Secure care: consultation – summary version

3. Secure care: what it is, why it matters, and what could change

Secure care is a locked, safe place for a small number of children who need high levels of support and protection. It is used when risks are high and no other option can keep the child or others safe. In the future, some young people may stay up to age 19.

3.1 What is secure care

In secure care, there are routines each day, school lessons, health support, and adults who listen and help. Staff use a “trauma‑informed” approach. This means they understand that difficult or scary things may have happened, and they try not to make things worse.

3.2 Why some children might go to secure care

A child might go to secure care if:

• They have run away before and may be unsafe if they run away again.
• They might hurt themselves.
• They might hurt another person.

Secure care should only be used when other kinds of help cannot keep the child safe.

3.3 Where secure care happens

Scotland has four secure care centres. They provide education, care and health support all in one place:

• Rossie (near Montrose)
• Good Shepherd Centre (Bishopton)
• Kibble (Paisley)
• St Mary’s Kenmure (Bishopbriggs)

In Scotland, these centres can look after up to 82 children and young people in secure care.

3.4 How children enter secure care

Children do not choose to go to secure care. Adults make the decision when they believe it is the safest option. This can happen in different ways:

• A Children’s Hearing decides this is the best option.
• A Chief Social Work Officer makes an emergency decision to keep the child safe.
• A court decides the child must go to secure care (for example, on remand or after a sentence).

Every child in secure care has a plan that explains why they are there and the support they will get.

3.5 Rights and safeguards

Children have rights in secure care. Adults must keep children safe, treat them with respect, explain decisions, and make sure health, learning and wellbeing needs are met. Keeping a child in a secure place can only happen when it’s the right thing to do, when it’s needed to keep them safe, and only for as long as they need it

3.6 Ideas for the future

Scotland is exploring new ways to make support better and more flexible:

• “Flex Secure” — support and rules can change to match a child’s needs, without having to move where the child lives.
• Community hubs — local places where children and families can get help at an early stage to prevent problems from worsening.
• Multi‑disciplinary teams — professionals from different services working as one team to support children and families

The Scottish Government is also thinking about changing the way children go into secure care. As mentioned in section 3.2, children might go into secure care if:

• They have run away before and may be unsafe if they run away again.
• They might hurt themselves.
• They might hurt another person.

However, the rules will be changing and now children might go into secure care if:

• They have run away before and may be unsafe if they run away again.
• They might hurt themselves.
• They might hurt another person.
• They need a very calm, safe place to recover and get intensive help.

Questions about secure care (Q1–Q7)

Q1. Are the new, clearer rules for going to secure care good enough to keep children safe and treated fairly? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q2. Should the rules also cover children who are not an immediate risk to others but need a very safe, stable place and lots of help? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q3. Are there any other times when a child should be able to go to secure care? Please tell us your ideas.

Q4. Should Scotland introduce the new idea of “Flex Secure” so support and rules can change to match the needs of children and young people? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q5. How could a model like Flex Secure help protect children’s rights while making sure strong rules are used only when really needed, and for the shortest time possible?

Q6. Do you agree with creating community hubs that can give children help early and in emergencies, close to where they live? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q7. Do you agree that different services should work together as one team to support children and families? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?