childrens services

The national review of services for disabled children was undertaken jointly by Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the For Scotland‟s Disabled Children (fSDC) Liaison Project to provide a strategic assessment of the children's disability landscape.

The report and its accompanying plan for action mark the first stage in a longer process; the next stage is the implementation by all relevant partners of actions flowing from the report.

This report is about children’s early years - why they matter and how they can be improved. It is also about the kind of Scotland people are living in and the kind of society they want it to be - what matters to people as human beings and what they can do to support each other, as individuals, as well as through our public services and professionals.

It is also about government, politics, public policy and public services, and how, with increasing pressures on the public purse people can try and do the right things and do them well.

This guidance was originally produced in 2005 following the reference in the previous good practice guidance – on chat, instant messaging and web based services – to the fact that some interactive services were “moderated” and others were not.

The importance of moderated services was seen within the context of public concern about online spaces, and in particular chatrooms, where children were potentially at risk from undesirable contact or behaviour from adults in order to “groom” and sexually abuse them.

Aims to provide practitioners with a concise and accessible summary of research relevant to the initial stages of assessment in children’s services. It revises and updates a previous NSPCC report: Assessing risk in child protection (Cleaver, Wattam, Cawson and Gordon, 1998).

A series of seven practice briefings that have been written to help practitioners and managers put 'Getting it right for every child' into practice in their agencies.

Leading for Outcomes is a unique study into senior leadership in children's services in England, drawing on in-depth primary research with leaders in eight local authorities, and 22 directors of children's services. The eight local authorities were selected on a range of factors but primarily to represent existing high performers or rapidly improving authorities in terms of outcomes. The research was commissioned by the National College in partnership with C4EO, and completed by a team comprising Deloitte, Navigate and the University of Oxford. The study was completed during 2010.

This project was commissioned by the former DCSF to inform the development of guidance on research governance in children’s services. The overarching aim was to contribute to the development of a more coherent and transparent system, that is proportionate to the governance needs and ethical risks in research with users of children’s services.

Since the Scottish Office guidance, Protecting Children – A Shared Responsibility, was published in 1998, the child protection landscape in Scotland has developed considerably. New legislation, new areas of practice and new approaches have shaped activity at both national and local level.

In a videotaped interview obtained by Panorama, experts say Peter Connelly's mother, Tracey Connelly, provided vital clues into the dangers that lurked in the family home. The footage of Peter's mother was filmed as part of a training course undertaken by a senior team manager in Haringey children's services in March 2007, four months before Peter died as a result of a horrific string of injuries. He was 17 months at the time of his death.

This short guide focuses on families with young children in rural areas and the implications for children’s centre commissioning and delivery at a time of change and new directions. It is of relevance to all of those playing a part in the commissioning of children’s services – whether local authorities or primary care trusts; private or voluntary sector providers; and those leading and delivering services on the ground.