The Scottish Government began consultation on the development of a new child poverty strategy.
Source: Tackling Child Poverty in Scotland: A discussion paper, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2010-Nov
A literature review drew on data from administrative sources and from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey to construct a picture of what was known about youth violence in Scotland.
Source: Alistair Fraser, Michele Burman and Susan Batchelor with Susan McVie, Youth Violence in Scotland: Literature Review, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
Research into the financial impact of effective early years support for children in Scotland found that it could save the public purse up to £131 million a year in the medium term.
Source: The Financial Impact of Early Years Interventions in Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2010-Nov
The Scottish Government published a report setting out a national approach to anti-bullying activity – designed to ensure that all agencies were working together in a consistent way to deal with the problem.
Source: A National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland's Children and Young People, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
The watchdog in Scotland for the rights of children and young people said that early years implementation needed to be improved urgently. The Scottish Government needed to set a clear lead, and local authorities and health boards needed to pool resources to intervene early with vulnerable or troubled families.
Source: Aline-Wendy Dunlop, The Early Years Framework: Scoping Its Impact, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | SCCYP press release
Date: 2010-Oct
Two linked reports examined gang membership and knife-carrying among young people in Scotland. A blanket 'one size fits all' policy on gangs and knife-carrying was largely ineffective: targeted intervention strategies should be deployed instead.
Source: Jon Bannister et al., Troublesome Youth Groups, Gangs and Knife Carrying in Scotland, Scottish Government | Susan McVie, Gang Membership and Knife Carrying: Findings from The Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, Scottish Government
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Summary (2) | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2010-Sep
A report examined the approaches of the different nations of the UK relating to childcare policy and legislation. It highlighted a 'lack of leadership and ownership' in relation to the issue of childcare in Northern Ireland.
Source: Rachel Dennison, Sarah Lowndes and Nora Smith, Sizing Up: A comparative study of childcare policies within the four regions of the UK, Employers For Childcare
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jul
A report examined the community benefit generated through the delivery of the (previous Labour) government's 'Future Jobs Fund' in Scotland. (The Fund was an employment programme designed to create additional jobs, primarily aimed at unemployed young people aged 18-24.)
Source: Hannah Jordan, Future Jobs: Future Communities, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jul
A study examined the lives, feelings, experiences, and support needs of young-parent families in Scotland during pregnancy and after the birth, focusing on the perspectives of young fathers.
Source: Nicola Ross, Stephanie Church, Malcolm Hill, Pete Seaman and Tom Roberts, The Fathers of Children Born to Teenage Mothers: A study of processes within changing family formation practices, CHILDREN 1ST
Links: Report | CHILDREN 1st press release
Date: 2010-Jun
An article drew on findings from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime to challenge the evidence base that policy-makers used to justify the evolving models of youth justice across the United Kingdom (both in Scotland and England/Wales). It said that the Scottish system should be better placed than most other western systems to deliver justice for children (due to its founding commitment to decriminalization and destigmatization): but it appeared to be failing many young people.
Source: Lesley McAra and Susan McVie, 'Youth crime and justice: key messages from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 10 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-May
A set of reports explored a range of issues experienced by children in Scotland in the first five years of their lives including poverty, child health, behavioural development, and maternal mental health. Over the first 4-5 years of their lives, approximately 3 in 10 young Scottish children were classified as living in poverty in any one year.
Source: Matt Barnes, Jenny Chanfreau and Wojtek Tomaszewski, Growing up in Scotland: The Circumstances of Persistently Poor Children, Scottish Government | Louise Marryat and Claudia Martin, Growing Up in Scotland: Maternal Mental Health and its Impact on Child Behaviour and Development, Scottish Government | Catherine Bromley and Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Growing Up In Scotland: Health Inequalities in the Early Years, Scottish Government | Paul Bradshaw and Sarah Tipping, Growing Up in Scotland: Children's Social, Emotional and Behavioural Characteristics at Entry to Primary School, Scottish Government
Links: Report (1) | Summary (1) | Report (2) | Summary (2) | Report (3) | Summary (3) | Report (4) | Summary (4) | Scottish Government press release | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Apr
An article examined survey evidence on the attitudes towards education and employment among young people in a deprived community in Glasgow (Scotland). The data showed that the majority of young people were ambitious regarding their post-school career paths, and optimistic about their employment prospects. Emphasizing the alleged low aspirations of young people in deprived communities failed to address the socio-economic conditions and opportunities that limited educational attainment, and inhibited their accomplishment of full citizenship.
Source: Stephen Sinclair, John McKendrick and Gill Scott, 'Failing young people? Education and aspirations in a deprived community', Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, Volume 5 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Mar
A committee of MSPs published a commissioned research report that examined the prevalence of 'sexualized goods' – such as toys and clothing – that appeared to be aimed at children under the age of 16.
Source: External Research on Sexualised Goods Aimed at Children, 2nd Report 2010, SP Paper 374, Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release
Date: 2010-Jan
