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.
Michelle McCue blogs about the 2015 SIRCC conference and its focus on how residential child care is changing.
Vicki Welch blogs on the good and bad of integrating services.
Attend, encourage and enjoy to learn - a blog by Graham Connelly
Jennifer Davidson blogs about her mission to change the world for the better.
Leaving care too early. Kenny McGhee blogs on the problems facing care leavers in Scotland.
In this blog Liz Brabender discusses how CELCIS tackles drift and delay in permanency.
A blog by Linda O'Neill discussing what children had to say in the recent Rees Centre report
Ainsley Hainey blogs about the success of the Massive Open Online Course on Caring for Vulnerable Children.
Lizzie Morton blogs on how Corporate Parents are taking ownership of their new duties.
Kenny McGhee reflects on the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant, six months after the launch.
Kenny McGhee talks about his research into implementing Staying Put for care leavers.
Linda O'Neill tells the story behind the recent education statistics.
Kenny McGhee responds to the recent STV 'Who Cares' programme by exploring the need for genuine and caring relationships and removing barriers for looked after children and young people.
Why permanence matters for looked after children, and why we must share our passion to improve.
Jennifer Davidson blogs about what 2016 has meant for the children’s sector and what the year ahead will bring.
We are now moving towards a professionalism that is defined by passion and commitment expressed through the transparent and responsible use of relationships.
Norma Brown of Falkirk Council describes their Moneywise project and the difference it's making to the lives of care leavers in the area.
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.
What does relational based practice look like in reality, for a busy statutory team?
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.
Charlie Gracie tells of a new creative writing comp for looked after children
Course moderator Sarah Hume-Anthony gives a snapshot of the interactions on the CELCIS MOOC.
Dr Graham Connelly discusses the use of acronyms when talking about looked after children and children in care.
Active Implementation - what it is, what it is not, and how it could help bring about lasting change to children's services.
How the Student Support Review Group is trying to ensure care experienced students have a fair standard of living.
Introducing issue 12 of REACH, which explores stigma, language, perception and the representation of care and care experience.
Amanda Lawler explains why CELCIS really cares about training and learning.
Stephanie is a Modern Apprentice at CELCIS, and here she talks about landing her first ‘real’ job at only 16.
The importance for children in residential care to develop the ability to navigate friendships with each other.
The difficult issue of self-harm in residential care, exploring the experiences of young people and the support workers need to help.
Gordon Main talks about how commitment in the care system is not enough.
Jillian Ingram ponders how getting a train from A to B might just offer clues to how to meet children’s needs.
Gordon Main continues the conversation on commitment, discussing the emotional investment of foster carers.
Claire Burns introduces the evidence into practice theme of the new issue of our REACH publication.
This blog post explores the findings of a recent briefing from CELCIS about going to university from care.
Joe Rankin of the Nevis Group talks about whether young people should tell future employers that they're care experienced. With video of James Calder.
Dr Chrissie Gale, CELCIS international lead, argues that we need agencies to unite with one voice if we want to uphold children’s rights internationally.
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.
This article was first published by TES on the support teachers can offer unaccompanied and separated children.
Guest Joe Rankin of the Nevis Group discusses the need to stamp out stigma for those with care experience.
Iain MacRitchie is the founder of MCR Pathways, a school-based mentoring programme which supports young people in or on the edges of the care system to realise their full potential through education.
Ahead of the Global Implementation Conference, Scotland’s National Clinical Director, Professor Jason Leitch CBE shares some thoughts on his implementation journey, Scotland’s increasing use of change methodologies, and why learning from others makes sense
Joanne McMeeking heads up the Improving Care Experiences team at CELCIS. Here she explains why we need to put physical restraint in residential child care under the spotlight.
Laura Steckley explains how people are coming together to consider how to apply what we know about both experience and theory to address the practice of restraint in residential care.
First published by Citizens Theatre, 30 January 2020.
How the Care Experienced Bursary is making a difference in the lives of care experienced young people.
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.
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
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.
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.
Food and other essential items are something that we have always had available for our young people in the Youth Team, Aberdeen but we were aware that when COVID – 19 hit that we would need to be more creative about how we made sure food was available for young people in a safe and structured way.
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.
Jo Cochrane is the Children’s Services Development and Assurance Team Manager at Dumfries and Galloway Council, since retired. Since 2018, CELCIS has been working alongside local public sector partnerships in Dumfries and Galloway, Falkirk, and East and Midlothian, to develop a Minimum Dataset for use across all 30 of Scotland’s Child Protection Committees.
Claire Burns, Director (Acting), CELCIS – Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection discusses how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities in society.
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 evaluation of a foster care project in Albania.
Our response to the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee call for evidence into an Inquiry into Health Inequalities.
Summarising the debates and developments over Stage 2 of the Bill.
Covers the areas of the Bill most relevant to looked after children and young people, and care leavers.
Guide to the support available from universities and colleges in Scotland to care-experienced students.
Summarising the debates and developments over Stage 1 of the Bill.
Includes the survey analysis, the final report and the Scottish Government's response to the findings.
Residential child care in Scotland and England: how we can make improvements in what we do, wherever we work.
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.
The Drawing Together project explored how 53 young refugees experience integration through rebuilding their everyday lives in Scotland, Finland and Norway. This policy briefing focuses on the findings from Scotland. It provides insights for Scottish policy makers and practitioners to better equip them in promoting the wellbeing of young refugees.
The Virtual School Head Teachers' Network, which CELCIS has facilitated since 2019, has published the findings of a survey of local authorities in Scotland on the formal school exclusion of care experienced learners. The survey collected information on local authority policies, consulting with care experienced children and young people, recording and data, challenging and support, and return to school interviews.
In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2022-2023 Statistics to consider what the statistics and statistical trends might, and might not, tell us about the needs of children in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has today (26 March 2024) published the latest official annual Children's Social Work Statistics for Scotland. This uses data collected from all 32 local authorities in Scotland on child protection processes from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023.
A review about Child Criminal Exploitation published today (21 March), commissioned by the charity Action for Children and chaired by Professor Alexis Jay CBE, has found that tens of thousands of children in the UK are at risk of being groomed and coerced into crime by organised gangs.
At this meeting of the Education Forum we learned about a partnership project called the Keeping The Promise Award Programme, which was originally developed by North Lanarkshire Council as a professional learning resource in response to The Promise.
For our September Forum meeting, we were delighted to welcome Kyle Fleming, Head of Education, and Eileen McColl, Education Manager, of Erskine Waterfront Campus, CrossReach.
The Scottish Government along with partners in the Kinship Care Collaborative have produced updated guidance for Part 13 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014 Act.
In this second in a series of blog posts to highlight findings from research on voluntary care arrangements in Scotland, Dr Robert Porter, Research Lead at CELCIS, and Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, Research Associate at CELCIS, explore what social workers have shared about their experiences with voluntary care arrangements.
The Scottish Government has today (20 March 2024) published updated guidance for local authority practitioners who are providing kinship care assistance and support.
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 and Protection, shares some initial findings from CELCIS’s analysis into the experiences of children living in ‘formal’ kinship care within Scotland.
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) and The Promise Scotland have published two new guides - one for parents and one for practitioners - following the release of their research in 2023 on the financial challenges faced by families in Scotland’s care ‘system’.
This report presents the findings from the self-evaluation exercise completed by all 31 of Scotland’s Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in relation to their local implementation of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021.
This paper offers comparison and reflection on the role and function virtual schools in England and Scotland.
Dr Heather Ottaway, CELCIS’s Head of Evidence and Innovation, and Principal Investigator of the Children’s Services Reform Research study considers what this new research means if Scotland is keep The Promise.
Two new papers have been published as part of research from the Drawing Together project, a three-year project working with groups of young refugees in Scotland, Finland, Norway to examine how they draw and describe their networks and relationships.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on policy proposals far a Care Leaver payment. Our response is underpinned by research evidence, practice experience, and extensive insight and intelligence from lived experience and professional practice gathered through our long-standing, cross-organisational and interest-specific networks, as well as our group of consultants with lived experience of care.
The purpose of this guidance, issued by the Scottish Government, is to provide information and resources to support public authorities and other organisations to implement a children’s human rights approach. This may also assist public authorities to meet their current duties under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and to prepare for their duties under section 6 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation)(Scotland) Bill, which would place a duty on public authorities not to act incompatibly with the ‘UNCRC requirements’ as defined by section 1 of the Bill.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on 'Scottish Social Services Council – proposed register changes'. We welcome any changes to the SSSC Register that reduce complexity for the workforce whilst retaining, where necessary, the distinction between workforces with different skillsets, values, and that meet the specific needs of children and young people – particularly those in residential childcare
CELCIS's response, based on research evidence, practice experience, and feedback from longstanding cross organisational networks, maintains a sharp focus on the impact of national and local policy initiatives on children and young people in need of care and protection.
Today (13 December 2023) CELCIS has completed the Children Services Reform Research study, with the research team publishing its Concluding Report.
Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of CELCIS’s Strategic Advisory Board, and Claire Burns, Director of CELCIS, provide our first response to this study.
A groundbreaking, comprehensive study undertaken over the last year by a team of independent researchers at CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, has shown that how services are configured is not sufficient to ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need from services intended to support them.
This concluding report, published in December 2023, brings together key themes and learning from across the study’s findings and determines that there are a range of elements which contribute to creating the optimal conditions for implementing effective, sustainable change to improve support and outcomes for children, young people and families.
CELCIS was asked by the Scottish Government in to carry out a research study to improve the understanding of current Children’s Services structures and delivery models in Scotland and how services can best support the needs of children, young people and their families.
The Drawing Together project explored how 53 young refugees experience integration through rebuilding their everyday lives in Scotland, Finland and Norway. This policy briefing focuses on the findings from Scotland. It provides insights for Scottish policy makers and practitioners to better equip them in promoting the wellbeing of young refugees.
The Virtual School Head Teachers' Network, which CELCIS has facilitated since 2019, has published the findings of a survey of local authorities in Scotland on the formal school exclusion of care experienced learners. The survey collected information on local authority policies, consulting with care experienced children and young people, recording and data, challenging and support, and return to school interviews.
In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2022-2023 Statistics to consider what the statistics and statistical trends might, and might not, tell us about the needs of children in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has today (26 March 2024) published the latest official annual Children's Social Work Statistics for Scotland. This uses data collected from all 32 local authorities in Scotland on child protection processes from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023.
A review about Child Criminal Exploitation published today (21 March), commissioned by the charity Action for Children and chaired by Professor Alexis Jay CBE, has found that tens of thousands of children in the UK are at risk of being groomed and coerced into crime by organised gangs.
At this meeting of the Education Forum we learned about a partnership project called the Keeping The Promise Award Programme, which was originally developed by North Lanarkshire Council as a professional learning resource in response to The Promise.
For our September Forum meeting, we were delighted to welcome Kyle Fleming, Head of Education, and Eileen McColl, Education Manager, of Erskine Waterfront Campus, CrossReach.
The Scottish Government along with partners in the Kinship Care Collaborative have produced updated guidance for Part 13 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014 Act.
In this second in a series of blog posts to highlight findings from research on voluntary care arrangements in Scotland, Dr Robert Porter, Research Lead at CELCIS, and Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, Research Associate at CELCIS, explore what social workers have shared about their experiences with voluntary care arrangements.
The Scottish Government has today (20 March 2024) published updated guidance for local authority practitioners who are providing kinship care assistance and support.
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 and Protection, shares some initial findings from CELCIS’s analysis into the experiences of children living in ‘formal’ kinship care within Scotland.
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) and The Promise Scotland have published two new guides - one for parents and one for practitioners - following the release of their research in 2023 on the financial challenges faced by families in Scotland’s care ‘system’.
This report presents the findings from the self-evaluation exercise completed by all 31 of Scotland’s Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in relation to their local implementation of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021.
This paper offers comparison and reflection on the role and function virtual schools in England and Scotland.
Dr Heather Ottaway, CELCIS’s Head of Evidence and Innovation, and Principal Investigator of the Children’s Services Reform Research study considers what this new research means if Scotland is keep The Promise.
Two new papers have been published as part of research from the Drawing Together project, a three-year project working with groups of young refugees in Scotland, Finland, Norway to examine how they draw and describe their networks and relationships.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on policy proposals far a Care Leaver payment. Our response is underpinned by research evidence, practice experience, and extensive insight and intelligence from lived experience and professional practice gathered through our long-standing, cross-organisational and interest-specific networks, as well as our group of consultants with lived experience of care.
The purpose of this guidance, issued by the Scottish Government, is to provide information and resources to support public authorities and other organisations to implement a children’s human rights approach. This may also assist public authorities to meet their current duties under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and to prepare for their duties under section 6 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation)(Scotland) Bill, which would place a duty on public authorities not to act incompatibly with the ‘UNCRC requirements’ as defined by section 1 of the Bill.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on 'Scottish Social Services Council – proposed register changes'. We welcome any changes to the SSSC Register that reduce complexity for the workforce whilst retaining, where necessary, the distinction between workforces with different skillsets, values, and that meet the specific needs of children and young people – particularly those in residential childcare
CELCIS's response, based on research evidence, practice experience, and feedback from longstanding cross organisational networks, maintains a sharp focus on the impact of national and local policy initiatives on children and young people in need of care and protection.
Today (13 December 2023) CELCIS has completed the Children Services Reform Research study, with the research team publishing its Concluding Report.
Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of CELCIS’s Strategic Advisory Board, and Claire Burns, Director of CELCIS, provide our first response to this study.
A groundbreaking, comprehensive study undertaken over the last year by a team of independent researchers at CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, has shown that how services are configured is not sufficient to ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need from services intended to support them.
This concluding report, published in December 2023, brings together key themes and learning from across the study’s findings and determines that there are a range of elements which contribute to creating the optimal conditions for implementing effective, sustainable change to improve support and outcomes for children, young people and families.
CELCIS was asked by the Scottish Government in to carry out a research study to improve the understanding of current Children’s Services structures and delivery models in Scotland and how services can best support the needs of children, young people and their families.
The Drawing Together project explored how 53 young refugees experience integration through rebuilding their everyday lives in Scotland, Finland and Norway. This policy briefing focuses on the findings from Scotland. It provides insights for Scottish policy makers and practitioners to better equip them in promoting the wellbeing of young refugees.
The Virtual School Head Teachers' Network, which CELCIS has facilitated since 2019, has published the findings of a survey of local authorities in Scotland on the formal school exclusion of care experienced learners. The survey collected information on local authority policies, consulting with care experienced children and young people, recording and data, challenging and support, and return to school interviews.
In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2022-2023 Statistics to consider what the statistics and statistical trends might, and might not, tell us about the needs of children in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has today (26 March 2024) published the latest official annual Children's Social Work Statistics for Scotland. This uses data collected from all 32 local authorities in Scotland on child protection processes from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023.
A review about Child Criminal Exploitation published today (21 March), commissioned by the charity Action for Children and chaired by Professor Alexis Jay CBE, has found that tens of thousands of children in the UK are at risk of being groomed and coerced into crime by organised gangs.
At this meeting of the Education Forum we learned about a partnership project called the Keeping The Promise Award Programme, which was originally developed by North Lanarkshire Council as a professional learning resource in response to The Promise.
For our September Forum meeting, we were delighted to welcome Kyle Fleming, Head of Education, and Eileen McColl, Education Manager, of Erskine Waterfront Campus, CrossReach.
The Scottish Government along with partners in the Kinship Care Collaborative have produced updated guidance for Part 13 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014 Act.
In this second in a series of blog posts to highlight findings from research on voluntary care arrangements in Scotland, Dr Robert Porter, Research Lead at CELCIS, and Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, Research Associate at CELCIS, explore what social workers have shared about their experiences with voluntary care arrangements.
The Scottish Government has today (20 March 2024) published updated guidance for local authority practitioners who are providing kinship care assistance and support.
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 and Protection, shares some initial findings from CELCIS’s analysis into the experiences of children living in ‘formal’ kinship care within Scotland.
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) and The Promise Scotland have published two new guides - one for parents and one for practitioners - following the release of their research in 2023 on the financial challenges faced by families in Scotland’s care ‘system’.
This report presents the findings from the self-evaluation exercise completed by all 31 of Scotland’s Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in relation to their local implementation of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021.
This paper offers comparison and reflection on the role and function virtual schools in England and Scotland.
Dr Heather Ottaway, CELCIS’s Head of Evidence and Innovation, and Principal Investigator of the Children’s Services Reform Research study considers what this new research means if Scotland is keep The Promise.
Two new papers have been published as part of research from the Drawing Together project, a three-year project working with groups of young refugees in Scotland, Finland, Norway to examine how they draw and describe their networks and relationships.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on policy proposals far a Care Leaver payment. Our response is underpinned by research evidence, practice experience, and extensive insight and intelligence from lived experience and professional practice gathered through our long-standing, cross-organisational and interest-specific networks, as well as our group of consultants with lived experience of care.
The purpose of this guidance, issued by the Scottish Government, is to provide information and resources to support public authorities and other organisations to implement a children’s human rights approach. This may also assist public authorities to meet their current duties under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and to prepare for their duties under section 6 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation)(Scotland) Bill, which would place a duty on public authorities not to act incompatibly with the ‘UNCRC requirements’ as defined by section 1 of the Bill.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on 'Scottish Social Services Council – proposed register changes'. We welcome any changes to the SSSC Register that reduce complexity for the workforce whilst retaining, where necessary, the distinction between workforces with different skillsets, values, and that meet the specific needs of children and young people – particularly those in residential childcare
CELCIS's response, based on research evidence, practice experience, and feedback from longstanding cross organisational networks, maintains a sharp focus on the impact of national and local policy initiatives on children and young people in need of care and protection.
Today (13 December 2023) CELCIS has completed the Children Services Reform Research study, with the research team publishing its Concluding Report.
Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of CELCIS’s Strategic Advisory Board, and Claire Burns, Director of CELCIS, provide our first response to this study.
A groundbreaking, comprehensive study undertaken over the last year by a team of independent researchers at CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, has shown that how services are configured is not sufficient to ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need from services intended to support them.
This concluding report, published in December 2023, brings together key themes and learning from across the study’s findings and determines that there are a range of elements which contribute to creating the optimal conditions for implementing effective, sustainable change to improve support and outcomes for children, young people and families.
CELCIS was asked by the Scottish Government in to carry out a research study to improve the understanding of current Children’s Services structures and delivery models in Scotland and how services can best support the needs of children, young people and their families.
The Drawing Together project explored how 53 young refugees experience integration through rebuilding their everyday lives in Scotland, Finland and Norway. This policy briefing focuses on the findings from Scotland. It provides insights for Scottish policy makers and practitioners to better equip them in promoting the wellbeing of young refugees.
The Virtual School Head Teachers' Network, which CELCIS has facilitated since 2019, has published the findings of a survey of local authorities in Scotland on the formal school exclusion of care experienced learners. The survey collected information on local authority policies, consulting with care experienced children and young people, recording and data, challenging and support, and return to school interviews.
In this blog post, Dr Alex McTier, Evidence and Evaluation Specialist at CELCIS, takes a closer look at Scotland’s Child Protection 2022-2023 Statistics to consider what the statistics and statistical trends might, and might not, tell us about the needs of children in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has today (26 March 2024) published the latest official annual Children's Social Work Statistics for Scotland. This uses data collected from all 32 local authorities in Scotland on child protection processes from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023.
A review about Child Criminal Exploitation published today (21 March), commissioned by the charity Action for Children and chaired by Professor Alexis Jay CBE, has found that tens of thousands of children in the UK are at risk of being groomed and coerced into crime by organised gangs.
At this meeting of the Education Forum we learned about a partnership project called the Keeping The Promise Award Programme, which was originally developed by North Lanarkshire Council as a professional learning resource in response to The Promise.
For our September Forum meeting, we were delighted to welcome Kyle Fleming, Head of Education, and Eileen McColl, Education Manager, of Erskine Waterfront Campus, CrossReach.
The Scottish Government along with partners in the Kinship Care Collaborative have produced updated guidance for Part 13 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014 Act.
In this second in a series of blog posts to highlight findings from research on voluntary care arrangements in Scotland, Dr Robert Porter, Research Lead at CELCIS, and Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, Research Associate at CELCIS, explore what social workers have shared about their experiences with voluntary care arrangements.
The Scottish Government has today (20 March 2024) published updated guidance for local authority practitioners who are providing kinship care assistance and support.
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 and Protection, shares some initial findings from CELCIS’s analysis into the experiences of children living in ‘formal’ kinship care within Scotland.
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) and The Promise Scotland have published two new guides - one for parents and one for practitioners - following the release of their research in 2023 on the financial challenges faced by families in Scotland’s care ‘system’.
This report presents the findings from the self-evaluation exercise completed by all 31 of Scotland’s Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in relation to their local implementation of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021.
This paper offers comparison and reflection on the role and function virtual schools in England and Scotland.
Dr Heather Ottaway, CELCIS’s Head of Evidence and Innovation, and Principal Investigator of the Children’s Services Reform Research study considers what this new research means if Scotland is keep The Promise.
Two new papers have been published as part of research from the Drawing Together project, a three-year project working with groups of young refugees in Scotland, Finland, Norway to examine how they draw and describe their networks and relationships.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on policy proposals far a Care Leaver payment. Our response is underpinned by research evidence, practice experience, and extensive insight and intelligence from lived experience and professional practice gathered through our long-standing, cross-organisational and interest-specific networks, as well as our group of consultants with lived experience of care.
The purpose of this guidance, issued by the Scottish Government, is to provide information and resources to support public authorities and other organisations to implement a children’s human rights approach. This may also assist public authorities to meet their current duties under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and to prepare for their duties under section 6 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation)(Scotland) Bill, which would place a duty on public authorities not to act incompatibly with the ‘UNCRC requirements’ as defined by section 1 of the Bill.
CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on 'Scottish Social Services Council – proposed register changes'. We welcome any changes to the SSSC Register that reduce complexity for the workforce whilst retaining, where necessary, the distinction between workforces with different skillsets, values, and that meet the specific needs of children and young people – particularly those in residential childcare
CELCIS's response, based on research evidence, practice experience, and feedback from longstanding cross organisational networks, maintains a sharp focus on the impact of national and local policy initiatives on children and young people in need of care and protection.
Today (13 December 2023) CELCIS has completed the Children Services Reform Research study, with the research team publishing its Concluding Report.
Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of CELCIS’s Strategic Advisory Board, and Claire Burns, Director of CELCIS, provide our first response to this study.
A groundbreaking, comprehensive study undertaken over the last year by a team of independent researchers at CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, has shown that how services are configured is not sufficient to ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need from services intended to support them.
This concluding report, published in December 2023, brings together key themes and learning from across the study’s findings and determines that there are a range of elements which contribute to creating the optimal conditions for implementing effective, sustainable change to improve support and outcomes for children, young people and families.
CELCIS was asked by the Scottish Government in to carry out a research study to improve the understanding of current Children’s Services structures and delivery models in Scotland and how services can best support the needs of children, young people and their families.