The Scottish Executive announced proposed amendments to its Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences Bill. The Bill would be extended to criminalize pornography and prostitution involving those up to the age of 18, in line with optional protocols relating to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Executive also published the results of a consultation exercise on protecting children from sexual exploitation.
Source: Press release 22 December 2004, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400) | Linda Nicholson, Protecting Children form Sexual Harm: Analysis of consultation responses, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: SE press release | Consultation responses (pdf)
Date: 2004-Dec
A Bill was approved by the Scottish Parliament giving mothers in Scotland the legal right to breastfeed in public. The legislation, which would take effect in early 2005, made it a criminal offence to deliberately obstruct breast or bottle feeding in any public place where children were allowed.
Source: Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Text of Bill (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
A report highlighted the action taken by the Scottish Executive to improve the life chances of children brought up in an environment of drugs misuse.
Source: Hidden Harm: Scottish Executive Response to the Report of the Inquiry by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Oct
A qualitative study in Scotland explored the lives of young people aged 15-27 whose parents had a drug and/or alcohol problem. Many felt that their parents were unable to provide consistent practical or emotional care.
Source: Angus Bancroft, Sarah Wilson, Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Kathryn Backett-Milburn and Hugh Masters, Parental Drug and Alcohol Misuse: Resilience and transition among young people, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 064
Date: 2004-Oct
A study explored the views of non-resident fathers in separated Scottish families, to develop an understanding of their experience and role as co-parents. Particular issues explored were the quality of inter-parental and father-child relationships in co-parenting families, and the use made by fathers of separated family services.
Source: Graeme Wilson, John Gillies and Gillian Mayes, Fathers as Co-Parents: How non-resident fathers construe family situations, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Sep
Four linked reports were published from a major study of adolescent development and offending in Scotland.
Source: David Smith, The Links Between Victimization and Offending, Centre for Law and Society/University of Edinburgh (0131 650 9166) | David Smith, Parenting and Delinquency at Ages 12 to 15, Centre for Law and Society/University of Edinburgh | David Smith and Lesley McAra, Gender and Youth Offending, Centre for Law and Society The University of Edinburgh | Lesley McAra, Truancy, School Exclusion and Substance Misuse, Centre for Law and Society The University of Edinburgh
Links: Victimisation report (pdf) | Delinquency report (pdf) | Gender report (pdf) | Truancy report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Aug
An annual publication drew together information from a wide range of sources to provide a picture of what was happening to children and young people in Scotland. Levels of reported happiness among boys and girls increased between 1994 and 2002; and more than 9 out of 10 people rated their neighbourhood as very or fairly good. But the children who had the poorest start in life as a result of poverty and disadvantage were most likely to experience difficulty throughout their lives: child pedestrians from the poorest backgrounds were four times more likely to be killed in road accidents than those in the highest socio-economic groups; they also generally did less well in school, and were more likely to become unemployed and get into trouble with the law.
Source: Factfile Scotland: Facts and figures about Scotland s children, NCH Scotland (0141 332 4041)
Links: Report (pdf) | BBC report
Date: 2004-Jul
The Scottish Executive began consultation on proposals to reduce the minimum period over which couples had to live apart before a divorce was granted, and to give parental rights and responsibilities to unmarried fathers who registered the birth of their child alongside the mother.
Source: Family Matters: Improving family law in Scotland , Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Consultation document | SE press release
Date: 2004-Apr
A report reviewed child contact centre provision in Scotland (centres provided by the voluntary sector as neutral, safe environments where contact can continue between a child and a non-resident parent). Most of the contact centres service provision comprised supported (low vigilance) contact. Just over half of staff (57 per cent) had been asked to provide supervised (high vigilance) contact, and 31 per cent had actually provided supervised contact. A second report described the expectations and experiences of key stakeholder groups (including parents) involved with the centres.
Source: Louyse McConnell-Trevillion and Samantha Coope, with Emily Postan and Louise Lane, Scottish Child Contact Centres: Characteristics of Centre Users and Centre Staff, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566) | Kerry Sproston and Kandy Woodfield, with Kay Tisdall, Building Bridges? Expectations and experiences of child contact centres in Scotland, Scottish Executive, TSO
Links: Report (1) | Report (2)
Date: 2004-Mar
A report contained the first stage of a continuing evaluation of 'working for families' pilot projects in Scotland, aimed at helping parents and carers move closer to employability through the provision of a wide range of tailored childcare, including childcare in the home. It identified the importance of projects having a steering group, and linking into wider strategic and policy networks; and the need for project activities to be based on research and local knowledge as well as consultation with interested parties.
Source: Keith Hayton and Michelle Myron, Working for Families: Lessons from the pilot projects (stage 1), Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Date: 2004-Mar
A qualitative study looked at the impact of mentoring on young people, based on three different services in Scotland. The researchers concluded that, while mentoring could not remedy all the ills facing vulnerable young people, it could be a useful part of the range of interventions. To be effective, the range of mentoring approaches needed to suit young people's individual circumstances. Existing typologies of mentoring and befriending did not address the variety of styles of mentoring described by young people in the sample.
Source: Kate Philip, Caroline King and Janet Shucksmith, Sharing a Laugh? Qualitative study of mentoring interventions with young people, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | Findings | JRF press release
Date: 2004-Mar
A report presented the results of a year-long project in Scotland listening to the support and information needs of young lone parents.
Source: Listening and Responding to Young Lone Parents' Information and Support Needs: Report on the Calypso Project, One Parent Families Scotland (0131 556 3899) and One Plus
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
A report said the children's hearing system in Scotland was under strain because of the huge rise in referrals on the grounds of care and protection rather than offending. It identified problems of inappropriate referrals, lack of community resources and social work staffing as the main reasons for the system not working in the way that was originally intended. It called on the Scottish Executive to build on the strengths of the hearing system as the most effective way forward in addressing the problem of youth crime: but it said the system needed to be 'fully resourced and enthusiastically supported' if it were to work to best effect.
Source: Where s Kilbrandon Now?, NCH (0845 762 6579)
Links: Report (pdf) | Community Care article
Date: 2004-Jan
