government and social policy

The adoption (disclosure of medical information about natural parents) (Scotland) regulations 2009: response to consultation on draft regulations

This consultation dealt with the draft Adoption (Disclosure of Medical Information about Natural parents) (Scotland) Regulations. As these regulations are subject to affirmative Parliamentary procedures they will now be included in a single set of regulations with the Adoption (Disclosure of Information) (Scotland) Regulations.

Alcohol and drugs delivery reform group: final report

This is the report of the Alcohol and Drugs Delivery Reform Group. In January 2008 the Delivery Reform Group to improve alcohol and drug delivery arrangements and ensure better outcomes for service users was established by the Scottish Government. Members were invited from the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse (SACDM) and the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Committee on Alcohol Problems (SMACAP).

Growing up in Scotland (GUS): non-resident parent summary report

The Growing Up in Scotland study (GUS) is an important longitudinal research project aimed at tracking the lives of a cohort of Scottish children from the early years, through childhood and beyond.

The study is funded by the Scottish Government and carried out by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen). Its principal aim is to provide information to support policy-making, but it is also intended to be a broader resource that can be drawn on by academics, voluntary sector organisations and other interested parties.

Limited review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) act 2003: report as presented to Scottish Ministers March 2009

The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 20 March 2003 and came into force in October 2005. It was clear from the ongoing monitoring to which the Act was subject that there were some areas in which problems were being experienced. Accordingly, the Scottish Government decided to institute a limited review of the Act.

Review of section 5 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 extended the duties of local authorities toward homeless people in Scotland, while also recognising that Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) had an increasing role to play in providing housing for statutorily homeless households. A growing body of evidence suggests the use of Section 5 differs across Scotland and that its use may be less than had originally been anticipated. There also seems to be confusion regarding the purpose and scope of the requirements.

Delivering better outcomes: an outcomes toolkit for alcohol and drugs partnerships: version 1

This toolkit is intended to provide guidance to Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) in operating in an outcomes based environment and to support working relationships with local partners and service providers. This toolkit is intended to assist ADPs to identify local priority outcomes relating to alcohol and drugs.

Drug and alcohol services in Scotland

Drug and alcohol misuse are major problems in Scotland but resources to address them are not always used effectively. In this study, published information on services was analysed and national documents were reviewed, expenditure data from all NHS boards and councils were collected and analysed and activity data from all police forces in Scotland were collected to give an indication of expenditure.

Review of the implementation of the Human Rights Act

This resource is a review which looks specifically at problems with the implementation of the Human Rights Act. The review was commissioned in the immediate aftermath of the Inquiry Report (by HM Chief Inspector of Probation) into the release of Anthony Rice, which had suggested that human rights arguments, and the Human Rights Act, had been contributory factors in the events leading to the murder of Naomi Bryant.

Growing up in Scotland: the impact of children' s early activities on cognitive development

This report uses data from the first three waves of the Growing Up in Scotland study (GUS) to explore children’s cognitive ability. Assessments of children’s language development (using a naming vocabulary task) and problem solving skills (using a picture similarities tasks) were carried out at age 34 months.