Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill today welcomed official statistics which show that recorded crime fell again last year to its lowest level since 1975.

The decisions made about when or if a child should be removed from the family home are to be examined by the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill today confirmed a major shake-up of the way in which Scotland’s criminal justice system deals with women offenders is to begin with immediate effect following the findings of an expert report into female offending in Scotland.

A ‘cultural change’ is needed in order that public bodies can work together to successfully deliver vital public services. This is the outcome of the first strand of the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Regeneration Committee’s inquiry into public services reform.

Women who fear an abusive ex-partner finding them on the voters’ roll could be deterred from voting in the independence referendum, according to an SNP MP.

The best of Scotland’s social service teams were recognised on Friday (22 June) at Care Accolades 2012, the national award ceremony showcasing the very best of the care sector across the country.

Children’s lives are being ruined by alcohol-fuelled violence, says charity CHILDREN 1ST, as new research suggests almost a quarter of people living in Scotland (23 per cent) have seen someone who’s been drinking being aggressive or violent towards a child.

More than 100 health records including personal details of children and sensitive health information have gone missing, according to NHS figures.

Plans to scrap housing benefit for people under the age of 25 would lead to an epidemic of youth homelessness in Scotland, it has been warned.

SUCCESSFUL health and social-care reform will focus not on structure but on giving older people what they want, writes Peter MacLeod