QMU Professor Emerita Brigid Daniel oversees major research study to inform children services reform in Scotland

By Press Office

A major research study to inform children’s services reform in Scotland, overseen by QMU’s Professor Emerita Brigid Daniel, has published its concluding report.

Today (13 December 2023) the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS), based at the University of Strathclyde, has completed the Children Services Reform Research study, with the research team publishing its concluding report.

The research study was supported by an Independent Steering Group chaired by Professor Brigid Daniel, Professor Emerita of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, who said:

"The most important message from this research lies in the emphasis placed on the importance of building and maintaining effective working relationships with children and families. Any proposed structure needs to be tested against this guiding principle."
"Improvement requires commitment, consistency and persistence that is driven by collective determination to see the changes through. Organisations in Scotland have not been standing still. There have been many initiatives aimed at improving services, including a considerable amount of structural reform that has led to children's and adult's health and social care services being integrated in different ways. With such a committed workforce, a strong foundation is already in place. The evidence also shows that improvements have been made already. Future changes should not derail current effective reforms in which time and resources have already been invested. As shown in the international evidence, reform takes time to bed in, and needs to flow from a clear vision supported by effective national, regional and local leadership."
Professor Emerita, Brigid Daniel, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

The Children’s Services Reform Research study was asked for by the Scottish Government to improve understanding of service delivery models and their effectiveness in meeting the needs of children and their families. This research will inform the Scottish Government’s decision about the future of children’s services in light of the introduction of the proposed new National Care Service in Scotland.

The research involved examining changes to structural arrangements supporting children’s social care and health services in Scotland and around the world, the experiences of the workforces involved in providing support, and analysing what factors help or hinder the ability to meet the needs of children, young people and their families.

Read a news release from CELCIS about the concluding report, and access the Report

 

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