Week by week guide

Our joint inspections of services for children at risk of harm last for around 22 weeks in total from the notification letter being received by the partnership being inspected to the report being published. The actual timespan may be longer if the period of the inspection includes school or public holidays.

Each inspection begins with a preparation stage, is then conducted over three phases, and concludes with a reporting stage. More information about what happens during each of these is available here:

• Preparation (weeks 1 - 7)
• Inspection phases (weeks 8 - 15)
• Reporting (weeks 16 - 22)

We will share information about the scope and process of the inspection and the rationale for this, during scheduled meetings with partnership representatives at the start of and during the inspection. We will discuss which scrutiny activities will best help us to clarify any areas of uncertainty.

• Introduction
• Key terms
• Resources and documents
• Further information

More information about the review

Exploring the delivery, experience and impact of services when young people are planning to leave care and after they have moved on.

We have now completed a thematic review of the experiences of young people leaving care in Scotland and the extent to which their rights are upheld.  The review was started in April 2024 and a final report was published on the 5 November 2024.

In 2021, the A Way Home Coalition published  Youth Homeless Prevention Pathway: Improving Care Leavers Housing Pathways. This paper highlighted the need for equality in provision of aftercare services, the importance of pathway planning and of reducing risks and crises for young people in Scotland. The following recommendation was made:

The Scottish Government should work with the Care Inspectorate to develop and undertake robust thematic integrated reviews of ‘transition services’ involving key stakeholders and providers (such as housing and accommodation and further and higher education) and Aftercare engagement up to 26.

Purpose of the review 

The review focussed on the experiences of young people aged between 16 and 26 who are, or have been, formally looked after and accommodated in foster care or care homes for children and young people. We were committed to seeking the views of young people about how they felt their rights were being upheld. It was carried out under Section 53 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

The review aimed to establish the following:

• The extent to which young people and their families are actively and meaningfully involved in all decisions about their continued care and have effective opportunities to influence service design and development.
• The extent to which young people’s lives are improving through high quality assessment, planning and support which enables them to live in stable and suitable accommodation which is right for them.
• How leaders ensure the effective delivery of services for young people who are either continuing to be cared for or are leaving care.

Although the statutory duties rest with the local authorities, the review took account of the roles of children’s services planning partners.

We have conducted the review in two phases.

Phase 1

• was based on self-reported information (through a ‘national survey’) provided by leaders and staff with responsibility for corporate parenting, and the local champions’ boards (or equivalent) of all 32 local authorities. 
• we undertook a literature review, including national research and publications, and additional published reports.
• we gathered feedback from focus groups with scrutiny partners, a professional interest group and regulated care service inspectors.
• we also took account of relevant national data. 

Phase 2

We offered children’s services partnerships in four local authority areas the opportunity to take part in phase two to support their development in this part of their work and help us better understand the experiences of young people in their area. Our intention was that these four areas would support our work in phase two which was made up of the following key elements:

• a focused meeting with the lead professionals for five selected young people in each area: combining a case discussion with access to records.
• individual meetings with the five young people
• focus groups of senior leaders, champions boards and corporate parenting boards.
• a review of relevant local documentation.

Reporting 

The thematic review concluded with the publication of a single national overview report, with individual feedback also given to each of the four participating areas.  While we were not evaluating partnerships on their performance, we have reported on what is working well across Scotland.  We have also reported on the current challenges for transition services; drawing on the perspectives of young people, families, and staff supporting care experienced young people.

• Final report
• Key messages (press release)

The lead for this review was Jackie Deas, supported by Elena Mills, Strategic Support Officer.

Privacy statement

Information about privacy

The thematic review is being carried out under Section 53 of the Public Services (Scotland) Reform Act 2010.

This legislation gives inspectors the power to interview staff, read records and speak with children, young people and their families.

• All personal information about children and their families is kept confidentially and stored in line with our data protection impact assessment which complies with General Data Protection Regulations.  The Care Inspectorate’s core privacy notice can be found here.
• All confidential information that requires to be shared is done so using a secure portal.  We will not accept information via email.  We will record all information using a unique reference number.
• When staff, children and families speak with us, we do not report directly on their individual opinions and experiences.  We instead collate these views and experiences with others and we never identify individuals in our reports.
• The only time we will disclose information is if we are worried about the safety of an individual or if we have serious concerns about practice. • Children, young people and families can choose whether or not, to speak with us. They also have the choice about whether to speak with us alone or with someone they trust.

More information about the review

What will we do?

Between July 2024 and December 2024 we will carry out a review that will focus on social work governance and assurance in Scotland.  We will answer the following question.

How well do social work governance and assurance arrangements support leaders to:

• Ensure statutory duties are carried out safely and effectively?
• Enable social work staff to be supported, accountable and effective in their practice?
• Assist social work staff to uphold core social work values? 

What is the purpose of the review?

The purpose of the review is to add to the understanding of the role, remit, effectiveness and the current challenges facing social work services. We will do this by exploring the impact of governance and assurance arrangements. The review will:

• highlight the areas of influence for chief social worker officers, principal social workers and other key social work leaders as they provide governance and assurance
• explore the support and assistance provided by leaders and managers to encourage staff to uphold social work values in practice
• identify and disseminate information about what is working well
• recognise the challenges faced by local leaders and staff across the country and identify areas where improvement is required.

How will we do this?

A team of strategic inspectors from the Care Inspectorate will carry out the review. The scope of the review is relative to the current pressures currently being experienced by the sector. It is designed to be mindful of the impact on those leading and working in social work services.  We will take a collaborative, flexible and supportive approach when working with local areas. Each area is asked to nominate a co-ordinator to act as a main point of contact for the review.  The timeline below (figure 1) illustrates the core tasks being undertaken through the review. The key dates are outlined below.

How will we report our findings?

The review will conclude in December 2024. Using the principles of the European Framework for Quality Management (EFQM) model, we will analyse all of the information gathered systematically and will draw together messages for the sector.  A national report will be published on our website in March 2025. We will also use other methods, such as webinars, to share the learning from the review. 

For more information, please visit our website here. 

Review timeline

Figure 1: Review timeline

Details about the review timeline

Key definitions

Some definitions to clarify the remit of the review:

By governance and assurance we mean: A robust system for assuring high standards in the delivery of safe, personalised and effective social work services [adapted from the definition in “Governance for quality social care in Scotland” SWS 2018]

By statutory duties we mean: those outlined in the “Role of the registered social worker in statutory interventions: guidance for Local Authorities” in relation to the wide range of statutory duties across children’s, adults and justice social work services [source: Role of registered social worker in statutory interventions: guidance for Local Authorities SG 2010].

By social work staff we mean: social workers and other staff employed to fulfil or support the delivery of statutory social work duties such as occupational therapists, paraprofessionals (social work assistants and justice assistants). For the purposes of this review, we will not involve staff who work in registered services (such as residential care home staff, housing support staff or similar), because they are already involved in inspections of regulated services.  

By core social work values we mean: those outlined in the SSSC code of practice (May 2024) underpinned by the ethical principles of human rights and dignity, social justice and professional integrity [source: BASW Code of Ethics 2021]