Scottish Institute For Residential Child Care To Lead National Initiative
Children and young people living in residential child care in Scotland are to help ensure their needs are central to services in the future.
Ambitious plans to turn around attitudes to the sector and make residential placements the best choice for those children who need to live away from home will be at the heart of a wide-ranging initiative, led by the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC)
SIRCC, based at the University of Strathclyde, has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to head the National Residential Child Care Initiative, which is aimed at shaping the future direction of the services to suit children’s needs.
More than 20 members of public sector and voluntary organisations will sit on the project board of the initiative, which will allow young people who have been in residential child care and their families to give their views. Health, education, local authority, social service and voluntary sector interests will be represented on the group.
SIRCC is a partnership of Robert Gordon University, the University of Strathclyde, Langside College, and Who Cares? Scotland, a young people’s advocacy organisation. It is primarily funded by the Scottish Government.
Steven Paterson, Acting Director of SIRCC, said: “This provides an excellent opportunity to develop residential child care services now and for the future.
“Residential child care covers a range of services – from respite care for children with profound disabilities to secure care where children are placed in a secure environment for their own and the community’s safety. The vast majority do an excellent job but our aim is to ensure that they are fully equipped to adapt to newly-emerging challenges, for the good of young people in sensitive circumstances and with complex needs.”
Minister for Children and Early Years Adam Ingram said: “This government believes that people and their potential lie at the heart of a more successful Scotland and children in care deserve every opportunity to play a full role.
“These services look after some of Scotland’s most vulnerable young people whose needs can best be met in a residential setting. We want every care home to be the first and best choice for children who need residential care, not a place of last resort. That’s why it’s vital to work in partnership, including with local authorities, the providers of residential child care and particularly young people who stay in residential child care to help improve these services.”
Romy Langeland, chair of SIRCC, said: “There is a real sense of goodwill around in relation to this initiative, demonstrated by the fact that so many agencies have expressed their commitment to making a difference to the lives of the young people who spend a part of their childhood in residential care.
“We will have the chance to look together at what we should be putting in place to ensure that young people have the best possible start in life and we will be particularly keen to speak to young people themselves about what will help them.”
Key objectives of the initiative will include:
• Devising a blueprint for the future of residential child care which will meet the full range of children and young people’s needs
• Determining the right skills mix of residential child care professionals to help young people realise their fullest potential
• Recommending measures for consistent improvement in the sector
The Initiative intends to involve as many stakeholders and interested parties as possible in the review process – including young people who have been in residential child care and their families.
Three working groups made up of representatives on the project board will split the remit of the Initiative between them and will report at regular intervals to the full board.
The Initiative is due to report in September, 2009.
Submissions to assist the Initiative in its review will be invited in due course. Information on the Initiative is available at www.sircc.ac.uk/NRCCI_Briefing_Paper.pdf
