Written Question · S5W-00494 · Session 5
What assessment or reviews of the running of child contact centres it has (a) carried out and (b) plans.
The question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment or reviews of the running of child contact centres it has (a) carried out and (b) plans.
The answer
The then Scottish Executive published three research publications focused on child contact centres on 24 March 2004. The publications were:
Scottish Child Contact Centres: Characteristics of Centre Users and Centre Staff. This report described the characteristics of families using Scottish child contact centres and the role of staff working in the centre.
Building Bridges? Expectations and Experiences of Child Contact Centres in Scotland. This report examined users’ and workers’ expectations and experiences of child contact centres.
Child Contact Centres in Scotland – Research Findings. This report drew together the key findings from the two studies described above.
The reports can be found here:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Justice/law/17867/familylawresearch
In 2010 the Scottish Government published research on Understanding Child Contact Cases in Scottish Sheriff Courts. This research included child contact centres and noted that “all the sheriffs we spoke to had found contact centres to be an important resource, particularly where they had had concerns about the non-resident parent’s ability to care for the child.” The relevant section of the research can be found here:
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/12/08145916/8 (paragraphs 5.19 to 5.22).
Since then, the Scottish Government has worked closely with Relationships Scotland in relation to child contact centres. The Relationships Scotland Network is the largest provider of child contact centres in the country, supporting the running of 46 child contact centres across Scotland, helping around 2,000 children each year to remain in contact with their non-resident parent.
Relationships Scotland and its 22 member services receive financial support from the Scottish Government which is broadly equivalent to around 40% of total annual running costs. Relationships Scotland therefore reports to the Scottish Government on how this investment has been spent, including full details of finance, statistics, outcomes, training, continuing professional development, national standards, policies and procedures and the role that the network plays in responding to issues such as domestic abuse and child protection.
Scottish Child Contact Centres: Characteristics of Centre Users and Centre Staff. This report described the characteristics of families using Scottish child contact centres and the role of staff working in the centre.
Building Bridges? Expectations and Experiences of Child Contact Centres in Scotland. This report examined users’ and workers’ expectations and experiences of child contact centres.
Child Contact Centres in Scotland – Research Findings. This report drew together the key findings from the two studies described above.
The reports can be found here:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Justice/law/17867/familylawresearch
In 2010 the Scottish Government published research on Understanding Child Contact Cases in Scottish Sheriff Courts. This research included child contact centres and noted that “all the sheriffs we spoke to had found contact centres to be an important resource, particularly where they had had concerns about the non-resident parent’s ability to care for the child.” The relevant section of the research can be found here:
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/12/08145916/8 (paragraphs 5.19 to 5.22).
Since then, the Scottish Government has worked closely with Relationships Scotland in relation to child contact centres. The Relationships Scotland Network is the largest provider of child contact centres in the country, supporting the running of 46 child contact centres across Scotland, helping around 2,000 children each year to remain in contact with their non-resident parent.
Relationships Scotland and its 22 member services receive financial support from the Scottish Government which is broadly equivalent to around 40% of total annual running costs. Relationships Scotland therefore reports to the Scottish Government on how this investment has been spent, including full details of finance, statistics, outcomes, training, continuing professional development, national standards, policies and procedures and the role that the network plays in responding to issues such as domestic abuse and child protection.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-00494 by reference.