Secure care: consultation – summary version

6. Access, funding and future models for secure care

Right now, places in secure care are usually bought one at a time. This can cause delays and make planning difficult. Scotland is exploring new ways to organise placements, collect better information and fund services so children get help when they need it and secure centres can plan for the future.

6.1 National co‑ordination

One idea is to have a national system that helps find the right place for a child quickly, matches their needs to the best setting, and collects information to help with planning. The National Social Work Agency (NSWA) could help make sure decisions are fair and meet the needs of children.

6.2 A national system for secure care

This system would help decide where children should go if they need secure care. It helps different services work together so each child can be placed somewhere safe and suitable for their needs.

Having a national system would make decisions clearer and more consistent. It would help fix problems like differences between areas, poor co‑ordination, missing information and wasted time or resources. It would make the whole system work better for children; England and Northern Ireland already do this:

Model A: England’s model

In England, there is one main office where all secure care referrals are sent. This office shares each child’s information with all secure homes that have space. Each home then says whether they can take the child. The office does not choose the placement, but it helps organise the information. It also collects useful data so people can plan for the future and make sure children with more complex needs get the right support.

Model B: Northern Ireland’s model

Northern Ireland has one national team that watches over all secure care placements. They use a Multi‑Agency Panel made up of people from health, education, justice and social care. This panel decides if a child needs secure care, looks for other options first, chooses the best place for the child, and keeps track of data to help with planning. Independent advocates also take part to make sure decisions focus on what the child needs and wants.

6.3 Funding reform and nationalisation

Scotland is looking at different ways to pay for secure care. We could keep the current system where local councils pay but make improvements to the arrangements, mix national and local funding, or move to national funding or even a national service (nationalisation). Each option has pros and cons in terms of fairness, stability and flexibility.

Questions about national co‑ordination, a national placement mechanism and funding (Q19–Q25)

Q19. How can we make sure there is always a secure care place available when the law says a child must go there (for example, if the child is on remand or given a sentence)?

Q20. Should Scotland pay for some secure care places at a national level so there is always space when needed? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q21. Should Scotland have one national system to organise secure placements? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

If yes, what should it do? If no, what should Scotland do instead?

Q22. If a national system is created, which existing models should we learn from, and why?

Q23. Do you have any other ideas or comments about how a national system for organising secure care should work?

Q24. If we use a group of different professionals to help make decisions about children going into secure care, who should be in that group? Should people with care experience be part of it too? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?

Q25. Should secure care become a national service for all of Scotland in the future? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why?