The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals to extend the rights of children with capacity under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended), and to repeal section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. The consultation would close on 28 March 2014.
Source: Extending the Rights of Children with Capacity Under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as Amended) and Repealing Section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Summary
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined the treatment of the views of children when their parents sought court intervention in custody disputes in Scotland and there were allegations of domestic abuse made by one or both parents. It said that fewer than half of children had contact orders that reflected their wishes, and that this varied by age. The report said that courts should not assume that contact would benefit the child. It recommended improvements in the methods for taking views, training for those involved in seeking children's views, and protections for children from retaliatory abuse.
Source: Kirsteen Mackay, The Treatment of the Views of Children in Private Law Child Contact Disputes Where There is a History of Domestic Abuse, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | SCCYP press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A Scottish government-backed group published a report from their review of foster care in Scotland. The review had been established to assess a range of potential reforms, and provide direction on policy questions regarding: the organization and management of foster carers; carers' learning and development; and the financial and practical support offered to carers. The report made recommendations in all three areas.
Source: National Foster Care Review: Final report, Looked After Children Strategic Implementation Group, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Survey analysis
Date: 2013-Dec
A Scottish Government report evaluated Phase 2 of the Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) programme. CJS was a government funded job creation programme to provide young unemployed individuals with paid work and additional training, while supporting the development of third sector organizations. The report said that CJS created good quality and diverse job opportunities, and had received positive feedback and recognition of improvements from Phase 1. The report identified some issues with recruitment, ongoing support, and connections with Local Employability Partnerships, and made recommendations.
Source: Alexander McTier and Alan McGregor, Evaluation of Community Jobs Scotland Phase 2 (2012-2013): Final Report, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Dec
The Scottish Government published its play strategy action plan.
Source: Play Strategy for Scotland: Our action plan, Scottish Government
Links: Action plan | Summary | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2013-Oct
The Scottish Government announced that it intended to bring forward legislation to support carers and young carers.
Source: Carers and Young Carers: Statement of Intent, Scottish Government
Links: Statement of Intent
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined child health in Scotland. It provided information on the physical activity and health of Scottish children and adolescents.
Source: Child's Play 2013? Active Healthy Kids Scotland report card, Active Healthy Kids Scotland
Date: 2013-Oct
The Scottish Government issued guidelines to assist local authorities and their community planning partners in the development and implementation of local 'housing options protocols for care leavers'.
Source: Housing Options Protocols for Care Leavers: Guidance for corporate parents – improving housing and accommodation outcomes for Scotland s care leavers, Scottish Government
Links: Guidelines | Summary
Date: 2013-Oct
A study examined the circumstances and outcomes of young children living with a disability in Scotland, drawing on data from the Growing Up in Scotland study. Children with a disability were significantly more likely than non-disabled children to be in lower-income households, live in areas with higher deprivation, and have parents who were not working. The authors concluded that many of the differences observed between disabled and non-disabled children were therefore driven by these key socio-economic distinctions rather than the presence of a disability.
Source: Paul Bradshaw and Julia Hall, The Impact of Disability on the Lives of Young Children: Analysis of data from the Growing up in Scotland study, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Sep
The interim report of an independent commission in Scotland made a range of recommendations designed to improve young people s transition into employment – including a significantly enhanced focus on high quality vocational education for school pupils.
Source: Commission for Developing Scotland s Young Workforce: Interim Report, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Commission press release | Scottish Government press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Sep
The watchdog in Scotland for the rights of children and young people said that services for disabled young people and their families had declined significantly as the impact of public sector cuts was felt. There was evidence of cuts in local authority budgets leading to tighter eligibility criteria, support being removed without review or reassessment, and a lack of consultation.
Source: Kirsten Stalker, Charlotte MacDonald, Caroline King, Francis McFaul, Colin Young, Moyra Hawthorn, and Louis Patrizio, 'It Always Comes Down to Money': Recent changes in service provision to disabled children, young people and their families in Scotland, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | SCCYP press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A report highlighted the views, voices, and experiences of parents across Scotland about using childcare, particularly those living on low incomes. There was a general view that the costs of childcare were too high, that it was not available at the right times or in the right places, and that it could be very inflexible.
Source: Euan Lloyd, Give Us a Hand with Childcare: 10 key messages from parents in Scotland, Save the Children
Links: Report | SACR press release | BBC report | Scotsman report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined families' experiences of work-life reconciliation from both children's and parents' perspectives, drawing on a qualitative longitudinal study with 14 families in Scotland.
Source: Jeni Harden, Kathryn Backett-Milburn, Alice MacLean, Sarah Cunningham-Burley, and Lynn Jamieson, 'Home and away: constructing family and childhood in the context of working parenthood', Children's Geographies, Volume 11 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined evidence on the views and experiences of children and young people in Scotland on matters linked to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Source: Susan Elsley, Kay Tisdall, and Emma Davidson, Children and Young People's Experiences of, and Views on, Issues Relating to the Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by a committee of MSPs said that the Scottish Government should develop a new national strategy for tackling teenage pregnancy. Sexual health and relationships education should be reviewed: the quality of sexual health education was inconsistent across the country, and it needed to begin at an earlier age. Contraception should be easily accessible and 'young people friendly .
Source: Report on Inquiry into Teenage Pregnancy, 5th Report 2013, SP Paper 355, Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report by a committee of MSPs called on the Scottish Government to set a timetable for the introduction of a statutory right to childcare that included children up to the age of 15 and disabled children. It said that such a move, along with more flexible working patterns, could transform women's access to work.
Source: Women and Work, 4th Report 2013, SP Paper 348, Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee
Links: Report | Scottish Parliament press release | SCMA press release | Working Families press release | BBC report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report compared early years and childhood experiences in Scotland and England. It considered social and material circumstances; dysfunctional households; maternal and child health; and parenting. Little evidence was found of differences that could explain the relatively poor health status of people in Scotland.
Source: Martin Taulbut and David Walsh, Poverty, Parenting and Poor Health: Comparing early years experiences in Scotland, England and three city regions, Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Links: Report
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the views of offenders in Scotland about what helped and hindered young people generally in the process of desistance; why interventions might or might not encourage desistance; and what criminal justice and other agencies could do to alleviate the problems that might result in offending. Probation-style supervisory relationships with workers were still the key means to promote desistance: but given that offenders perceived desistance to be 'by design' rather than 'by default', there still needed to be a greater emphasis placed by criminal justice and wider agencies on the structural obstacles to a legal, conventional, and integrated lifestyle.
Source: Monica Barry, 'Desistance by design: offenders' reflections on criminal justice theory, policy and practice', European Journal of Probation, Volume 5 Number 2
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the policy context in Scotland in order to discern whether it contributed to all young people achieving participatory parity and subsequently social justice.
Source: Alan Mackie and Lyn Tett, '"Participatory parity", young people and policy in Scotland', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 28 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
The Scottish Government published the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill. Children aged 3-4 would be entitled to 600 hours of funded early learning and childcare (up from 475 hours) – as would looked-after children aged 2, and those with a kinship care order. Every child and young person would have a named person from birth responsible for safeguarding their well-being, working with other bodies as required. Kinship carers would be provided with more support from local authorities.
Source: Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Scottish Government press release | Cosla press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Apr
A report summarized key Scottish Government policies designed to support young people's health and well-being.
Source: Supporting Young People s Health & Wellbeing: A summary of Scottish government policy, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Apr
A report examined evidence on approaches to child poverty in Denmark, the United States of America, and Scotland. It looked at how each country had conceptualized the problem of child poverty, and the strategies that they had used to prevent or reduce it.
Source: Becky Fauth, Rachel Blades, and Chloe Gill, Child Poverty Outcomes Models: An international review, National Children s Bureau
Links: Report | Scotland case study
Date: 2013-Feb
A report examined how child poverty was being tackled locally across Scotland. Fewer than half of local council officers felt that child poverty was a political priority in their authority.
Source: John McKendrick and Stephen Sinclair, Local Action to Tackle Child Poverty in Scotland, Save the Children
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jan
A think-tank report highlighted the inequality in government-funded nursery provision for pre-school children, and called for a simple change to the system that would make it fair and equal. Nursery education should begin at a fixed point in the year, rather than when a child reached the age of 3.
Source: Ben Thomson, Geoff Mawdsley, and Alison Payne, An Equal Start: Fair access to nursery provision, Reform Scotland
Links: Report | Summary | Scotsman report
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined whether peers had a lasting effect on offending behaviour, based on a longitudinal study of 4,300 teenagers in Edinburgh. The level of offending of someone's friends at age 13-14 had a clear immediate effect on their own offending: this effect steadily diminished over time but remained statistically significant for a period of 2-5 years. Friends' offending was among the most important variables explaining own offending.
Source: David Smith and Russell Ecob, 'The influence of friends on teenage offending: how long did it last?', European Journal of Criminology, Volume 10 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
