Scottish government response to "reimagining secure care" report

7. Scottish Government Response – Phased Delivery

Implementing the models set out in the RSC report will require careful, phased exploration and planning. Each proposal represents a significant shift across systems, infrastructure, organisations and practice. To ensure these changes are sustainable, grounded in the needs of children and communities, and can be effectively implemented, we must:

• consult and co-design with children, families, secure providers, practitioners, local authorities;
• explore and evaluate new models like “flex secure”, to understand what works and where adaptations are needed;
• develop the workforce to ensure staff are equipped with the skills and support to deliver the full spectrum of trauma-informed, rights-based care;
• ensure service and system readiness, including time to prepare and learn from the implementation of the remaining, relevant provisions of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024, and to consider the impact of provisions of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, if passed;
• explore what further legal, policy and guidance changes are required to support our future vision; and
• determine the financial costs and viability attributed to the ‘opportunities’ set out in the RSC report. Given the scale of the physical, structural, systemic and cultural change that would be required, significant investment would be incurred, including both resource and capital expenditure.

Additionally, while the RSC report offers a potential framework for future change, there are several broader issues that must be addressed first to ensure the resilience and sustainability of secure accommodation:

• Restoring capacity within secure accommodation – responding to current unsustainable capacity challenges and future proofing services.
• Data collection and analysis – data gaps currently restrict our ability to inform policy decisions and the development of targeted interventions.
• Integration with broader care and justice systems – fragmentation between health, social care, education and justice services can lead to disjointed support for children.
• Piloting, testing and evaluating change – limited current evidence / consultation to assess viability and effectiveness of some of the proposed options.
• Future commissioning and funding models – the current system requires a fundamental review to ensure equity, transparency and efficiency. This will require specialist and dedicated resource, initially within Government.

7.1 Phased Delivery - Roadmap

‘Reimagining’ secure care is not a distant, abstract goal. This involves building on the secure care contingency actions we are already taking. This will pave the way for phased, supported change, delivered at the right pace, reflective of the needs of current and future children requiring intensive care and support.

Transforming Scotland’s secure care system requires both immediate stabilisation and long-term vision. A phased approach will enable the system to respond to the urgent needs of the present, while creating the conditions necessary for sustainable, meaningful change in the future. That is why our response will be delivered over two phases:

Phase 1: 2025/26 - 2027/28

Capacity restoration and reinforcement

Delivering secure care contigency planning, restoring capacity and building resilience.

Phase 2: 2028/29 - 2029/30 - and beyond

Road testing / readiness for re-imaging

Applying learning from piloting, testing and evaluating.