic: Residential care | Author: Marc Blyth

In the second in this series of blogs posts Marc Blyth, Lead Learning Co-Ordinator at children’s charity Aberlour Sycamore, which provides re…

Working together to strengthen practice in residential child care: Laying the groundwork for change

Year: 2025 | Topic: Residential care | Author: Marc Blyth

Marc Blyth, Lead Learning Co-Ordinator at children’s charity Aberlour Sycamore, which provides residential child care across Scotland, discus…

National framework established to monitor Scotland’s progress on children’s social care

Year: 2024 | Topic: Adoption, Child protection, Children's hearings system, Corporate parenting, Foster care, Kinship care, Legislation, Looked after at home, Permanence, Residential care, Secure care, Throughcare and aftercare, Brothers and sisters | Author: The Promise Scotland

Aimed at building an understanding of how Scotland is doing in its progress towards keeping The Promise of the Independent Care Review, the F…

Whose experiences are we relying on to explain what the reality of adoption feels like for adoptees?

Year: 2024 | Topic: Adoption, Voices of young people | Author: Dr Polly Cowan

In this blog post, Dr Polly Cowan, a Practice Manager at Scottish Adoption and Fostering, explains how the organisation’s Young Ambassadors d…

Developing a new resource to help support adoptive families caring for brothers and sisters

Year: 2024 | Topic: Adoption, Brothers and sisters | Author: Dr Christine Jones

In this blog post, Dr Christine Jones, an adoptive parent and researcher who worked to ensure the rights of care experienced brothers and sis…

Towards modernising adoption in Scotland: A focused mapping review

Year: 2024 | Topic: Adoption | Author: Dr Heather Ottaway, Dr Nadine Fowler, Dr Leanne McIver and Linda Davidson

This review of current adoption legislation, policy and practice considers what works well, what challenges and issues there are, and what fa…

Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation 2024. Overview analysis to inform prevention and response

Year: 2024 | Topic: Sexual abuse | Author: Joseph McGinty, Jane Scott, June Welsh and Ruth Sills, CELCIS

CELCIS was asked by Scottish Government to provide an overview analysis of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE). The aim of this focuss…

Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care Vol 23 No 2

Year: 2024 | Topic: Residential care | Author:

Welcome to the autumn 2024 issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care (SJRCC). We introduce this issue by saying a big ‘thank yo…

Taking action to improve the collection of statistics about disabled children in Scotland

Year: 2024 | Topic: Disability | Author: Dr Alex McTier

In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, explains what’s behind a new project to help better understa…

CELCIS’s response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on Children's Hearings Redesign

Year: 2024 | Topic: Children's hearings system | Author: CELCIS

CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation exercise on the redesign of the Children’s Hearings System, which aims to buil…

Challenging the narrative: How a new media toolkit is helping tell the stories of care

Year: | Topic: Voices of young people | Author: Sophia Alexandra Hall

Sophia Alexandra Hall is deputy digital editor at the Big Issue and the author of the Media Toolkit for Journalists and Care Experienced Peop…

From isolation to belonging - from surviving to thriving, through connection and community

Year: | Topic: Throughcare and aftercare, Voices of young people | Author: Melody

In this blog post for Care Experience Week 2024, Melody*, a consultant with lived experience at CELCIS offers her thoughts on this year’s the…

New research highlights the need for increased support for Scotland’s kinship families

Year: 2024 | Topic: Kinship care | Author: CELCIS and SCADR

A new report – Growing Up in Kinship Care – published by CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection based at the U…

CELCIS’s response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on ‘Moving On’ from Care into Adulthood

Year: 2024 | Topic: Throughcare and aftercare | Author: CELCIS

CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation exercise seeking examples of good practice and solutions to issues challenging…

Non-compulsory care for children and young people in Scotland: Learning from experiences of Section 25

Year: 2024 | Topic: Corporate parenting, Legislation, Local authority | Author: CELCIS

This final report brings together the findings of how Section 25 arrangements in Scotland are experienced from the perspectives of parents, p…

Evaluation of the Lifelong Links trial in Scotland

Year: 2024 | Topic: Throughcare and aftercare | Author: Dr Robert Porter and Dr Nadine Fowler

An evaluation of the trial commissioned by Family Rights Group (FRG), has been published by CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s …

CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government’s Post-School Education and Skills Reform: Consultation on Legislation

Year: 2024 | Topic: Education | Author: Linda Peat, Michael Bettencourt

CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government’s Post-School Education and Skills Reform: Consultation on Legislation

CELCIS’s response to the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s call for views on National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (Stage 2)

Year: 2024 | Topic: Legislation | Author: Kate MacKinnon and Katherine Anderson

CELCIS has responded to a Scottish Parliament’s call for views on draft amendments for the National Care Service (NCS) (Scotland) Bill (Stage…

SPRAG response to Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill Consultation

Year: 2024 | Topic: Legislation | Author: SPRAG

SPRAG members considered and discussed section 11 (Restraint and seclusion) of the proposed Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence…

The Reflection and Action Learning Forum Project Update

Year: 2024 | Topic: Residential care | Author: Laura Steckley, Sarah Deeley and Gemma Watson

The Reflection and Learning Forum (RALF) is a model for supporting the development of reflection at depth. The aim of RALF is to provide a pr…

Accessing Records in Scotland Report

Year: 2024 | Topic: Legislation, Throughcare and aftercare, Voices of young people | Author: Social Work Scotland

A new report published on 8 July 2024, provides more information on what people with care experience in Scotland have experienced regarding t…

We must uphold Scotland’s children’s rights

Year: | Topic: Legislation | Author: Sarah Jayne Morris

Sarah Jayne Morris, a Consultant with lived experience at CELCIS, offers her thoughts on the UNCRC being enshrined in law in Scotland and why…

Education Forum May 2024

Year: 2024 | Topic: Education | Author: CELCIS

At this Education Forum, attendees heard from Emma Mcginlay and Tony Mitchell, from the National Engagement and Partnership Team of Social S…

Fostering love through relationships

Year: | Topic: Foster care | Author: Seany

In this blog post for Foster Carer Fortnight 2024, Seany, a lived experienced Consultant wanted to share some thoughts, from her experience o…

When data tells us the what but not the why

Year: 2023 | Topic: Adoption, Corporate parenting, Foster care, Kinship care, Looked after at home, Neglect, Permanence, Residential care | Author: Micky Anderson

CELCIS’s Data Lead, Micky Anderson, takes a look at the latest social work statistics in Scotland for clues about what is happening in the su…

Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care Vol 23 No 1

Year: 2024 | Topic: Residential care | Author:

Welcome to the spring 2024 issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care (SJRCC). It is a very full issue, with the usual mix of lo…

New analysis shows disparity in statistics collected about disabled children in Scotland

Year: 2024 | Topic: Disability | Author: Dr Alex McTier

This analysis assesses the quality of the disabled children’s statistical data this is reported across Scotland’s children’s services, bringi…

“It’s about…believing our own words”: Bringing together the voices of care experienced people

Year: 2023 | Topic: Adoption, Corporate parenting, Foster care, Health and Wellbeing, Kinship care, Local authority, Looked after at home, Residential care, Stigma, Throughcare and aftercare, Voices of young people, Brothers and sisters | Author: Rebekah Pierre

Rebekah Pierre is a care experienced writer, author, social worker, and editor of a new anthology, ‘Free Loaves on Fridays: The Care System A…

Learning more about Scotland’s Virtual Schools

Year: | Topic: Education | Author: Michael Bettencourt and Dr Leanne McIver

For over five years, the role of Virtual School Head Teachers (VSHTs) in Scotland has been evolving and in 2024 is established as a key part …

NSPCC briefing on emotional abuse statistics

Year: 2024 | Topic: Emotional abuse | Author: NSPCC

This briefing introduces a range of datasets available in the UK that relate to emotional abuse. Research provides estimates of the prevalenc…

Drawing Together Project Policy briefing: Wellbeing in the lives of young refugees in Scotland

Year: 2024 | Topic: International | Author: Ravi Kohli, Sharon McGregor, Kate MacKinnon

The Drawing Together project explored how 53 young refugees experience integration through rebuilding their everyday lives in Scotland, Finla…

Scottish Government research into new domestic abuse powers 2023

Year: 2024 | Topic: Domestic abuse | Author: Scottish Government

By recognising abuse as a pattern of behaviour, the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 closer matches victims’ accounts of psychological and …

Domestic abuse statistics recorded by the police in Scotland, 2023 to 2024

Year: 2024 | Topic: Domestic abuse | Author: Police Scotland

This bulletin presents statistics on domestic abuse, based on details of incidents and crimes recorded by Police Scotland in 2023 to 2024. Do…

Guidance on working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour

Year: 2024 | Topic: Harmful sexual behaviour | Author: Scottish Government

Evidence Based Guidance For Professionals Working With Children And Young People.

Survey results on the formal exclusion of care experienced children and young people in Scotland

Year: 2024 | Topic: Education | Author: Virtual School Head Teachers' Network

The Virtual School Head Teachers' Network, which CELCIS has facilitated since 2019, has published the findings of a survey of local authoriti…

What story does Scotland's latest statistics on child protection tell?

Year: | Topic: Child protection | Author: Alex McTier

In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2022-2023…

Education Forum February 2024

Year: 2024 | Topic: Education | Author: CELCIS

At this meeting of the Education Forum we learned about a partnership project called the Keeping The Promise Award Programme, which was origi…

Education Forum September 2023

Year: 2023 | Topic: Education | Author: CELCIS

For our September Forum meeting, we were delighted to welcome Kyle Fleming, Head of Education, and Eileen McColl, Education Manager, of Erski…

Updated practitioner guidance on kinship care assistance in Scotland

Year: 2024 | Topic: Kinship care, Legislation | Author: Scottish Government

The Scottish Government along with partners in the Kinship Care Collaborative have produced updated guidance for Part 13 of the Children and …

Navigating social workers’ use of voluntary care arrangements for families in Scotland

Year: | Topic: Child protection, Corporate parenting | Author: Dr Robert Porter, Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell

In this second in a series of blog posts to highlight findings from research on voluntary care arrangements in Scotland, Dr Robert Porter, Re…

Understanding the experiences of children growing up in kinship care in Scotland

Year: | Topic: Kinship care | Author: Joanna Soraghan

In this blog post to mark Kinship Care Week 2024, Dr Joanna Soraghan, Data Analyst at CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care a…

National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021: Analysis of Local Implementation

Year: 2024 | Topic: Child protection | Author: Alex McTier

This report presents the findings from the self-evaluation exercise completed by all 31 of Scotland’s Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in r…

Virtual schools for care-experienced learners in Scotland: Reflections on an emerging concept in a new context

Year: 2024 | Topic: Education | Author: Leanna McIver and Michael Bettencourt

This paper offers comparison and reflection on the role and function virtual schools in England and Scotland.

What does new research tell us it will take to keep The Promise?

Year: | Topic: Active implementation | Author: Dr Heather Ottaway

Dr Heather Ottaway, CELCIS’s Head of Evidence and Innovation, and Principal Investigator of the Children’s Services Reform Research study con…

Exploring Relational Wellbeing of Young Refugees Living in Scotland, Finland, and Norway

Year: 2024 | Topic: Voices of young people | Author: Marja Tiilikainen, Marte Knag Fylkesnes, Masego Katisi, Milfrid Tonheim, Sharon A. McGregor and Fath E Mubeen

Two new papers have been published as part of research from the Drawing Together project, a three-year project working with groups of young r…

Response from CELCIS to the Scottish Government consultation on policy proposals for a Care Leaver Payment

Year: 2024 | Topic: Throughcare and aftercare | Author: Kate MacKinnon, Kirsty Doull and Katherine Anderson

CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on policy proposals far a Care Leaver payment. Our response is underpinned by …

Guidance on taking a children’s human rights approach

Year: 2024 | Topic: Legislation | Author: The Scottish Government

The purpose of this guidance, issued by the Scottish Government, is to provide information and resources to support public authorities and ot…

A response from CELCIS to the Scottish Government’s consultation on ‘Scottish Social Services Council – proposed register changes'

Year: 2023 | Topic: Local authority, Residential care | Author: Kate MacKinnon

CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on 'Scottish Social Services Council – proposed register changes'. We welcome …

A response from CELCIS to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee’s inquiry into Additional Support for Learning (ASL)

Year: 2023 | Topic: Education, Health and Wellbeing, Legislation | Author: Linda O'Neill

CELCIS's response, based on research evidence, practice experience, and feedback from longstanding cross organisational networks, maintains a…

Children's Services Reform Research Concluding report

Year: 2024 | Topic: Legislation | Author: CELCIS

This concluding report, published in December 2023, brings together key themes and learning from across the study’s findings and determines t…

"Nobody spoke those words to me”: Parental experiences of voluntary care arrangements in Scotland

Year: | Topic: Child protection, Corporate parenting | Author: Dr Robert Porter, Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell

In this first of a series of blog posts to highlight findings from research on voluntary care arrangements in Scotland, Dr Robert Porter, Res…

Children's Services Reform Research study: Scotland’s Children’s Services Landscape: The Views and Experiences of the Children’s Services Workforce

Year: 2023 | Topic: Legislation | Author: CELCIS

This final part of the Children’s Services Reform Research study explores the experiences of people working to support children, young people…

Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care Vol 22 No 2

Year: 2023 | Topic: Residential care | Author:

Welcome to the autumn 2023 issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care. This issue is packed with three long-form, and peer-revie…

How lived experience of care is helping drive Scotland’s progress towards keeping The Promise

Year: | Topic: Throughcare and aftercare, Voices of young people | Author: David Anderson

David Anderson is the Co-Chair of the Oversight Board, an independent group set up to report on the progress and pace in Scotland as it journ…

A Face on a Wall: How embracing ‘Artivism’ can help young people find their voice

Year: | Topic: Voices of young people | Author: Michael Archibald

In this blog post for Care Experienced Week, Michael Archibald, a student, artist and activist, discusses being involved in – and being the f…

Exploring leadership opportunities for the care experienced community

Year: | Topic: Throughcare and aftercare, Voices of young people | Author: Barry Black, Gary Brown and Sarah Rogers

For this Care Experienced Week we took some time with Barry Black, member of the National Leadership Network (NLN) steering group, and Gary B…

A response from CELCIS to the Scottish Government’s consultation on A Human Rights Bill for Scotland

Year: 2023 | Topic: Active implementation, Legislation | Author: Katherine Anderson

This short response draws on the evidence developed for our comprehensive response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the United Na…

National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2023

Year: 2023 | Topic: Child protection | Author: The Scottish Government

The Scottish Government has updated National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland which was published in 2021.

Children's Services Reform Research study: Mapping Integration and Outcomes Across Scotland: A Statistical Analysis

Year: 2023 | Topic: Legislation | Author: CELCIS

For the third strand of the Children's Services Reform Research study, we have looked at whether there is an association between the approach…

Children's Services Reform Research study: Case Studies of Transformational Reform Programmes

Year: 2023 | Topic: Legislation | Author: CELCIS

For the second strand of the Children's Service Reform Research study, we have developed six cases studies of a range of approaches to transf…

Children Services Reform Research study: Rapid Evidence Review

Year: 2023 | Topic: Legislation | Author: CELCIS

This Rapid Evidence Review is the first strand of work within the Children’s Services Reform Research study. We gathered, analysed and synthe…

“Despite the cold weather, the Scottish people have given me one of the warmest welcomes in my life”: how supportive relationships help young refugees rebuild their lives in new places

Year: | Topic: Voices of young people | Author: Mohamad

During this Refugee Week and Refugee Festival Scotland 2023, Mohamad, a young person who arrived in Scotland from Syria in 2016 as a child re…

A response from CELCIS to the Scottish Government’s ‘Prescribing the minimum annual number of learning hours: consultation’

Year: 2023 | Topic: Corporate parenting, Education, Legislation | Author: Michael Bettencourt

A perspective on the potential impact on care experienced learners and the education workforce of a proposal to prescribe the number of learn…

Language matters

Year: | Topic: Voices of young people | Author: Amy Miskimmin-Logan

Amy Miskimmin-Logan, Participation Development Worker at Our Hearings Our Voice (OHOV) shares the thinking behind the ‘Language Leaders’ proj…

The Promise Scotland reports on Scotland's Children's Hearings System

Year: 2023 | Topic: Children's hearings system | Author: The Promise Scotland

‘Hearings for Children: The Redesign Report’ has been published by The Promise Scotland following the work of The Hearings System Working Gro…

How Our Hearings Our Voice members worked around COVID-19 restrictions to help children and young people

Year: | Topic: Voices of young people, COVID | Author: Jennifer Orren

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, this could have derailed plans children and young people from Our Hearings, Our Voice (OHOV) had been working…

Education Forum April 2023

Year: 2023 | Topic: Education | Author: CELCIS

In the first Education Forum meeting of 2023, Stacey Heather-Brash, Funding Awareness and Engagement Manager from Students Awards Agency Scot…

Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care Vol 22 No 1

Year: 2023 | Topic: Residential care | Author:

The latest issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care features topical issues, research and practice. Also read the latest Kilbr…

Data poses questions as well as answers, so what questions arise from Scotland's Child Protection 2021-2022 Statistics?

Year: | Topic: Child protection, Local authority, COVID | Author: Dr Alex McTier

Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2021-2022 Statistics to unco…

The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care Journeys in Scotland: An Analysis of the Administrative Data on 'Looked After' Children

Year: 2023 | Topic: Kinship care, Looked after at home, Residential care, COVID | Author: Joanna Soraghan, Gillian Raab, Patricio Troncoso, Morag Treanor & Robert Porter

The future of social work in times of change

Year: | Topic: Corporate parenting, Local authority, Voices of young people | Author: Kathryn Lindsay

Kathryn Lindsay is the Director of Children, Families and Justice Services and Chief Social Work Officer at Angus Council. In this blog post,…

World Social Work Day 2023: How social work teams in East Lothian have promoted staff wellbeing and development

Year: | Topic: Health and Wellbeing, Local authority | Author: Rogan Higginbottom

On this World Social Work Day, Rogan Higginbottom, a senior workforce learning and development officer at East Lothian Council (ELC), shares …

A response from CELCIS to the Education, Children and Young People Committee’s call for views on the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill, Sections 24 and 25.

Year: 2023 | Topic: Children's hearings system, Health and Wellbeing, Legislation | Author: Kate MacKinnon

CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee’s call for views on the Children (Care and J…

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