Committee News Release
CED 002/2004
Thursday 8 July 2004
EDUCATION COMMITTEE CALLS FOR FASTER TURNAROUND ON CHILD PROTECTION DISCLOSURE
In a report published today, the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee has expressed concern over the performance of Disclosure Scotland in managing the reporting of criminal histories to employers and voluntary organisations where job applicants are seeking to work with children.
The Committee is insistent that Ministers ensure that disclosure turnaround times decrease quickly to meet Disclosure Scotland’s target of 90 per cent of properly completed applications being processed within 14 days.
Evidence to the Committee during its inquiry suggests that, in some cases, significant delays of up to 12 weeks are being experienced.
The Committee’s report also expresses concern that while long term initiatives have been taken to address the national shortage of social workers, staffing difficulties remain in the short to medium term.
While the Committee commends the steady progress being made by the Scottish Executive in reforming Scotland ’s child protection system, it nevertheless cautions that it is too early to judge the success of the overall reform programme.
Education Committee Convener Robert Brown said:
“Disclosure Scotland has a vital role to play in protecting children. It has to operate thoroughly but it also has to operate quickly. Our Committee is insistent that Ministers must ensure that turnaround times decrease quickly so that Disclosure Scotland meets its target of processing 90 per cent of applications within 14 days.
“We are also concerned that this target neglects 10 per cent of disclosure applications, and propose that for these there should be a time limit of one month, after which clearance should not be given unless very clear and robust procedures are in place to protect children and vulnerable adults.
“Our Committee intends to maintain pressure on the Executive to ensure that Disclosure Scotland performs at the highest possible level. As our report concludes, there is too much at stake for it to fail.”
Bichard Inquiry
The Committee’s report was in the final stages of completion when the report of the Bichard inquiry into the Soham murders was published.
The Committee will consider the recommendations of Bichard inquiry in the autumn together with the Scottish Executive’s response to its own report. It intends to seek regular updates from the Scottish Executive and those with ‘on the ground’ experience of child protection on how the reform programme is progressing.
Social Workers
On social workers, the Committee’s report noted that although individual initiatives to increase the number of social workers may be useful, resources must not be diverted form the core work of protecting the most vulnerable children. The report also noted that short to medium term staffing difficulties would be compounded without a review of recruitment criteria, training, remuneration and career progression.
Robert Brown added:
“The Executive has taken significant steps in implementing the recommendations contained within the report ‘It’s Everybody’s Job to Make Sure I’m Alright’ and in reforming the child protection system in Scotland , but to date these have inevitably been at a high level.
“This momentum must not be lost, but there needs to be translation into real change on the ground. One of the biggest challenges in protecting children is ensuring that all the organisations who touch children’s lives work together.
“There are thousands of dedicated and motivated people in a variety of organisations working to protect children. We have to make sure that the effectiveness of their efforts is maximised. Children falling between the cracks because of institutional boundaries is not acceptable.”
Background Notes
The Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee’s report follows its inquiry into the Scottish Executive’s implementation of the seventeen recommendations contained in the report ‘It’s Everybody’s Job To Make Sure I’m Alright’ report which was published in November 2002.
The full text of the Committee’s report is available on the Parliament’s website.
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