In 2022, CELCIS was asked by the Scottish Government to carry out a research study with the aim of gathering evidence to inform decision-making about how best to deliver children's services in Scotland in light of the proposed introduction of the National Care Service for Scotland, and its commitment to Keep the Promise of the Independent Care Review (2020).

The purpose of the Children’s Services Reform Research study is to answer the question: “What is needed to ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need, when they need it?”. The study has four separate strands of work, which together aim to provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to answering this question.

A final report will be published at the end of the study which will draw together and synthesise all four strands of the findings to address the research question. This Rapid Evidence Review is the first strand of work within the Children’s Services Reform Research study. We gathered, analysed and synthesised evidence primarily from peer-reviewed research papers nationally and internationally to answer the research questions:

• What models of integration exist for the delivery of children’s social work services with health and/or adult social care services in high income countries?
• What the strength of evidence is about their effectiveness in improving services, experiences and outcomes for children, young people and their families?

The findings of this review have been published in a full report and an accompanying summary.

Read the report

Read the summary of the report