Reimagining Secure care Governance Group minutes: August 2024

Attendees and apologies

Tom McNamara (Chair), Scottish Government (SG) Youth Justice and Children’s Hearings

Liz Murdoch, SG Youth Justice

Yasmin Ali, SG  Youth Justice

Donna Munro, SG Mental Health

Vivien Thomson, Social Work Scotland (SWS)

Ben Farrugia, SWS

Donna McEwan, Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ)

Fiona Dyer, CYCJ

Julia Swann, CYCJ

Sally Howard (notetaker), CYCJ

Katie Upsdale Dartington Design Lab (DDL)

Apologies:

Alison Melville SG Youth Justice

Jillian Gibson Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)

Laura Caven COSLA

Julie Harris DDL

Items and actions

Welcome

Quick Introductions to start the meeting. Tom welcomed Yasmin, noting that this was her first official meeting since formally joining the group on 8 July 2024. Her role is taking lead on the response to the reimaging secure care report.

Previous minutes

Previous minutes agreed with no amendments.

Previous actions update

All previous actions have been completed.

Project update

Donna Mc and Julia provide the group with the following project updates.

We sent the draft report out mid July and are looking for comments by close of play on 19 August 2024.

We will take all feedback will be taken on board and plan to send out the final submission to the governance group by 30 August 2024.

Since the last meeting, we have had a feedback meeting with the co-design group, unfortunately only three people were able to attend. From their feedback, they said that the report lands well and it reflects the discussion and options of the group. They have given some suggestions on how to strengthen it, in particular between the key principles and some of the options. We also met with Dan Johnstone separately because he couldn’t make the session, and he has given further written feedback. Laura has also provided feedback from the board meeting, generally good feedback but highlighting that it will be practically challenging and costly and resource intensive to implement.

Member feedback

Tom is grateful for the work the team has done. Optimism and a compelling future to build towards. Conscious that there is a significant distance to travel from where we are just now. Yasmin has advised ministers on the basis of the near finished draft. Setting out properly rounded responses and creating a blueprint if this is what organisations are wanting to adopt.

Yasmin spoke of how the options are aspirational, and time is needed to see what is feasible, affordable and viable. How would we move into the longer-term aspirations. The approach is between now and the end of year to take time to consider the options. Then set out at the end of the year to give the minster properly rounded advice to the options, this should provide a plan between 2025 and 2030. Recognising that there are changes to be made just now and later. The process will be to support the publication as an aspiration piece of work, then take it forward to an exploration phase. There will be a phased delivery of the piece of work.

Ben emphasized the importance of language, as highlighted in the report. With language being so important he does not see the paper as an option but as a vision.

Tom advised this isn’t just reimagining secure care, it is reimagining specialist, high-intensity supports away from home. Don’t want to think about secure care in isolation in the recognisable format we want to think of it as child-led and needs-led.

Fiona likes the idea of changing it to a “vision” because the report included opportunities rather than recommendations 

Vivien likes the way Ben has reframed into vision and how we would take that forward. In terms of the work that has gone into it, and the layout, it is logical, and it is clear.

Tom noted that this is an important jumping-off point and key to establishing a blueprint.

Key actions and timescales

• publication and dissemination plans
• final comments are due next week
• the completed report that will be sent to the governance group on 30 August
• publication and launch late September possibility either 20 or 27 September)
• outlined plans that ministers agreed with to be sent out in late September
• potential webinar following publication in either October or November

Tom highlighted planning final report is important.

Fiona plans to share all the reports with secure care providers in advance as embargoed copies and have a meeting with secure care to discuss. Also, looking to share with chief social work officers before publication. Leaving a few days in between embargoed reports and the publication. With her intention being to publish on a Friday.

Ben’s plan outlines how to respond initial public reaction and then take it to CSWO, Committees and Board for SWS endorsement of the vision / blueprint set out in the report. If that endorsement is given, SWS would adopt the vision as our meso-level vision for where care reforms are going, and we will then consider specific policy developments against it (does the policy development move us closer to this vision) 

Actions

• Sally to send all reports to the governance group after the meeting on 15 August
• the publication timeline for secure care needs to be set and sent out to the secure care centres
• Fiona and Tom to create a publication plan
• Fiona and Donna Mc to create a day before list for organisations such as Promise Scotland, CELCIS and journalists
• Fiona and Donna Mc to create a communication plan and talk this through with Yasmin once it is drafted so they can brief their communication team
• Clarity where COSLA is Jillian has prepared a paper outlining the direction of travel
• Yasmin will share thinking into a note
• Ben will share the outline where the report with CSWOs and share the feedback at the next meeting
• change report to vision

Any other business

There was no other business.

Date of next meeting

The date of the next meeting is 18 September 2024.

Subsequent meetings will be on the 30 October and 11 December 2024 if required.