How many children have been referred to children's hearings in each of the last six years as a result of their parents' inability to care f…

Children are referred to the Children’s Reporter on the basis of grounds contained within section 52 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, for example parental neglect, not on the factors which underlie the referral. Data on parental substance abuse is therefore not collated centrally.
However, among other publications a Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) research report On the Right Track contains information on the characteristics of parents of children involved in the Fast Track hearings pilot
(Bib. number 36165). Another SCRA Research report Social Backgrounds of Children Referred to the Reporter looked at the social background of 100 children’s files from Glasgow, Inverclyde and Aberdeenshire. That report found that within these files 39% demonstrated parental problem alcohol abuse, while 35%contained evidence of parental misuse of drugs. A copy of the report is availablefrom the SCRA website: http://www.scra.gov.uk.