National Children and Families Social Work services data: FOI release

Information requested

I am submitting the following FOI request (Ref: SG-FOI1-2025) related to Children & Families Social Work services across Scotland. Specifically, I would like to receive data on the following points for the most recent full calendar year available:

1. The average, minimum, and maximum timeframes from referral to:

• First contact or initial assessment
• Completion of an assessment report
• First child planning meeting
• Case closure

2. The average, minimum, and maximum number of active child welfare cases assigned to each Children & Families social worker.

3. The total number of complaints received and upheld about Children & Families social work services, ideally broken down by local authority.

4. The total number of children on statutory plans, looked after under Section 25, or placed in temporary care, again ideally broken down by local authority.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold some of the information you have requested. The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to items 1, 2 and 3, however you may wish to contact the Local Authorities individually to request this information.

In relation to item 4, the Scottish Government does publish the total number of children looked after by legal reason at a national level in Table 2.4 of our additional tables from our Looked After Children annual statistics Supporting documents - Children’s Social Work Statistics: Looked After Children 2023/24 - gov.scot. This provides the total number as at 31 July 2024.

I have also attached a further local authority breakdown we have carried out for the number of children accommodated under Section 25 on 31 July 2024.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202500469472 - Information released - Annex A

File type

Excel document

File size

23.9 kB