Researchers call for changes to Scotland's care system
Fundamental changes need to be made to Scotland's care system as a matter of urgency, researchers have concluded following a study involving hundreds of children in foster care.
The study looked at improving the mental health of children aged up to five-years-old in foster and kinship care.
It found authoritative and consistent oversight of a child's journey through the care system was crucial in safeguarding children's wellbeing.
The researchers believe better and quicker decisions would be made if a single sheriff or expert oversaw a child's journey through care proceedings.
The study by University of Glasgow in partnership with NSPCC and other universities was the largest of its kind, involving 488 children and their families from Glasgow and London.
READ MORE:
Swinney urged to act in bid to reverse near-record alcohol deaths
'We cannot allow our social care system to fall into further disrepair'
The staggering cost of poverty and hardship on Scotland's economy revealed
Helen Minnis, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, said: 'We know infant mental health interventions work well in many circumstances, and our study targeted the children who most need these services.
'Yet, our study showed it was impossible to deliver infant mental health services to these children because of failings in our systems.
'Short timescales in England affected families' ability to access treatment.
'Yet in Scotland, with no legal timescales, we found there were significant delays and drift in the care system, having an unacceptable impact on young children's mental health and also creating massive unnecessary costs to the Scottish economy.
'It is urgent that changes are made to the care system in the UK so that young children in foster care, and their families, can receive the help they need.'
Matt Forde, NSPCC partnerships and development director, said: 'Sadly, children in foster care are more likely to have mental health difficulties.
'Experiences of abuse and neglect are part of this, and what happens once a child is in care can also affect their mental health.
'Our first relationships and experiences are the building blocks of our wellbeing and development.
'Providing early mental health support for infants and their parents and foster carers, helps build trusting relationships between the child and the adults caring for them.
'This can break down barriers and help parents better understand their child's experiences and find new ways to connect.
'Such services need to be an integral part of the social care and family justice system, so recommendations from treatment can properly inform life-changing decisions for these children.
'For that to be made possible, it is crucial that we have clear authoritative leadership at every stage of a child's journey through the care system to make sure timely decisions are made.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Tories propose 'Scottish first' approach to medical training
The new proposals were unveiled as party members gathered in Edinburgh for their annual conference. READ MORE 'What we've got is Scottish students not getting jobs in Scotland and they are leaving across the world," Dr Gulhane said. 'The SNP was great at training doctors for Australia. It's an absolute disgrace.' He added: 'We would offer Scottish graduates first because they tend to stay, and more than that, they tend to stay where they're from. So if you're from an island or a rural area, you will want to go back to that place. That creates GPs in areas that we are desperate for.' Dr Gulhane also unveiled a plan for a 'seven-day-a-week GP-led service', supported by targeted investment in the NHS's core funding mechanism for general practices. 'We would create a seven-day-a-week GP service,' he said. 'We have this unique position where we have unemployed GPs, and yet everyone wants to see a GP. 'We literally have unemployed GPs, so we would start actually using the capacity that was there.' He said his party would 'put money into Global Sum specifically ring-fenced for additional GP appointments.' 'So an example I always give is if you've got a urine infection, it's not an emergency, but you need to get seen,' he said. 'If you can't get a GP appointment during the day, you will call up NHS24 because it hurts, it's uncomfortable and whilst you're not desperately unwell, you deserve to get treated. 'But if I've created more capacity in GP, you will get treated in GP, which means you're not calling NHS24, which means urgent and emergency patients get through. And they get seen by a GP.' He added: 'There are going to be people who spill over, and there's going to be people who need to be seen urgently in the evening and I, as a practising GP, understand that, and I'm creating a policy that makes sense. 'So we would put more money into NHS24. And that is, again, ring-fenced, specifically for GP appointments.' Dr Gulhane said he wanted to see a shift toward early intervention in healthcare to reduce pressure on hospitals and specialist services. 'It saves us money because if you're a bit sad and you come to see me and I get on top of that and I help you and I get you into, say, a talking therapy and we solve your being a bit sad, you're not going to be depressed,' he said. 'Depression and sadness are very different things, but I can treat you early and I can get on top of the problem early, which means you don't progress in needing secondary care.'
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
Adam Webb: Health battle, 49ers impact, Championship 'reset'
In September, weeks after he purchased the club, the 54-year-old temporarily stepped back from the chair to undergo invasive treatment for cancer of the neck and the head. Far from adding to his health issues, a futile battle to prevent relegation from the SPFL Premiership proved a useful and welcome distraction. Watching football helped to take his mind off chemotherapy, radiation and the efforts to save his life. 'You don't know how something like that is going to affect you,' he tells Herald Sport now. 'You might think, 'that's gonna happen and I'm just going to forget all about football.' Read more: 'Luckily, St Johnstone actually proved a great distraction from my health problem. 'I was dealing with that for six months or thereabouts. I was aware of the cancer in the summer but I didn't start treatment until September and received a cancer free scan in late January. 'I ratcheted back my involvement in the day to day operations of the club, just because I worried that would caused anxiety or hurt my sleep and be counter productive to my health. 'But I watched all the games and that was a great distraction in-fact. It was something to take my mind off things and get passionate about even though, unfortunately, we were not winning most of our games. 'I'm sure that did cause some anxiety from time to time but on the whole you have to accept that, when you have this level of involvement in a football club, you can't turn it off. And, what's more, you don't want to turn it off.' A lawyer to trade Webb is one of the growing number of American investors exerting a growing influence on Scottish football. Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Hibernian and Livingston have all accepted sizeable financial assistance from the United States. And St Johnstone's chairman expects the arrival of Andrew Cavenagh and the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers at Rangers to take the Americanisation of the Scottish game to a whole new level. Projected to rejuvenate commercial revenue off the pitch while targeting a sustained challenge to Celtic on it, the full impact of the 49ers group on one of the nation's sporting institutions will be determined over time. A global sporting franchise, Webb believes the influence of vice-chairman Paraag Marathe and the 49ers on the fabric of the Scottish game to be significant. His only regret is that the financial spin-offs for St Johnstone will be less than they would have been had the Perth club avoided relegation and retained place in the top flight. 'I think change is inevitably going to happen because people like the 49ers take things to a whole different level,' the Saints chairman told Herald Sport. 'They have huge marketing departments behind them and people they can call upon to come in and do more global branding and be tied in with more incredible events. 'Then you have Bill Foley and his operation, which not only has Bournemouth but also a very successful hockey club in the United States. 'So I think that a growing influence is going to happen and it's probably going to be unavoidable because of those massive international multi-club owning entities which are now involved.' While there is no good season for a club to be relegated, St Johnstone's drop through the trap door is poorly timed. Manager Simo Valakari has just spent three days with Webb in Atlanta plotting a reset of the squad and operations, with cost economies on the horizon to offset an anticipated annual loss of up to £2million. Prepared to absorb the losses in the short term Webb wants to trim the waste to avoid creating a black hole and plans to 'think outside of the box' in a quest to get the club back to the top flight in a sustainable and challenging condition. Buoyed by the arrival of more American investment in the national game the Saints owner is enthused by the job ahead. 'I think it's a great challenge. We have to do a lot of things differently, so it really is a reset, a refresh. 'However you want to characterise it we have to tighten our belt because revenues are going to be way down. 'TV revenue, UEFA solidarity revenue, FIFA revenue, league revenue. That's all way down, so we have to tighten the belt and look at all the expenditure. 'We have to come up with new sources of revenue and excitement and we have some things in that area. 'We have added a digital scoreboard, we have added sideline LED panels, we have started a matchday fan-zone. 'If we have our way we will eventually be selling beer in our fan zone before every home game. 'We'll have more hospitality areas that can do more to upsell and get people to spend more time and more money at McDiarmid Park. 'So we are doing all that we can do, but I think that it's gonna happen across Scotland. 'And I think the reason it's gonna happen is because you now have these really well established global sporting brands coming into the SPFL now and I think that's going to lift us all. 'I'm not intimidated by it. Okay, I am intimidated by it, but I'm not scared. 'The big picture is that it's a net positive. Even though the task of competing with these teams and these brands is intimidating it's still going to be a rising tide that is going to lift all boats.' Facing their first season without Premiership football in 16 years St Johnstone are evaluating what comes next. Plans for the future revolve around a quick return to the top flight, with manager Simo Valakari set to play a central role. July 12 and the first Premier Sports Cup tie – away to newly promoted East Kilbride – is already marked in the chairman's diary. 'Simo was just here in Atlanta. He spent three nights in Atlanta with his wife. 'And so we had a lot of meetings here and he is a unique element of Scottish football, to my way of thinking. 'I haven't seen anyone else like him in the game. He is open, transparent, fun loving, energetic and knows his football. 'He had a great playing career and a great coaching career. We haven't seen the benefits yet at St Johnstone but nearly everyone I speak with is confident that Simo is the right man for the job. 'And so, even though we got relegated, there were no calls for him to go. I didn't see any calls for Simo to get sacked and even if there had been we wouldn't have sacked him anyway because I feel like you have to give a gaffer a chance to put their own squad around them.' Webb returns to Scotland on July 11, when he will have dinner with his predecessor Geoff Brown, St Johnstone's irascible custodian for three decades. Describing Brown as a 'legend' the American still marvels at the way he ran the club as a sustainable entity for so long. 'I think we have been public that we will have a nearly £2million revenue shortfall,' he admits. 'Obviously we are making some cuts and trimming and belt tightening to hopefully avoid losing as much as £2million. 'But we will have a substantial loss this season and if we go back up we will the belt tightened and we will have a new streamlined operation."
The Herald Scotland
9 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Adam Webb: Health battle, 49ers impact, Championship 'reset'
Far from adding to his health issues, a futile battle to prevent relegation from the SPFL Premiership proved a useful and welcome distraction. Watching football helped to take his mind off chemotherapy, radiation and the efforts to save his life. 'You don't know how something like that is going to affect you,' he tells Herald Sport now. 'You might think, 'that's gonna happen and I'm just going to forget all about football.' Read more: 'Luckily, St Johnstone actually proved a great distraction from my health problem. 'I was dealing with that for six months or thereabouts. I was aware of the cancer in the summer but I didn't start treatment until September and received a cancer free scan in late January. 'I ratcheted back my involvement in the day to day operations of the club, just because I worried that would caused anxiety or hurt my sleep and be counter productive to my health. 'But I watched all the games and that was a great distraction in-fact. It was something to take my mind off things and get passionate about even though, unfortunately, we were not winning most of our games. 'I'm sure that did cause some anxiety from time to time but on the whole you have to accept that, when you have this level of involvement in a football club, you can't turn it off. And, what's more, you don't want to turn it off.' A lawyer to trade Webb is one of the growing number of American investors exerting a growing influence on Scottish football. Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Hibernian and Livingston have all accepted sizeable financial assistance from the United States. And St Johnstone's chairman expects the arrival of Andrew Cavenagh and the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers at Rangers to take the Americanisation of the Scottish game to a whole new level. Projected to rejuvenate commercial revenue off the pitch while targeting a sustained challenge to Celtic on it, the full impact of the 49ers group on one of the nation's sporting institutions will be determined over time. A global sporting franchise, Webb believes the influence of vice-chairman Paraag Marathe and the 49ers on the fabric of the Scottish game to be significant. His only regret is that the financial spin-offs for St Johnstone will be less than they would have been had the Perth club avoided relegation and retained place in the top flight. 'I think change is inevitably going to happen because people like the 49ers take things to a whole different level,' the Saints chairman told Herald Sport. 'They have huge marketing departments behind them and people they can call upon to come in and do more global branding and be tied in with more incredible events. 'Then you have Bill Foley and his operation, which not only has Bournemouth but also a very successful hockey club in the United States. 'So I think that a growing influence is going to happen and it's probably going to be unavoidable because of those massive international multi-club owning entities which are now involved.' While there is no good season for a club to be relegated, St Johnstone's drop through the trap door is poorly timed. Manager Simo Valakari has just spent three days with Webb in Atlanta plotting a reset of the squad and operations, with cost economies on the horizon to offset an anticipated annual loss of up to £2million. Prepared to absorb the losses in the short term Webb wants to trim the waste to avoid creating a black hole and plans to 'think outside of the box' in a quest to get the club back to the top flight in a sustainable and challenging condition. Buoyed by the arrival of more American investment in the national game the Saints owner is enthused by the job ahead. 'I think it's a great challenge. We have to do a lot of things differently, so it really is a reset, a refresh. 'However you want to characterise it we have to tighten our belt because revenues are going to be way down. 'TV revenue, UEFA solidarity revenue, FIFA revenue, league revenue. That's all way down, so we have to tighten the belt and look at all the expenditure. 'We have to come up with new sources of revenue and excitement and we have some things in that area. 'We have added a digital scoreboard, we have added sideline LED panels, we have started a matchday fan-zone. 'If we have our way we will eventually be selling beer in our fan zone before every home game. 'We'll have more hospitality areas that can do more to upsell and get people to spend more time and more money at McDiarmid Park. 'So we are doing all that we can do, but I think that it's gonna happen across Scotland. 'And I think the reason it's gonna happen is because you now have these really well established global sporting brands coming into the SPFL now and I think that's going to lift us all. 'I'm not intimidated by it. Okay, I am intimidated by it, but I'm not scared. 'The big picture is that it's a net positive. Even though the task of competing with these teams and these brands is intimidating it's still going to be a rising tide that is going to lift all boats.' Facing their first season without Premiership football in 16 years St Johnstone are evaluating what comes next. Plans for the future revolve around a quick return to the top flight, with manager Simo Valakari set to play a central role. July 12 and the first Premier Sports Cup tie – away to newly promoted East Kilbride – is already marked in the chairman's diary. 'Simo was just here in Atlanta. He spent three nights in Atlanta with his wife. 'And so we had a lot of meetings here and he is a unique element of Scottish football, to my way of thinking. 'I haven't seen anyone else like him in the game. He is open, transparent, fun loving, energetic and knows his football. 'He had a great playing career and a great coaching career. We haven't seen the benefits yet at St Johnstone but nearly everyone I speak with is confident that Simo is the right man for the job. 'And so, even though we got relegated, there were no calls for him to go. I didn't see any calls for Simo to get sacked and even if there had been we wouldn't have sacked him anyway because I feel like you have to give a gaffer a chance to put their own squad around them.' Webb returns to Scotland on July 11, when he will have dinner with his predecessor Geoff Brown, St Johnstone's irascible custodian for three decades. Describing Brown as a 'legend' the American still marvels at the way he ran the club as a sustainable entity for so long. 'I think we have been public that we will have a nearly £2million revenue shortfall,' he admits. 'Obviously we are making some cuts and trimming and belt tightening to hopefully avoid losing as much as £2million. 'But we will have a substantial loss this season and if we go back up we will the belt tightened and we will have a new streamlined operation."
