Scottish Parliament Debate - Main Chamber
Additional Support for Learning - Wed 25 Sep 2024

Mentions:
1: McArthur, Liam (LD - Orkney Islands) , Children and Young People Committee, on additional support for learning. - Speech Link
2: Webber, Sue (Con - Lothian) I am delighted to be speaking on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee about our - Speech Link
3: Mackay, Gillian (Green - Central Scotland) young people with very high levels of additional needs, education providers for those with complex needs - Speech Link
4: Balfour, Jeremy (Con - Lothian) I am, however, grateful to the Education, Children and Young People Committee for its work on the report - Speech Link
5: McMillan, Stuart (SNP - Greenock and Inverclyde) I thank the Education, Children and Young People Committee for undertaking this work and producing this - Speech Link

Scottish Government Publication (Strategy/plan)
Energy and Climate Change Directorate
Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Chief Economist Directorate
Culture and Major Events Directorate
Economic Development Directorate
Environment and Forestry Directorate
External Affairs Directorate
International Trade and Investment Directorate
Learning Directorate
Lifelong Learning and Skills Directorate
Local Government and Housing Directorate
Marine Directorate
Performance, Delivery and Resilience Directorate
Population Health Directorate
Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate
Social Care and National Care Service Development

Sep. 25 2024

Source Page: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029
Document: Scottish National Adaptation Plan (2024-2029) (PDF)

Found: improvements in the mental health of the young people from a support group they worked with ( JHI,

Scottish Government Publication (Impact assessment)
Children and Families Directorate

Sep. 25 2024

Source Page: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment
Document: Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) for the Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029 (PDF)

Found: This provision will help reduce disruption to the education of children and young people during extreme

Scottish Government Publication (Impact assessment)
Energy and Climate Change Directorate

Sep. 25 2024

Source Page: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: Island Communities Impact Assessment
Document: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: Island Communities Impact Assessment (PDF)

Found: the Carbon Neutral Islands Project also identified availability of affordable housing as a barrier to young

Scottish Government Publication (Impact assessment)
Energy and Climate Change Directorate
Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate

Sep. 25 2024

Source Page: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: Joint Equalities Impact Assessment and Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment
Document: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029: Joint Equalities Impact Assessment and Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (PDF)

Found: to meet the financial costs of other adaptation measures.

Scottish Parliament Written Question

S6W-29885

Wednesday 25th September 2024

Asked by: MacGregor, Fulton (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge and Chryston)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to young people who have been involved in serious offending, particularly those who are at risk of being placed in secure care, and how it supports the families of these young people.  

Answered by None

The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities, third sector partners and all other agencies involved in supporting children and young people involved with the criminal justice system. This includes support for parents and carers. This collaborative approach ensures that a broad range of expertise and resources are brought together to address the needs of young people holistically. By partnering with organisations that provide specialised services such as mental health support, family counselling, and education, the Scottish Government ensures that young people receive the targeted interventions they need to prevent reoffending and to successfully reintegrate into society.

This includes organisations such as Cyrenians and Aberlour, which receive funding through the Cashback for Communities programme. Cyrenians’ Keeping Families Together project works across Scotland in partnership with Scotland’s four secure centres, offering mediation, whole family support and conflict resolution workshops. The approach enables young people and families to improve communication, address underlying issues and build stronger, more positive relationship.

Aberlour’s project, Alternative Routes #CashBack, supports young people aged 10-25 and their families most at risk of being involved in antisocial behaviour, offending or reoffending. They use a whole system approach involving the whole family and community, which improves confidence in young people and provides them with opportunities to connect, flourish and achieve at home, school, and in the community.

Includem’s ADAPT project – funded through the Scottish Government’s Whole Family Wellbeing Fund – also focuses on young people who are in conflict or at risk of being in conflict with the law. The project works with young people and their families to help them navigate a way out of a variety of difficult circumstances by diverting them from the criminal behaviour and a resultant trajectory into the criminal justice system.

The Scottish Government also funds the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ), who work closely with a number of organisations providing a range of support services to both children and their parents and carers. This includes local authority practitioners, Police Scotland and third sector organisations such as Action for Children, Includem and Barnardos.

As part of their Promise implementation work, CYCJ is leading a project to engage directly with parents of children in conflict with the law. The aim of this is to develop a network of parents who can participate in the development of policy and practice. In order to reach these parents CYCJ is actively engaging with existing parenting networks such as Parenting Across Scotland and Families Outside.

The Scottish Government also ensure that child victims and their families are offered trauma-informed and person-centred support and advocacy through the Victim-Centred Approach Fund and the development of a Bairns’ Hoose model in Scotland.

The Intensive Support Monitoring and Supervision (ISMS) programme is a key component of Scotland’s youth justice system, aimed at providing an alternative to secure care or custody for young people (typically between the ages of 12 and 18) who are at high risk of reoffending or presenting significant risks to themselves or others. ISMS combines electronic monitoring (such as tagging) with intensive support services, including:

• Structured supervision with regular check-ins and monitoring by social workers or case managers.
• Individualised interventions including tailored programmes focusing on addressing offending behaviour, mental health, substance abuse, or other personal challenges.
• Support with education and employment including assistance in engaging with school, vocational training, or employment to foster personal development and reduce reoffending risks.
• Family support with efforts to involve and support the family in the rehabilitation process.

This programme allows young people involved in offending behaviour to remain in their communities under strict conditions, while receiving the support needed to change their behaviour, rather than being placed in a secure unit or prison. ISMS is considered a more rehabilitative and community-based approach to managing serious offending.

Where a child is placed in secure accommodation, centres will utilise a range of interventions, supports and strategies to meet their needs, ensure their safety is maintained and risk is managed. Throughout a child’s stay in secure care they will be supported to participate in education; interventions identified as part of their Child’s Plan; with required health supports and recreational, leisure and social activities.

In terms of direct financial support, the Scottish Government’s policy towards local authority spending is to allow each local authority the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of local authority funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is then for individual local authorities to manage their own budgets. They allocate the total financial resources available to them, including support for youth work, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.