Human Trafficking: A Role for Youth and Criminal Justice Workers?

The illegal trading of people is a global problem, thought to be the third largest illegal trade after drugs and weapons smuggling. Scotland is not immune from the issue of human trafficking and a number of government initiatives and research reports have documented cases and responses, although knowledge and understanding remains limited. This paper briefly outlines the issue of trafficking, before discussing the potential role of youth and criminal justice workers in helping to identify and support victims in Scotland

Child Trafficking in Glasgow: The Views of Professionals

This is the second phase of research in Glasgow to explore the issue of child trafficking and establish a more robust evidence base about the backgrounds, characteristics, exploitation and experiences of trafficked children. Sixteen experienced front line professionals and managers were interviewed to ascertain their perceptions and views, both positive developments and the barriers to effective practice

Child Trafficking in Glasgow: Report of a Social Work Case File Analysis of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

This research is the first phase of work in Glasgow to explore the prevalence of child trafficking in the city and to establish a knowledge base about children who may have been trafficked. A sample group of 75 unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) known to the social work asylum assessment team in 2007 was identified and data gathered via a two stage retrospective case file analysis. To address any immediate practical, ethical and child protection issues a multi-agency steering group guided the research. The sample consisted of 38 females and 37 males, aged between 12 and 17 on their first contact with social work services in Glasgow

Youth justice at the interface : the development of a multi-professional team in a multi-agency partnership

This thesis investigates the development of a multi-professional youth justice team in Falkirk,Central Scotland, established following the Scottish Executive (2000) Youth Crime Review. The contribution of the multi-professional team was examined in relation to the potential benefits of having a range of professionals in one team operating in broader partnership arrangements. The extent that these arrangements facilitated implementation of evidence-based practice was also explored. Local strategy was analysed as a constituent of national policy, as Scotland began to develop a youth justice system containing aspects of the `Third Way' corporatist, managerial model evident in England and Wales. The multi-professional youth justice project of Connect was the focus of the thesis, although close multi-agency networks necessitated analysis of wider partnership arrangements. Employing a multi-methods case study approach maximised the available data and provided a rich understanding of the context and processes of local policy development. Interviews with a range of stakeholders in the Falkirk area constituted the primary data source, supported by observation of the working arrangements, document analysis and secondary statistical data. Elements of action research allowed ongoing data to be utilised by Falkirk Council to develop service provision while the research progressed. Findings are examined in relation to the wider theoretical implications of adopting a `what works' agenda in a youth justice system that has, for over thirty years, been predicated on a diversionary welfare principle. The arrangements in Falkirk may provide a model for multiprofessional youth justice work that does not embrace a centralised, punitive agenda. The research indicated that a multi-professional project could make a positive contribution to wider multi-agency arrangements, supporting the government aims of increased partnership working. It also suggested that operational developments, facilitated by practitioners in a bottom-up approach, could implement change capable of delivering services utilised and appreciated by service users, and meeting the standards set by the Scottish Executive. Further research will be necessary to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of specific partnership arrangements in reducing offending and improving the circumstances of young people. While the individual nature of local authority responses to the Youth Crime Review indicates that a national solution may not be desirable, the findings from Falkirk provide data about those factors that may facilitate or inhibit developments in partnership working, which is now part of the framework of youth justice provision in Scotland. Individual case studies can provide evidence that youth justice practice in Scotland can retain a local, child centred focus. Such evidence may halt further moves towards a `one size fits all' justice model, which predominates in England and Wales

Responding to unaccompanied minors in Scotland:policy and local authority perspectives

Following the provisions of the 2016 Immigration Act to permit the transfer of unaccompanied children the Scottish Government, COSLA, and local authorities have entered into negotiations with the Home Office to facilitate the arrival of children and young people to Scotland The present research sought to explore the capacity, experience and understanding of local authorities to provide a support system that can best ensure the wellbeing of children, as it has been suggested that outside of the large urban authorities there is limited experience of working with separated children.The study planned to conduct a survey across all 32 Scottish local authorities; undertake a qualitative analysis of key policy and guidance and to conduct focus group interviews with professionals in the field to explore in depth the findings of the first two stages. Due to access and engagement issues it was not possible to do focus group interviews. The findings of the report are based on the return of 14 questionnaires (44% of local authorities in Scotland) and a policy analysis of four key documents. As such the findings can be described as indicative, further work is required to explore further a number of the key issues identified.The Bacchian policy analysis indicated that some of the key guidance documents for local authorities and professionals are reluctant to engage with the more complex issues relating to children on the move, especially any reflection on the societal and geo-political reasons why children migrate in the first instance. Coupled with this there is also indication of language in documents that problematises routes of arrival that are not considered ‘legal’ and ‘safe’ thereby creating deserving and undeserving arrivals. Within the context of the documents there is concern that children are either characterised as either children or asylum seekers, when in fact they are both. While the guidance is useful for process and procedure, overall, the broader contextual analysis of children’s decisions to move is largely omitted, such that any ethical or sociological understanding of needs and responses is minimised.Local authorities are reporting higher numbers of unaccompanied children coming in to care with the number of local authorities who have over 10 in their care increasing; while official statistics are rarely published for the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Scotland, it is estimated that at present local authorities are looking after approximately 140 separated children. For those local authorities that have larger numbers of children, there is greater familiarity with the processes and procedures, both in relation to immigration and welfare issues and legislation. Across all authorities there is some inconsistency in guidance consulted, with little indication of specific guidance in relation to unaccompanied children in use universally. Age assessments were the most common assessment undertaken by local authorities, although only three local authorities indicated they had consulted age assessment guidance. There was clear recognition of the needs presented by children and local authorities indicated they drew on the expertise of a number of partner agencies to support children and young people.While the present findings are limited by the number of local authorities responding, they indicate that understanding and responses to key issues and policy guidance varies substantially across local authorities in Scotland. These findings indicate children and young people may well receive different levels of service in different areas, with implications for both short and long term outcomes. While there is evidence of good work across the country, key questions remain about consistency and further, more in depth analysis of practice is required

Integrated Case Management: The View of Social Workers

• Access to the Community Integration Plan (CIPs) before the case conference is variable. • There was substantial criticism of the large volume of information contained in CIPs noting that much of it was repeated elsewhere, or that it was out of date or irrelevant.  • Despite irregular access to the CIP 86% of respondents felt that enough preparation was done before case conferences.  • Prison and community based social workers were present at substantially more conferences than other professionals.  • Despite this general view that attendance from other agencies could be sporadic, 68% of respondents felt the ICM process enhanced multi-agency working and a further quarter stated that this was sometimes the case.  • The majority of practitioners felt the conferences are generally useful for the prisoner with just 18% stating they were only sometimes useful and 1% feeling they were ‘not really beneficial’.  • There is confusion about who should invite family members to the conference, and there was also concern regarding the amount of preparation done with the family.  • Respondents were divided as to whether there was consistency in the approach to ICM across the prison estate.  • Nearly two-thirds of respondents felt the ICM process could be improved, with most comments focusing the need for better inter-agency attendance, concerns that case conferences could be repetitive or fail to cover issues relevant to the prisoner at certain points in their sentence, and that the day to day prison regime could be a practical barrier to conducting productive case conferences

The "Reducing the Impact of Sexual Exploitation" (RISE) Project: An Implementation evaluation

This project reports on the implementation evaluation of a two year pilot "Reducing the Impact of Sexual Exploitation (RISE)", that ran in Aberdeen and Dundee. The project was designed to address the Scottish Government’s National Action Plan to Prevent and Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation (2014, 2016), through the deployment of CSE advisors. The overall aim of RISE is to identify, protect and support children and young people who are vulnerable or at risk of CSE, and those who have been identified as victims, and to prevent CSE by disrupting patterns of perpetration. The work of the CSE Advisors has three major strands: training and consultation; direct work with children and families; and improving intelligence sharing. Evaluation Aims: The aim of this research was to evaluate the implementation of RISE, and to identify early indications of potential impact. Four main research objectives underpin this principle aim: i) To examine the processes and structures which have been put in place to implement the project ii) To assess the effectiveness of these processes and structures across the two pilot sites iii) To provide an indication of the overall impact of the project – by gaining insights into the impact the project has on the intended outcomes of the pilot iv) To identify the key lessons learned in implementation of the project and identify potential challenges and opportunities for the future delivery and sustainability of the project Method The implementation evaluation takes a mixed method approach to examine the impact of the RISE project on the service landscape in the two pilot sites. Focus groups were conducted with 31 professionals from policing, social care, education, health and the voluntary sector in each site. Individual interviews were conducted with the CSE Advisors. In addition, the research team examined routinely collected service data, including anonymised and aggregated outcomes data for children and young people, and self-assessment questionnaires for participants on CSE training programmes. Qualitative data was analysed thematically (Braun and Clarke 2006) and quantitative data was analysed descriptively and using a repeated measures ANOVA. Data was then mapped against an implementation framework using a matrix based analysis, to explore service and implementation outcomes. Findings The CSE Advisor role was highly valued in both pilot sites, and was viewed as an effective way to support an improved and more appropriate response to children and young people who are at risk of or have experienced CSE. The introduction of the CSE Advisor role was seen as an effective way to improve professional responses to CSE, to provide targeted support for children, young people and carers, to enhance professional knowledge and skills. CSE Advisors have played a vital role in improving multiagency collaboration and information sharing, and multiagency and police partners indicated that the implementation of the CSE Advisor role has resulted in more trauma-aware practice, and trauma sensitive systems. Stakeholder professionals also indicated that there was evidence that the role had supported more effective disruption of perpetration

A Retrospective Review of Risk Factors for Suicide in Looked After and Accommodated Children in Glasgow

The present report was requested by the Glasgow Child Protection Committee (CPC) to complement the Significant Case Review (SCR) process in the city. The focus on young people who had taken their own lives was considered following concerns that the SCR process for individual cases is not sufficiently focussed on understanding risk factors, but instead concentrates on procedural aspects of each case as a means of future prevention and risk reduction. The five cases selected for inclusion in this report were those identified by the SCR sub-group as those young people who had committed suicide between 2006 – 2012 and were, or had been looked after and accommodated. Methodology involved a comprehensive analysis of social work case files and health files where available, and analysis of relevant documents including any SCR reports. In effect the work was a case study approach to the investigation due to the small number of cases included

Girls and Young Women in the Girls and Young Women in the Youth Justice System – Vulnerable or Risky?

This short briefing paper examines the complexities around identification and effective intervention for girls and young women viewed as vulnerable and who may be at risk of future offending. The CJSW Development Centre’s National Development (Champions) Group for vulnerable girls and young women undertook a profiling exercise in an attempt to obtain a better understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of girls and young women involved in, or on the periphery of, the youth justice system. While limitations of the data collection tool and methodology preclude wide generalisations, the complexities in attempting to identify individuals who may be at future risk of offending based on assessment of present and past needs and vulnerabilities is apparent. Despite the identification of often substantial vulnerabilities and needs in a sample of 12 to 16 year olds, it appears the majority of girls and young women were not involved in serious or persistent offending behaviour. The findings have implications for policy and practice development, which are now focussed on the development of effective and early interventions for all young people considered to be at risk of future offending