families, children and young people

The Outdoors - A Natural Place for Young People with Autism, End of Project Report

This End of Project Report describes an innovative Transition to Work Programme for young people with autistic spectrum diagnoses and is the result of a pilot programme developed by Lothian Autistic Society (LAS) and Scottish Outdoor Education Centres (SOEC) and made possible through funding from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The pilot had the twin aims of developing employability skills and exploring the therapeutic value of the outdoors. 

Planning in child protection

This project aims to identify factors which contribute to effective, child focussed, SMART plans for children by getting the views of social workers who work in child protection and those who chair child protection case conferences.

It will consider ways of working in a more inclusive, collaborative way with children and their families, as well as ways to work more effectively in partnership with other agencies. It will also consider whether the Signs of Safety approach to child protection has a role to play in making plans more effective.

Retelling the past using new technologies: a case Study into the digitization of social work heritage material and the creation of a virtual exhibition

Article explains the rationale for the digitization of social work heritage material and the virtualization of an archived nondigital museum exhibit constructed by a Scottish Museum of Social Work.

The project involved the “virtualization” of an existing social work museum exhibition on the migration of “Home Children” from Scotland to Canada in the late 19th and early 20th century and the digital preservation of historical assets (both text and images) held by the contemporary social care organization involved in the migration of the children.

Social justice begins with babies

The first annual report of Scotland’s coalition supporting Putting the Baby IN the Bath Water
Putting the Baby IN the Bath Water is coalition of 98 organisations and individuals focused exclusively on two issues:

  1. the primary prevention of harm (i.e. keeping bad things from happening in the first place);
  2. the first 1,001 days of life (from pre-birth to preschool).

The coalition was a significant influence on the content of the Children and Young People Act 2014. This report outlines its impact on the Act and what it has achieved since.

What social workers do in performing child protection work: evidence from research into face-to-face practice

Little research has been done into what social workers do in everyday child protection practice. This paper outlines the broad findings from an ethnographic study of face-to-face encounters between social workers, children and families, especially on home visits.