The report of an independent review group made recommendations designed to improve support for those young people in Scotland who were at the greatest risk of experiencing long-term unemployment.
Source: Smith Group, The Smith Group: Recommendations for the Scottish Government, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined whether the Scottish children's hearings tribunal system could promote greater responsiveness to the needs of parents with learning disabilities, and support fuller direct participation in decisions about the welfare of their child.
Source: Janice McGhee and Susan Hunter, 'The Scottish children's hearings tribunals system: a better forum for parents with learning disabilities?', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 33 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A project in Scotland found that initiatives focusing on improving the health and well-being of school-aged children and young people (aged 3-18) and their families, particularly at key transition stages, could be implemented within schools without injections of additional funding.
Source: Health and Well-being in Schools Project: Final Report, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals for a Rights of Children and Young People Bill – designed to establish in law the responsibilities of the Scottish Ministers to have due regard to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when exercising any of their functions.
Source: Consultation on Rights of Children and Young People Bill, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2011-Sep
A briefing paper examined the way in which children who committed offences were dealt with under the Scottish criminal justice system, focusing on those under the age of 16.
Source: Frazer McCallum, Children and the Scottish Criminal Justice System, Briefing 11/53, Scottish Parliament
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Aug
A report examined differing trends in child poverty between 1998-99 and 2008-09, focusing on the difference between Scotland and England. United Kingdom government policy was likely to have contributed to reducing child poverty. The UK and Scottish government strategies to increase access to education were likely to have contributed to the reduction in child poverty before housing costs. The factors that were likely to have had the biggest impact in the faster reduction of relative child poverty in Scotland were the faster fall in unemployment, increased access to income from self-employment, and the slower rate of increase in the proportion of families from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Source: Eleanor Barham, Differences in Decline: Relative child poverty in Scotland and England 1998-99 to 2008-09, Scottish Government
Date: 2011-Jul
A set of reports explored a range of issues experienced by children in Scotland in the first 5 years of their lives – including parenting and child health, cognitive development, service use and support, and the impact of significant events.
Source: Judith Mabelis and Louise Marryat, Growing Up in Scotland: Parental Service Use and Informal Networks in the Early Years, Scottish Government | Paul Bradshaw, Growing Up in Scotland: Changes in Child Cognitive Ability in the Pre-School Years, Scottish Government | Alison Parkes and Daniel Wight, Growing Up in Scotland: Parenting and Children's Health, Scottish Government | Jenny Chanfreau, Matt Barnes, Wojtek Tomaszewski, Dan Philo, Julia Hall, and Sara Tipping, Growing Up in Scotland: Change in Early Childhood and the Impact of Significant Events, Scottish Government
Links: Report (1) | Summary (1) | Report (2) | Summary (2) | Report (3) | Summary (3) | Report (4) | Summary (4) | Scottish Government press release | NLT press release | Scotsman report
Date: 2011-Jun
The Scottish Parliament approved a Bill designed to increase access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, and to enable police and prosecutors to provide a more robust response to breached civil protection orders.
Source: Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO | Scottish Parliament Debate 16 March 2011, Official Report, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Official Report | Glasgow University press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The Scottish Government published a national strategy to tackle child poverty. A range of cross-government pledges included:
• Increasing the number of parents in employment.
• Supporting family incomes – through school clothing grants, freezing council tax, scrapping prescription charges, and providing free heating help.
• Encouraging positive parenting skills.
• Better housing and communities – building new affordable housing in mixed-income communities.
• Giving all children more chances to learn – financial support for young people to remain in education through retaining the educational maintenance allowance.
Source: Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Strategy | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined responses to young runaways in Scotland. It highlighted the challenges of defining young runaways and assessing the scale and nature of running away from home and substitute care.
Source: Margaret Malloch and Cheryl Burgess, 'Responding to young runaways: problems of risk and responsibility', Youth Justice, Volume 11 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
The watchdog in Scotland for the rights of children and young people said that at least 80 – and possibly many more – children might have been trafficked into Scotland in the previous 18 months without a single person being convicted for the crimes. The number of actual referrals of suspected child trafficking cases was only the tip of the iceberg, and many more children might remain unidentified.
Source: Scotland: A Safe Place for Child Traffickers?, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | Appendices | SCCYP press release | SRC press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined how families in Scotland living in severe poverty engaged with initiatives and services intended to support them.
Source: Danny Phillips, Claire Telfer, and Gill Scott, with William Reid and Kiel Stewart, Hopes and Expectations: How families living in severe poverty engage with anti-poverty services, Save the Children
Date: 2011-Feb
A report by a committee of MSPs supported the general principles of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill: but it opposed a proposal to remove the means-testing of anyone applying for civil legal aid to pursue a protective order in a domestic abuse case.
Source: Stage 1 Report on the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, 1st Report 2011, SP Paper 556, Scottish Parliament Justice Committee
Links: Report
Notes: The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill was introduced in May 2010. It was designed to increase access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, and to enable police and prosecutors to provide a more robust response to breached civil protection orders.
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined trends in Scottish children's policy. Distinctive government structures had interacted with other influences to shape change, allowing more and 'new' room for community interests, political parties, and distinctive policies.
Source: Kay Tisdall and Malcolm Hill, 'Policy change under devolution: the prism of children's policy', Social Policy and Society, Volume 10 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the extent of differences in youth justice in the United Kingdom, particularly as expressed in the action plans, criminal justice reviews, frameworks for action, delivery plans, and offending strategies that had been published since 1998 in the four administrations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Source: John Muncie, 'Illusions of difference: comparative youth justice in the devolved United Kingdom', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 51 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
