research report

Services for children and young people with emotional and mental health needs

Report presenting the findings of a review which was set up to assess whether services were adequately meeting the mental health needs of children and young people in Wales.

In particular, its aim was to discover how comprehensive, accessible and effective services were and whether robust mechanisms were in place for managing service delivery and improvement.

Parental drug misuse : a review of impact and intervention studies

This review examines the available research about both the impact of problem drug use and interventions designed to reduce that impact. It starts by looking at definitions, the extent of problem drug use, and its impact across important aspects of children’s lives. The review is intended for social care workers involved with adults – using or affected by drugs – and their children and young relatives.

Qualitative evaluation of the Jobseeker Mandatory Activity (JMA)

This report presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation of the Jobseeker Mandatory Activity (JMA) pilot. The JMA provided extra support to help Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants back into the labour market.

The focus was on those aged 25 years or more that had been claiming benefits for six months. The intervention comprised a three-day work-focused course delivered by external providers followed by three Jobcentre Plus personal adviser interviews. The pilot was tested in ten areas over a two-year period with the first customers entering provision in April 2006.

A commitment to protect: supervising sex offenders - proposals for more effective practice 1997

The Secretary of State for Scotland requested a review of arrangements for the supervision of sex offenders in the community. A team from Social Work Services Inspectorate (SWSI) carried out the review, with assistance from many organisations and individuals.

A Commitment to Protect is the report of their initial work from April to September 1997. It gives an overview of the arrangements and a broad assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, together with recommendations for improvement.

Inspection of child protection services : the Rikki Neave report

In April 1997 the Social Services Inspectorate undertook an inspection of the child protection services in Cambridgeshire's Social Services Department. This inspection took place at the request of the Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Department of Health following the non-accidental death of Rikki Neave, a child on Cambridgeshire's child protection register. The 1997 inspection identified serious deficiencies in the standard of child protection services in Cambridgeshire.

The same as you?: a review of services for people with learning disabilities

This review of services for people with learning disabilities began by looking at services, especially in social and healthcare, and their relationship with education, housing, employment and other areas. It also focused on people’s lifestyles and wider policies including social inclusion, equality and fairness, and the opportunity for people to improve themselves through continuous learning. The review also recommends that for all but a few people, health and social care should be provided in their own homes or in community settings alongside the rest of the population.

Review of evidence relating to volatile substance abuse in Scotland

In early 2006, the Scottish Executive Justice Department commissioned a review of the available evidence on volatile substance abuse (VSA) among young people in Scotland, particularly, in relation to the prevalence and nature of VSA, successful prevention of VSA and effective communication of VSA information and messages.

This report details the findings of that review and makes recommendations for the way in which the review of evidence can be used to take forward the volatile substance abuse agenda in Scotland.