Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 2A: Roles and responsibilities for child protection 67 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 Wider Planning Links 2.181 Child protection planning must fit within the wider planning processes in a local area, showing how child protection is integral to wider economic and social objectives. This must be evident through community and integrated children’s services planning, the national outcomes shared by national and local government, and the key national policy frameworks. The aim of community planning is to make sure people and communities are engaged in the decisions made about public services which affect them. 2.182 Scottish Government’s overarching objectives are set out in a National Performance Framework. Most of these objectives have direct and immediate relevance to the safety, security and life chances of children in Scotland. Public Health Priorities for Scotland (Scottish Government/COSLA, 2018) provides the focus for national improvements in healthy life expectancy, reduction of inequalities, and support for sustainable economic growth over the next ten years. 2.183 The specifics of local child protection planning and the responsibilities of Chief Officers and Child Protection Committees have been outlined above. Delivery of child protection is part of a continuum of inter-agency services for children and families informed by the GIRFEC policy and practice model. 2.184 Services protecting children and supporting their families are defined and influenced by a range of inter-related strategic plans. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 set out reforms to the way services for children and young people are designed, delivered and reviewed. As part of the Act, the Scottish Government provides statutory guidance (in Part 3) on Children’s Services Planning. The duties placed on local authorities and health boards under this part of the Act included provision of a Children’s Services Plan for which they have joint responsibility. For the purpose of Children’s Services Plans, a ‘child’ is a person under 18 years old or a care leaver aged 18-25 years old eligible to receive ‘children’s services’. 2.185 There are overlaps between the requirement to plan for children’s services and other related services, including duties included in Part 1 (Children’s Rights), Part 6 (Early Learning and Childcare) and Part 9 (Corporate Parenting) of the 2014 Act, as well as the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland Act) 2014, the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 (including young carers), and the Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013. There are duties to report under the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, which establishes a statutory National Improvement Framework. Local authorities and health boards must also jointly publish annual reports on what they have done and will do in order to reduce child poverty in the local area. 2.186 Each integration authority is also required to prepare an annual performance report on how the arrangements in the strategic plan are contributing to achieving the National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes. These reports are required to cover all services provided in the exercise of functions delegated to the integration authority, including, where applicable, children’s services. From the perspective of children’s services planning, the adult health and social care context is important because most children live in families with adults, and because the complex question of supporting good transitions to adult life and services needs shared perspective, resourcing, management and reporting.