Secure care: consultation – summary version

5. Helping children before and after secure care

Scotland wants to help children and families early so fewer situations become a crisis. We also want to make sure children have the support they need when they leave secure care so they can return safely to their community or move to the place that will best meet their needs.

5.1 Prevention (early help)

Early help can include family support, help in school, youth groups, and safe places to go in your community.

5.2 Alternatives and community support

Before a child is moved to secure care, safe and less restrictive options should be explored first. Sometimes, giving a child lots of support while they stay in their own community works better, especially if it’s close to home and helps them feel well and safe in the long run

5.3 Transitions (moving on from secure care)

Planning for leaving secure care should start early, Children should be involved and the services supporting children – like health, education, social work, justice, housing and local services – should work together to put a plan together.

Questions about prevention, alternatives and moving on (Q11–Q18)

Q11. What kinds of support help most to stop children needing secure care, especially when the worries are about their safety and wellbeing, and not about breaking the law?

Q12. What helps adults decide to choose support in the community instead of secure care (for example how confident they feel about the supports, money available, worries about safety, or how many places (beds) there are)?

Q13. Where are the gaps in support options that could be used instead of secure care across Scotland? What kinds of places or types of support are missing?

Q14. How can areas that have found good ways of helping children share what works well with others?

Q15. Could councils share money and/or staff to work together and create better support instead of using secure care? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q16. What should health services, schools and justice services do to help children who have lots of different and complex needs?

Q17. How can we check if support given to children in their communities is really helping?

Q18. What support do children need so that leaving secure care feels safe (whether going back to their community, growing into adulthood, or moving to a Young Offenders Institution if they have to)?