Developing a Community -Led Women's Space : A Person Centred Approach

This is the fourth in a series of short thematic summaries in which we share what we have heard and learnt from the people that have taken part in our research into The Robertson Trust's Women's Centre Programme. This thematic summary reports on the development of the women's space within the pre-existing community-led organisation, 'Lochaber Hope', in Fort William. It provides an overview of the context to and operation of Lochaber Hope, and elaborates their ethos, vision and approach to delivery. Thereafter it explores the dynamics and effects of participation in Lochaber Hope, before outlining the origins, development and evolution of the women's space therein

Reframing the Space : From a Community-Led Women's Space to a Women-Led Community Space

This is the fifth in a series of short thematic summaries in which we share what we have heard and learnt from the people that have taken part in our research into The Robertson Trust's Women’s Centre Programme. This thematic summary builds on our third thematic summary which reflected on both processes of delivery and dynamics of participation in Heart and Soul, but is designed to capture the transition from Heart and Soul (as documented in Issue 3) to Heart and Soul Hub, and thus the revised approach and divergent aims, rather than the impacts and outcomes of the original model, as previously reported. In so doing, it provides an overview of the journey of Heart and Soul from its inception, to its transition to Heart and Soul Hub, noting the changes to the physical space, governance and approach, the dynamics of participation, and its contribution to the community

Inclusion as Prevention

Inclusion as Prevention is an innovative system change project in South Lanarkshire. Funded by the Lottery, with partners including Action for Children, South Lanarkshire Council and Dartington Design Lab and ourselves at CYCJ. The project aims to test out what happens when you meaningfully include those who are most often excluded, and explore whether this can lead to a reduction in negative outcomes. This Info Sheet, written by Fern Gillon, outlines the research and evidence which inspired the project and underpins its ethos, highlighting the complexities of working in prevention and early intervention and the opportunities it presents for system change. It reiterates well established learning that is often difficult to put into practice due to the complexity and scale of the forces that work against change, constraints like budgets and long established processes and ways of working

Children's rights in children's hearings : the impact of Covid-19

The Scottish Children’s Hearings System makes life-changing decisions regarding the care and protection of children up to 18 years of age referred due to a need for support – because of offending behaviour or a risk to their physical or emotional safety. In March 2020, due to the Covid-19 crisis, Hearings underwent one of the most significant changes since their inception - using an online conferencing platform (‘virtual hearings’),. Due to restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, between the 23rd of March and 10th July 2020 no face-to-face Children’s Hearings took place. Initially, only Hearings required for the urgent and immediate protection of a child were convened, and these were attended only by reporters and panel members. These Hearings were not attended by other individuals and agencies who would typically be present, such as the child or young person, parents, family, and social work or other agencies. Legislation also modified some procedural elements of Hearings: including gender balance and number of hearings, and removing the obligation for children, yp, and relevant persons to attend

Prioritising Prevention? Opportunities and Barriers to Inclusion, Prevention and Early Intervention in Scottish Youth Justice

The Inclusion as Prevention (IAP) project aims to support the re-design of services for children involved in offending, or at risk of negative outcomes, and their families – by shifting from the often acute and crisis driven approach, to providing earlier support when they are risk of becoming involved. It is not about developing another system or reinventing the wheel; rather, it is about fundamental system change. This may involve rethinking how services are delivered or the introduction of new services and supports. The aim of this scoping study was to gain an understanding of the picture of prevention in youth justice across Scotland. Representatives from 15 areas took part in an informal semi-structured interview and were identified through CYCJ’s practice development work in the area of Early and Effective Intervention (EEI). The report is a reflection of the themes which have emerged from those interviews

(Re)moving exclusions: School exclusion reduction in Glasgow and London

School exclusion reduction in Scotland—and especially in the city of Glasgow—has received substantial media and policy attention in recent years. In London in particular, multiple governmental agencies have explicitly expressed a desire to replicate the exclusion reduction which recently occurred in Glasgow, often citing the connection between school exclusion and violence as a key motivating factor. In this paper, after presenting the statistical trends in school exclusions in Scotland, England, Glasgow and London, we mobilise original interview data to (1) explain how school exclusion reduction occurred so rapidly in Glasgow between 2007 and 2019, and (2) explore whether a similar reduction in exclusions could occur in contemporary London. We apply a theoretical framework to these issues which derives from Peters’ work on policy coordination, allowing us to compare the conditions in Glasgow and London for well‐coordinated pan‐city exclusion reduction. Building on previous research which has contrasted national school exclusion policies in Scotland and England, we conclude that policy conditions surrounding school exclusion in the two cities differ substantially. There are substantial barriers to significant exclusion reduction in London, relating to both city‐ and national‐level factors. There barriers include competition between different agencies working in relevant policy spaces; the fragmentation of the city's education system; the need for better incentivisation of inclusion by Ofsted and the Department for Education; and particular challenges to reframing the issue of school exclusion in London

Here and Now : An Evaluation of Barnardo's Trauma, Bereavement and Loss Service in Schools

In the United Kingdom it is estimated that 92% of young people will experience a bereavement of a 'close' relationship that includes family, friends and pets, before the age of 16 (Harrison & Harrington, 2001). In Scotland, a more recent survey found that 79% of secondary school pupils, aged 12 to 17 years, have experienced the death of someone important to them (Del Carpio, Rasmussen, & Paul, 2018).Bereavement during childhood is therefore a majority experience, yet whilst it may be a universal part of growing up, experiencing a death can also be a major life event that places a young person at increased risk of a range of negative outcomes. For example, it is suggested that bereaved young people are at greater risk of developing depressive symptoms (Harrison & Harrington, 2001), being abused (Cross, 2002) and teenage pregnancy (Sweeting, West, & Richards, 1998). Vulnerable populations of young people, such as those involved in offending, are also more likely than the general population to have experienced multiple, parental or traumatic bereavements (Finlay & Jones, 2000; Vaswani, 2008; Vaswani, 2014)

Delivering a Community-led Women's Space : Reflecting on Participation

This Thematic Summary presents findings from the delivery of the women’s initiative in Cumnock, Heart and Soul, three years into the project, and one year following the opening of the physical space in which Heart and Soul is situated. The summary focuses specifically on issues around participation, inclusion and exclusion. The Robertson Trust commissioned the University of Strathclyde to carry out this research. The aim of this Thematic Summary is to share findings with others interested in similar approaches