Child Protection

A collection of resources on the law, policy and practice of child protection. Includes case studies and exercises.

For Scotland's children: better integrated children's services (Part 1)

This is the first part of the report of an action team of experts from local government, the NHS and the voluntary sector to look at how better to integrate children’s services.

Their action plan contains a range of ways in which local authorities, the NHS and the voluntary sector can work together to create a single children’s services system, backed up by a number of good practice examples.

National standards for Scotland's youth justice services

This report by the Improving the Effectiveness of the Youth Justice System Working Group describes the characteristics of effective local management of youth justice services and outlines a set of standards to improve delivery.

The group was asked to develop a strategic framework of national objectives and standards for Scotland’s Youth Justice services, to help achieve the national target of reducing the number of persistent offenders by 10% by 2006.

Protecting children today and tomorrow: a multi disciplinary review of child protection measures across Scotland

This review is part of the government's response to the recommendations of the Hammond Report following the tragic death of a 3-year-old child, Kennedy McFarlane. The aim of the review is to promote the reduction of abuse or neglect of children, and to improve the services for children who experience abuse or neglect.

Interviewing child witnesses under the Memorandum of Good Practice: a research review

The ‘Memorandum of Good Practice on Video Recorded Interviews with Child Witnesses for Criminal Proceedings’ was published in 1992 to provide guidance to police officers and social workers responsible for undertaking video-recorded interviews with child victims or witnesses. The document outlined core principles to be followed when conducting interviews; the video could then be played in court to spare the child the necessity of giving live examination-in-chief.

Interchange 78 : Transitions in the Lives of Children and Young People : Resilience Factors

This report describes effective strategies, in the fields of health, education and social work, for helping children cope with periods of transition and change through the promotion of resilience. The report draws on an extensive review of the international literature on the promotion of resilience.

The Fostering of Children (Scotland) Regulations 1996

These regulations set out the requirements by law for the approval of foster carers by local authorities; the placement of foster children; arrangements with voluntary organisations and the retention and confidentiality of case records for foster carers and children.

The appointment, composition and function of fostering panels is also laid out and the Schedules include information required from prospective foster carers and the requirements of placement agreements.