CELCIS Blog
Our blog is a hub for perspectives and analysis of issues that matter to the lives of children, young people and their families. You will hear from our staff and guest bloggers on many topical issues where they will be reflecting and sharing their policy, practice and research insights..
Got a burning issue you would like to blog about? Then we would love to hear from you. Contact our communications team.
Read on and join in the chat...
The views expressed in the posts on this blog are those of the author/s and may not represent the views or opinions of CELCIS or our funders.
Welcome to the Protecting Children area of the CELCIS website.
This page offers a brief explanation of the resources and information that is available on the CELCIS website, and how to find them.
At CELCIS, our Residential Child Care team works alongside those who work in and are connected to residential child care, we are focused on meeting the needs of children, young people and their families so that every child in Scotland receives the high quality and well-rounded care and education they deserve.
Michelle McCue blogs about the 2015 SIRCC conference and its focus on how residential child care is changing.
How we contribute to throughcare and aftercare policy to provide better outcomes for care leavers in Scotland.
Published September 2022: This issue’s leading article was specially commissioned to celebrate the SJRCC’s 20th year from James Anglin, Emeritus Professor of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria, Canada. Describing the SJRCC as ‘a journal like no other’, Jim quotes from an analysis of the journal’s entire back catalogue of more than 400 articles conducted by CELCIS colleagues Gemma Watson and Craig McCreadie.
Find out about upcoming events and webinars from CELCIS
Advice if you are worried about a child or young person.
Jennifer Davidson blogs about what 2016 has meant for the children’s sector and what the year ahead will bring.
Find out about CELCIS. Who we are and what we do to improve the lives of looked after children in Scotland.
AI is now integrated into the digital technologies most of us use every day. How AI tools are used and what this technology is asked to do is rightly under scrutiny. And no more so than in the context of child protection. What does the use of AI now mean for keeping children safe from harm and preventing sexual abuse?
To provide an insight on this for people with a professional and personal interest in the care and protection of children, on 27 May, we brought together an opportunity for expertise and new information to be shared.
A blog by Linda O'Neill discussing what children had to say in the recent Rees Centre report
We need access to data at both population and individual levels if we're to be successful in improving the attainment of looked after children.
We were delighted to welcome Bill Kahn as our Keynote Speaker this year. Bill Kahn, Ph.D, is an organisational psychologist and Department Chair and Professor of Management and Organizations at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. He teaches, publishes, and consults on the emotional complexities of organisational life and the implications for productive work, often focusing on caregiving organisations. He is particularly interested in how issues such as burnout and engagement are shaped at multiple levels of analysis -individual, interpersonal, within and between groups, and organisational.
First published by Citizens Theatre, 30 January 2020.
Olivia Khan is a Rural Business graduate who worked at the Champions Board in South Ayrshire before moving to Berlin. Olivia stays connected to her care roots with a freelance role and in 2021 launched a creative project with a group of five young people. She makes the case for new tech friendly and tech literate care world.
In this blog Liz Brabender discusses how CELCIS tackles drift and delay in permanency.
Dr Chrissie Gale, international lead for CELCIS, reflects on research which could help shape the drive for better alternative care for children in countries around the world.
Amanda Lawler explains why CELCIS really cares about training and learning.
How the Care Experienced Bursary is making a difference in the lives of care experienced young people.
On World Book Day UK, Kirsty Capes, author of the upcoming novel, ‘Careless’, and marketer at HarperCollins, discusses how her childhood experience in care led to a career in writing.
Leaving care too early. Kenny McGhee blogs on the problems facing care leavers in Scotland.
Course moderator Sarah Hume-Anthony gives a snapshot of the interactions on the CELCIS MOOC.
Interest in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other data technology within children and families social work is growing. The application of these technologies offers opportunities for automating key tasks, such as diary scheduling, note-taking of meetings, translation, and assisting with the linkage, analysis and presentation of data.
The resource brings together existing published guidelines, explainers and research relevant to practitioners with a responsibility for children’s care and protection.
Elaine Adams, Learning and Development Lead at Children’s Hearings Improvement Partnership, writes about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Children’s Hearings in Scotland and what this might mean for hearings in the future
Claire Burns, Director (Acting), CELCIS – Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, marks the first anniversary of The Promise.
Jennifer Davidson blogs about her mission to change the world for the better.
Dr Graham Connelly discusses the use of acronyms when talking about looked after children and children in care.
What is 'looked after'? You'll find all the info you need plus the latest statistics too.
Alongside characters and values, what other factors make a great manager? What parts do professional identity, learning and development, and experience play?
The importance for children in residential care to develop the ability to navigate friendships with each other.
To mark World Social Work Day, Janine Fraser, a Social Work Team Leader for Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership in North East Glasgow, reflects on her profession and the challenges it faces.
Bairnshoose Policy and Practice Lead Anna O'Reilly reflects on how far we've come towards securing a Scottish Bairnshoose, and what must still be done to give children the rights they deserve.
Claire Burns, Director (Acting), CELCIS – Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection discusses how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities in society.
Introducing issue 12 of REACH, which explores stigma, language, perception and the representation of care and care experience.
Attend, encourage and enjoy to learn - a blog by Graham Connelly
Active Implementation - what it is, what it is not, and how it could help bring about lasting change to children's services.
Stephanie is a Modern Apprentice at CELCIS, and here she talks about landing her first ‘real’ job at only 16.
This article was first published by TES on the support teachers can offer unaccompanied and separated children.
Elaine Hamilton, Service Manager at Nether Johnstone House describes how lockdown due to the current emergency health crisis has changed the thinking, outlooks, and actions of both the young people and the team that surround them.
Gordon Main talks about how commitment in the care system is not enough.
Lizzie Morton blogs on how Corporate Parents are taking ownership of their new duties.
How the Student Support Review Group is trying to ensure care experienced students have a fair standard of living.
We are now moving towards a professionalism that is defined by passion and commitment expressed through the transparent and responsible use of relationships.
The difficult issue of self-harm in residential care, exploring the experiences of young people and the support workers need to help.
Guest Joe Rankin of the Nevis Group discusses the need to stamp out stigma for those with care experience.
Jacqui Dunbar is the Project Lead at Our Hearings, Our Voice, an independent board for children and young people who have experience of the Children’s Hearings System in Scotland and want to help improve it. She works directly with 11 children and young people, 9 who are members of the board and 2 who are advisors for Our Hearings, Our Voice.
Claire Burns, Director of CELCIS (Acting), takes a moment to consider how much we have learned that we didn’t know before the COVID-19; how this emergency has thrown a spotlight on so much of what we already knew and what this means as we work to make change happen to realise The Promise.
Gordon Main continues the conversation on commitment, discussing the emotional investment of foster carers.
Kenny McGhee reflects on the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant, six months after the launch.
Stigma, language, perception, and representation: "Being 'in Care' is an experience not a definition"
This page has been developed to provide staff working with children and young people with information about how to identify, understand and respond appropriately to sexual behaviours in young people.
Here, you’ll find a range of information and resources which provide an insight into CELCIS’s Permanence and Care Excellence (PACE) programme – a Quality Improvement programme which ran from 2014-2020.
The recorded webinars, reports, blog posts, and other useful resources on this page detail how we used quality improvement to support 27 of the 32 Scottish local authority partnerships to reduce timescales in providing a permanent place for babies, children and young people to live.
Blog
Year: 2015
Topic: Foster care, Looked after at home, Residential care
Author: staff and guest bloggers
Topic: Foster care, Looked after at home, Residential care
Author: staff and guest bloggers
Our new CELCIS strategy has been developed with our colleagues, our consultants with lived experience, our stakeholders, and…
In 2019 we published our strategy document, Building Brighter Futures, which set out our direction and purpose over the five…
The VSHT is a senior member of education staff working at a strategic level to improve educational experiences and outcomes for…
The RALF project developed reflective work cultures and individual workers’ reflective capacity to impact on the practice of…
Welcome to the spring 2025 issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care (SJRCC). It is a very full issue, with the…
Welcome to the spring 2026 issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care (SJRCC). It is a very full issue, with the…
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Amy , an intensive foster carer who provides care and support to children and young…
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Parliament's call for views on the Education (Scotland) Bill.
Book reviews
Who Cares? Scotland consulted with 87 young people to establish their experiences of living in care, their hopes for life after care and the types of support they would need to achieve this.
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 has the ability to change the disproportionately poor outcomes of this often forgotten group of young people. It provides new rights and opportunities, ensuring the voices of care experienced children and young people are heard in any discussions or planning which affects their lives.
The views presented here are intended to help corporate parents and others involved in the implementation of the Act to get it right for every care experienced child and young person across Scotland.
A coalition of children’s charities and anti-poverty organisations, including CELCIS, have called for the creation of a Parliamentary Cross-Committee dedicated to tackling child poverty in Scotland, in a letter sent to conveners of three Committees of the Scottish Parliament.
CELCIS has written to the UK Government’s Secretary of State for the Home Department, The Rt. Hon. Shabana Mahmood MP to express concerns about proposals set out in the ‘Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns’ consultation to change the provision of support for adult ‘care leavers’.
AI is now integrated into the digital technologies most of us use every day. How AI tools are used and what this technology is asked to do is rightly under scrutiny. And no more so than in the context of child protection. What does the use of AI now mean for keeping children safe from harm and preventing sexual abuse?
To provide an insight on this for people with a professional and personal interest in the care and protection of children, on 27 May, we brought together an opportunity for expertise and new information to be shared.
As a member of the Scottish Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Steering Group, CELCIS is committed to supporting FGDM coordinators, managers and practitioners in Scotland as more local authorities adopt this approach in their work with children, young people and adults.
Scotland’s Child Protection Statistics, the official figures collected by all 32 local authorities in Scotland, show how many children are involved in Scotland’s child protection processes. In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS who led the development of the Minimum Dataset for Child Protection Committees, examines what the latest statistics show, advising caution in seeing an apparently static picture and encouraging us to continue improving the data collected about children’s lives.
Child Criminal Exploitation affects some of our most vulnerable children. As awareness grows, so too does recognition that traditional responses have too often punished children instead of protecting them. In this blog post, Lesley Gordon, Director of Criminal Exploitation UK at Action for Children, reflects on what needs to change, why it matters, and how emerging approaches are helping systems respond more effectively.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Ang talks about fostering children with her husband Steve for the past 15 years, and describes what’s she’s learned along the way and her passion for helping children to thrive.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Hope Lynch-Gerrard, Policy and Public Affairs Officer for The Fostering Network in Scotland, explains the ideas behind this year’s theme and the hopes she has in the changes new legislation will make for foster carers.
Across the world, children and young people are exposed to AI-powered tools every day. Some of this is by choice, some by design. How might this be affecting the health and wellbeing of young people? Could using chatbots help or hinder how our children develop and navigate the world we live in? What does their interaction with these technologies and tools tell us about what they need, and can these be used safely?
With AI increasingly present in the daily lives of children and young people, as part of our webinar series focusing in on AI and children’s social care, we’re turning to consider what it is that those with a professional and personal interest in their care and protection need to understand about the impact and influence that the use of AI might be having in young lives.
This webinar provided an opportunity to hear how Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has been using a Leadership for Systems Change approach, and how partner agencies have been working together in East Lothian to improve support for children and families. Our speakers shared the collaborative planning and decision-making practices and leadership experiences in Glasgow and East Lothian, sharing new insights into the practical steps, techniques and tools that have helped in establishing effective collaborative working.
In this webinar, partners from Glasgow shared how they have used data to better understand systems, inform practice, and improve outcomes for children and families. The session explored collaborative approaches to building learning systems, alongside key insights and challenges encountered in supporting whole system change.
In January 2026, the Scottish Government announced[SF1.1] an independent review of the Scottish legislative framework for children’s care.
The review will run from February 2026 to February 2027 and is taking place an at important moment.
The Scottish Government has published (28 April) the latest official annual Children’s Social Work Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, covers data on the care of children who are formally ‘looked after’, young people living in Continuing Care, and support for care leavers. The statistics represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
CELCIS has responded to part 2 of the Scottish Government's consultation on the potential reform of various aspects of family law in Scotland. Part 2 of the consultation looked at whether legislation should be brought forward in the Scottish Parliament to raise the age at which a person becomes eligible to enter into a marriage or civil partnership from 16 to 18.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the Future Sustainability of Secure Care. The consultation put forward proposals aimed at strengthening the sustainability of secure care and enhancing support for vulnerable children.
The Scottish Government has published (31 March) the latest official Child Protection Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all 32 local authorities across Scotland, covers data on child protection processes, including planning and action taken to protect a child from abuse or neglect. The figures represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
Young people leaving care in Scotland will be given new financial support when transitioning into adulthood and independent living.
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
CELCIS has written to all Members of the Scottish Parliament to share our concerns regarding the implementation of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
Scotland’s new National Social Work Agency has been launched today (17 March), World Social Work Day.
The National Social Work Agency has been established as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to strengthening support for the social work profession and workforce in Scotland. The agency intends to provide national oversight of social work, co-ordinate policy, advise the Scottish Government, and drive improvements in education and practice.
Scotland’s National Vision for Kinship Care, outlining the support kinship families can expect, has been published by the Scottish Government.
In this blog post for Kinship Care Week 2026, Melanie Bridges, Improving Care Experiences Consultant at CELCIS, reflects on the devoted care of kinship families and the need to ensure these families have the right support at the right times to meet their needs.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on a working draft Vision for Kinship Care in Scotland. The consultation was intended to form the basis for wider engagement, with the vision statement to be revised following analysis of consultation responses.
A coalition of children’s charities and anti-poverty organisations, including CELCIS, have called for the creation of a Parliamentary Cross-Committee dedicated to tackling child poverty in Scotland, in a letter sent to conveners of three Committees of the Scottish Parliament.
CELCIS has written to the UK Government’s Secretary of State for the Home Department, The Rt. Hon. Shabana Mahmood MP to express concerns about proposals set out in the ‘Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns’ consultation to change the provision of support for adult ‘care leavers’.
AI is now integrated into the digital technologies most of us use every day. How AI tools are used and what this technology is asked to do is rightly under scrutiny. And no more so than in the context of child protection. What does the use of AI now mean for keeping children safe from harm and preventing sexual abuse?
To provide an insight on this for people with a professional and personal interest in the care and protection of children, on 27 May, we brought together an opportunity for expertise and new information to be shared.
As a member of the Scottish Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Steering Group, CELCIS is committed to supporting FGDM coordinators, managers and practitioners in Scotland as more local authorities adopt this approach in their work with children, young people and adults.
Scotland’s Child Protection Statistics, the official figures collected by all 32 local authorities in Scotland, show how many children are involved in Scotland’s child protection processes. In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS who led the development of the Minimum Dataset for Child Protection Committees, examines what the latest statistics show, advising caution in seeing an apparently static picture and encouraging us to continue improving the data collected about children’s lives.
Child Criminal Exploitation affects some of our most vulnerable children. As awareness grows, so too does recognition that traditional responses have too often punished children instead of protecting them. In this blog post, Lesley Gordon, Director of Criminal Exploitation UK at Action for Children, reflects on what needs to change, why it matters, and how emerging approaches are helping systems respond more effectively.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Ang talks about fostering children with her husband Steve for the past 15 years, and describes what’s she’s learned along the way and her passion for helping children to thrive.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Hope Lynch-Gerrard, Policy and Public Affairs Officer for The Fostering Network in Scotland, explains the ideas behind this year’s theme and the hopes she has in the changes new legislation will make for foster carers.
Across the world, children and young people are exposed to AI-powered tools every day. Some of this is by choice, some by design. How might this be affecting the health and wellbeing of young people? Could using chatbots help or hinder how our children develop and navigate the world we live in? What does their interaction with these technologies and tools tell us about what they need, and can these be used safely?
With AI increasingly present in the daily lives of children and young people, as part of our webinar series focusing in on AI and children’s social care, we’re turning to consider what it is that those with a professional and personal interest in their care and protection need to understand about the impact and influence that the use of AI might be having in young lives.
In this webinar, partners from Glasgow shared how they have used data to better understand systems, inform practice, and improve outcomes for children and families. The session explored collaborative approaches to building learning systems, alongside key insights and challenges encountered in supporting whole system change.
This webinar provided an opportunity to hear how Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has been using a Leadership for Systems Change approach, and how partner agencies have been working together in East Lothian to improve support for children and families. Our speakers shared the collaborative planning and decision-making practices and leadership experiences in Glasgow and East Lothian, sharing new insights into the practical steps, techniques and tools that have helped in establishing effective collaborative working.
In January 2026, the Scottish Government announced[SF1.1] an independent review of the Scottish legislative framework for children’s care.
The review will run from February 2026 to February 2027 and is taking place an at important moment.
The Scottish Government has published (28 April) the latest official annual Children’s Social Work Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, covers data on the care of children who are formally ‘looked after’, young people living in Continuing Care, and support for care leavers. The statistics represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
CELCIS has responded to part 2 of the Scottish Government's consultation on the potential reform of various aspects of family law in Scotland. Part 2 of the consultation looked at whether legislation should be brought forward in the Scottish Parliament to raise the age at which a person becomes eligible to enter into a marriage or civil partnership from 16 to 18.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the Future Sustainability of Secure Care. The consultation put forward proposals aimed at strengthening the sustainability of secure care and enhancing support for vulnerable children.
The Scottish Government has published (31 March) the latest official Child Protection Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all 32 local authorities across Scotland, covers data on child protection processes, including planning and action taken to protect a child from abuse or neglect. The figures represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
Young people leaving care in Scotland will be given new financial support when transitioning into adulthood and independent living.
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
CELCIS has written to all Members of the Scottish Parliament to share our concerns regarding the implementation of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
Scotland’s new National Social Work Agency has been launched today (17 March), World Social Work Day.
The National Social Work Agency has been established as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to strengthening support for the social work profession and workforce in Scotland. The agency intends to provide national oversight of social work, co-ordinate policy, advise the Scottish Government, and drive improvements in education and practice.
Scotland’s National Vision for Kinship Care, outlining the support kinship families can expect, has been published by the Scottish Government.
In this blog post for Kinship Care Week 2026, Melanie Bridges, Improving Care Experiences Consultant at CELCIS, reflects on the devoted care of kinship families and the need to ensure these families have the right support at the right times to meet their needs.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on a working draft Vision for Kinship Care in Scotland. The consultation was intended to form the basis for wider engagement, with the vision statement to be revised following analysis of consultation responses.
A coalition of children’s charities and anti-poverty organisations, including CELCIS, have called for the creation of a Parliamentary Cross-Committee dedicated to tackling child poverty in Scotland, in a letter sent to conveners of three Committees of the Scottish Parliament.
CELCIS has written to the UK Government’s Secretary of State for the Home Department, The Rt. Hon. Shabana Mahmood MP to express concerns about proposals set out in the ‘Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns’ consultation to change the provision of support for adult ‘care leavers’.
AI is now integrated into the digital technologies most of us use every day. How AI tools are used and what this technology is asked to do is rightly under scrutiny. And no more so than in the context of child protection. What does the use of AI now mean for keeping children safe from harm and preventing sexual abuse?
To provide an insight on this for people with a professional and personal interest in the care and protection of children, on 27 May, we brought together an opportunity for expertise and new information to be shared.
As a member of the Scottish Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Steering Group, CELCIS is committed to supporting FGDM coordinators, managers and practitioners in Scotland as more local authorities adopt this approach in their work with children, young people and adults.
Scotland’s Child Protection Statistics, the official figures collected by all 32 local authorities in Scotland, show how many children are involved in Scotland’s child protection processes. In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS who led the development of the Minimum Dataset for Child Protection Committees, examines what the latest statistics show, advising caution in seeing an apparently static picture and encouraging us to continue improving the data collected about children’s lives.
Child Criminal Exploitation affects some of our most vulnerable children. As awareness grows, so too does recognition that traditional responses have too often punished children instead of protecting them. In this blog post, Lesley Gordon, Director of Criminal Exploitation UK at Action for Children, reflects on what needs to change, why it matters, and how emerging approaches are helping systems respond more effectively.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Ang talks about fostering children with her husband Steve for the past 15 years, and describes what’s she’s learned along the way and her passion for helping children to thrive.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Hope Lynch-Gerrard, Policy and Public Affairs Officer for The Fostering Network in Scotland, explains the ideas behind this year’s theme and the hopes she has in the changes new legislation will make for foster carers.
Across the world, children and young people are exposed to AI-powered tools every day. Some of this is by choice, some by design. How might this be affecting the health and wellbeing of young people? Could using chatbots help or hinder how our children develop and navigate the world we live in? What does their interaction with these technologies and tools tell us about what they need, and can these be used safely?
With AI increasingly present in the daily lives of children and young people, as part of our webinar series focusing in on AI and children’s social care, we’re turning to consider what it is that those with a professional and personal interest in their care and protection need to understand about the impact and influence that the use of AI might be having in young lives.
In this webinar, partners from Glasgow shared how they have used data to better understand systems, inform practice, and improve outcomes for children and families. The session explored collaborative approaches to building learning systems, alongside key insights and challenges encountered in supporting whole system change.
This webinar provided an opportunity to hear how Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has been using a Leadership for Systems Change approach, and how partner agencies have been working together in East Lothian to improve support for children and families. Our speakers shared the collaborative planning and decision-making practices and leadership experiences in Glasgow and East Lothian, sharing new insights into the practical steps, techniques and tools that have helped in establishing effective collaborative working.
In January 2026, the Scottish Government announced[SF1.1] an independent review of the Scottish legislative framework for children’s care.
The review will run from February 2026 to February 2027 and is taking place an at important moment.
The Scottish Government has published (28 April) the latest official annual Children’s Social Work Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, covers data on the care of children who are formally ‘looked after’, young people living in Continuing Care, and support for care leavers. The statistics represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
CELCIS has responded to part 2 of the Scottish Government's consultation on the potential reform of various aspects of family law in Scotland. Part 2 of the consultation looked at whether legislation should be brought forward in the Scottish Parliament to raise the age at which a person becomes eligible to enter into a marriage or civil partnership from 16 to 18.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the Future Sustainability of Secure Care. The consultation put forward proposals aimed at strengthening the sustainability of secure care and enhancing support for vulnerable children.
The Scottish Government has published (31 March) the latest official Child Protection Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all 32 local authorities across Scotland, covers data on child protection processes, including planning and action taken to protect a child from abuse or neglect. The figures represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
Young people leaving care in Scotland will be given new financial support when transitioning into adulthood and independent living.
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
CELCIS has written to all Members of the Scottish Parliament to share our concerns regarding the implementation of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
Scotland’s new National Social Work Agency has been launched today (17 March), World Social Work Day.
The National Social Work Agency has been established as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to strengthening support for the social work profession and workforce in Scotland. The agency intends to provide national oversight of social work, co-ordinate policy, advise the Scottish Government, and drive improvements in education and practice.
Scotland’s National Vision for Kinship Care, outlining the support kinship families can expect, has been published by the Scottish Government.
In this blog post for Kinship Care Week 2026, Melanie Bridges, Improving Care Experiences Consultant at CELCIS, reflects on the devoted care of kinship families and the need to ensure these families have the right support at the right times to meet their needs.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on a working draft Vision for Kinship Care in Scotland. The consultation was intended to form the basis for wider engagement, with the vision statement to be revised following analysis of consultation responses.
A coalition of children’s charities and anti-poverty organisations, including CELCIS, have called for the creation of a Parliamentary Cross-Committee dedicated to tackling child poverty in Scotland, in a letter sent to conveners of three Committees of the Scottish Parliament.
CELCIS has written to the UK Government’s Secretary of State for the Home Department, The Rt. Hon. Shabana Mahmood MP to express concerns about proposals set out in the ‘Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns’ consultation to change the provision of support for adult ‘care leavers’.
AI is now integrated into the digital technologies most of us use every day. How AI tools are used and what this technology is asked to do is rightly under scrutiny. And no more so than in the context of child protection. What does the use of AI now mean for keeping children safe from harm and preventing sexual abuse?
To provide an insight on this for people with a professional and personal interest in the care and protection of children, on 27 May, we brought together an opportunity for expertise and new information to be shared.
As a member of the Scottish Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Steering Group, CELCIS is committed to supporting FGDM coordinators, managers and practitioners in Scotland as more local authorities adopt this approach in their work with children, young people and adults.
Scotland’s Child Protection Statistics, the official figures collected by all 32 local authorities in Scotland, show how many children are involved in Scotland’s child protection processes. In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS who led the development of the Minimum Dataset for Child Protection Committees, examines what the latest statistics show, advising caution in seeing an apparently static picture and encouraging us to continue improving the data collected about children’s lives.
Child Criminal Exploitation affects some of our most vulnerable children. As awareness grows, so too does recognition that traditional responses have too often punished children instead of protecting them. In this blog post, Lesley Gordon, Director of Criminal Exploitation UK at Action for Children, reflects on what needs to change, why it matters, and how emerging approaches are helping systems respond more effectively.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Ang talks about fostering children with her husband Steve for the past 15 years, and describes what’s she’s learned along the way and her passion for helping children to thrive.
In this blog post for Foster Care Fortnight, Hope Lynch-Gerrard, Policy and Public Affairs Officer for The Fostering Network in Scotland, explains the ideas behind this year’s theme and the hopes she has in the changes new legislation will make for foster carers.
Across the world, children and young people are exposed to AI-powered tools every day. Some of this is by choice, some by design. How might this be affecting the health and wellbeing of young people? Could using chatbots help or hinder how our children develop and navigate the world we live in? What does their interaction with these technologies and tools tell us about what they need, and can these be used safely?
With AI increasingly present in the daily lives of children and young people, as part of our webinar series focusing in on AI and children’s social care, we’re turning to consider what it is that those with a professional and personal interest in their care and protection need to understand about the impact and influence that the use of AI might be having in young lives.
In this webinar, partners from Glasgow shared how they have used data to better understand systems, inform practice, and improve outcomes for children and families. The session explored collaborative approaches to building learning systems, alongside key insights and challenges encountered in supporting whole system change.
This webinar provided an opportunity to hear how Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has been using a Leadership for Systems Change approach, and how partner agencies have been working together in East Lothian to improve support for children and families. Our speakers shared the collaborative planning and decision-making practices and leadership experiences in Glasgow and East Lothian, sharing new insights into the practical steps, techniques and tools that have helped in establishing effective collaborative working.
In January 2026, the Scottish Government announced[SF1.1] an independent review of the Scottish legislative framework for children’s care.
The review will run from February 2026 to February 2027 and is taking place an at important moment.
The Scottish Government has published (28 April) the latest official annual Children’s Social Work Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, covers data on the care of children who are formally ‘looked after’, young people living in Continuing Care, and support for care leavers. The statistics represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
CELCIS has responded to part 2 of the Scottish Government's consultation on the potential reform of various aspects of family law in Scotland. Part 2 of the consultation looked at whether legislation should be brought forward in the Scottish Parliament to raise the age at which a person becomes eligible to enter into a marriage or civil partnership from 16 to 18.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the Future Sustainability of Secure Care. The consultation put forward proposals aimed at strengthening the sustainability of secure care and enhancing support for vulnerable children.
The Scottish Government has published (31 March) the latest official Child Protection Statistics for 2024-25.
The information, collected from all 32 local authorities across Scotland, covers data on child protection processes, including planning and action taken to protect a child from abuse or neglect. The figures represent data collected for the year of 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
Young people leaving care in Scotland will be given new financial support when transitioning into adulthood and independent living.
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
CELCIS has written to all Members of the Scottish Parliament to share our concerns regarding the implementation of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
Scotland’s new National Social Work Agency has been launched today (17 March), World Social Work Day.
The National Social Work Agency has been established as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to strengthening support for the social work profession and workforce in Scotland. The agency intends to provide national oversight of social work, co-ordinate policy, advise the Scottish Government, and drive improvements in education and practice.
Scotland’s National Vision for Kinship Care, outlining the support kinship families can expect, has been published by the Scottish Government.
In this blog post for Kinship Care Week 2026, Melanie Bridges, Improving Care Experiences Consultant at CELCIS, reflects on the devoted care of kinship families and the need to ensure these families have the right support at the right times to meet their needs.
This is CELCIS's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on a working draft Vision for Kinship Care in Scotland. The consultation was intended to form the basis for wider engagement, with the vision statement to be revised following analysis of consultation responses.