research report

In July 2008 the Scottish Government commissioned Scott Moncrieff to review the data security procedures within eight research contractors who had regularly been commissioned to carry out social research on behalf of the Scottish Government.

One year ago the Scottish Government launched Scotland’s first drugs strategy since devolution. Central to the strategy was a new approach to tackling problem drug use based firmly on the concept of recovery. The action set out in the strategy reflects that tackling drug use requires action across a broad range of areas. This progress report takes the same approach.

Literature review published by the Scottish Government which draws together existing knowledge on assessing and evaluating parenting interventions. In conducting the literature review, the research team was interested in re-examining the historical policy context to locate the rationale for the introduction of Parenting Orders and the apparent under use of the provisions and the evidence of risk and protective factors and the interrelated issues of antisocial behaviour and child care, alongside effective approaches to family service provision.

The topic of this briefing is the prevention of pregnancy among a specific group: looked after children and young people, who usually live in foster homes, but may also be in residential placements or with family members. Research and policy literature currently focuses on the provision of appropriate and adequate sex and relationship education in conjunction with accessible contraceptive services as the means of reducing teenage pregnancy.

This resource looks at making sure good quality independent advocacy is available to everyone in Scotland who needs it. In order to increase the provision of independent advocacy, services may have to be set up which are not initially independent. The report examines ways of making it easier for non-independent advocacy services to become independent and the importance of making sure that where advocacy is not independent, then measures are in place to make that advocacy as free as possible from conflicts of interest.

Report of a study which aimed to evaluate the implementation of the MHCT Act through an in-depth exploration of the experiences and perceptions of service users, carers and different health and social care professionals and advocacy workers, and a consideration of stakeholders' views in light of those expressed before implementation of the Act.

The Kilbrandon report was, and still remains, one of the most influential policy statements on how a society should deal with 'children in trouble'. Though it is now over thirty years since it was first published, current debate about child care practices and polices in Scotland still resonates with principles and philosophies derived from the Kilbrandon Report itself.

Study looking at the types of child care available to asylum seekers and refugees across the spectrum of communal provision with a view to noting the attitudes of asylum seeker families towards pre-five provision, identifying restrictions in accessing pre-five services, establishing whether there are identifiable gaps in provision and determining if the service meets the needs of asylum seeker families.

This report gives only children’s views of advocacy. Children and young people were asked for their views about advocacy in two different ways. Firstly, they were invited from different council areas and different sorts of services (such as children’s homes, residential special schools and foster care) to give their views. Secondly, some children and young people were invited to give their views by taking part in a web survey.