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27 September 2007

Pre-School and Childcare Statistics 2007

Statistics are published today on all pre-school and childcare centres registered with the Care Commission, registered childminders and childcare centre staff.

Pre-School and Childcare Statistics 2007 also presents revised figures on the number of registered centres in 2006.

Headline messages are:

• In January 2007 there were 4,457 registered childcare and pre-school education centres, of which 4,315 (96.8 per cent) were operating. There were 6,020 registered childminders, of whom 5,510 (92 per cent) were active
• Over half of centres operating (2,412) said that their main service was a nursery. A further 774 centres said their main service was an out of school club, and 574 centres said their main service was a playgroup
• Of all registered pre-school and childcare centres, 42.3 per cent were in the public sector, 24.0 per cent were in the private sector, 32.4 were in the voluntary sector, and for 1.4 per cent the sector was not known
• In January 2007 there were 32,648 staff working in pre-school and childcare centres in Scotland, of which 27,984 worked directly with children
• Eighty per cent of childcare centre staff had at least one childcare qualification, and 65 per cent had a qualification at SVQ level 3 equivalent or above
• Thirty four per cent of active childminders had a childcare qualification, while 18 per cent had a childcare qualification at SVQ level 3 equivalent or above
• In January 2007 there were 2,750 local authority or partnership pre-school education providers in Scotland
• Fifty five per cent of local authority or partnership pre-school education centres had at least one General Teaching Council for Scotland registered teacher
• Approximately 97.4 per cent of children eligible for free pre-school or ante-pre-school education were registered with local authority or partnership pre-school education centres. Children are counted once for every pre-school centre they attend, so this figure may include some double counting

25 September 2007

Child Protection Statistics

Statistics on child protection in Scotland in 2006-07 were published today.

Headline messages are:

• In 2006-07, there were 11,960 child protection referrals, of which 47 per cent were for boys, 50 per cent were for girls, and two per cent were for children whose gender was not known (largely due to being unborn)
• Thirty-nine per cent of child protection referrals resulted in an inter-agency case conference in 2006-07. This compares to 38 per cent in 2005-06 and 36 per cent in 2004-05
• Over 80 per cent of children who were subject to a case conference were living at home prior to being referred
• For eighty-five per cent of children who were subject to a case conference, the primary known/suspected abuser was the child's birth parent (where this was known)
• Of the 4,608 case conferences, 68 per cent resulted in the child being placed on the local child protection register compared to 70per cent in the previous year
• In 2006-07, the number of registrations on to child protection registers as a result of emotional abuse were up by 26 per cent, and by physical neglect were up by 21 per cent. The number of registrations due to sexual abuse were down by 11 per cent
• Twelve per cent of registrations on to child protection registers in 2006-07 were of children who were known to have been previously on a child protection register. This compares with 14per cent in 2005-06
• The number of de-registrations from child protection registers between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007 was 3,084. Nearly 80 per cent of these de-registrations were for children who had been on the register for less than one year
• As at March 31, 2007, there were 2,593 children on Child Protection Registers, an increase of 13 per cent compared with the previous year. A similar number of boys and girls were on child protection registers, and just over 80 per cent of children were under the age of 11 years old
• At March 31, 2007, 49 per cent of all children on local child protection registers were registered because of physical neglect, 23 per cent because of physical injury, 18 per cent because of emotional abuse and nine per cent because of sexual abuse

25 September 2007

Minister comments on child protection figures

Statistics on child protection in Scotland in 2006-07 were published today.

Commenting on the figures, Minister for Children and Early Years Adam Ingram said:

"We owe it to children in Scotland to ensure that those at risk of neglect or abuse are protected. We must act quickly, effectively and collaboratively to get them help and support when they need it.

"The Scottish Government is determined to continue improving services for children at risk and the statistics published today show that action is being taken and having an impact.

"A number of measures - such as the tough multi-disciplinary HMIE joint child protection service inspections, the Child Protection Reform Programme and the strengthened Child Protection Committees - are helping to improve services for children in need.

"I believe child protection is everyone's business. Being on the Child Protection Register reduces the risks a child faces by making sure that services work together to meet the child's needs. The increased referrals to the Register tell us that more people understand this and are taking action to report their concerns, meaning that more children are in a position to get the help they need when they need it.

"We are committed to building on the progress already made and doing all we can to we ensure we protect all children from harm."

25 September 2007

Support for young people

Early intervention, to help children get a positive start in life, will be one of the hallmarks of the Scottish Government, Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said today.

Ms Hyslop said that supporting youngsters and families in these vital early years would pay dividends later. Speaking at the Tapestry Partnership conference, which was also being addressed by Professor Lord Robert Winston, Ms Hyslop said:

"Children who grow up in a supportive, stimulating, caring environment have a much better chance of developing into self-confident adults, with the self-belief and self-esteem to play a full part in a smarter Scotland.

"That's why early intervention is so important and I am determined that this government will drive this forward as a priority.

"The price of not intervening is too high - both in terms of wasted lives and the cost of trying to address problems in later life.

"Far too many of society's problems - from bad behaviour in schools and youth offending to lack of qualifications and poor job prospects - actually have their roots in infancy.

"By making an early start to tackle problems, we can improve the life chances for all our young people." The Tapestry Partnership is an organisation which brings together all the main governmental and non-governmental bodies involved in Scottish education.

Among the speakers at today's conference, at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, was Professor Lord Robert Winston. Lord Winston, presenter of the TV series Child of Our Time, will discuss the human mind and how to make the most of it at the conference.

20 September 2007

Attitudes to mental health

The third national Scottish survey of public attitudes to mental health, mental wellbeing and mental health problems was published today.

The Well? What do you think? survey examines the views and experiences of a representative sample of adults in Scotland in relation to a range of mental health issues.

The survey is commissioned by the Scottish Government and is run every second year. It includes a six page research findings summary.

Main findings

People in Scotland are generally healthy, satisfied with where they live, feel connected with others and in control of their lives. They are becoming more aware of mental health (mental wellbeing) and of some mental illness issues.

However, people with experience of mental health problems are less likely than others to feel they have people they can rely on in times of personal difficulty.

People who have difficulty managing on low incomes and people who live in deprived areas are the most likely to experience poor physical and mental health, and poor mental wellbeing.

Attitudes to mental health problems are generally improving - most of the gains made in 2004 have been consolidated. However, there is still more work to be done to foster more public understanding of, and tolerance towards, mental health problems and mental illness .

In particular, the public have poor understanding of psychoses, especially schizophrenia. Although mental health problems are more common in areas of greater social and economic deprivation, attitudes to mental ill-health are poorer in such areas.

Self-stigmatisation and fear of rejection are important issues. The survey makes it clear that people limit their own behaviour because of the way they think others will react to their mental health problem.

13 September 2007

Secure accommodation figures

Statistics providing an annual update on Scotland's secure accommodation estate were published today. These include key statistics on the number of young people admitted to and discharged from secure accommodation during the year and their characteristics.

The main findings are:

• During 2006-07 a new secure unit opened (Good Shepherd), providing an additional 18 secure places. Therefore on March 31, 2007 six secure units provided a total of 112 secure places, not including emergency beds
• There was an average of 94 residents in secure accommodation throughout 2006-07, up from 81 in 2005-06
• The average cost per bed per week was £4,400, ranging from £4,000 to £4,900. The estimated annual cost for secure accommodation in Scotland, based on usage, was £22.0 million in 2006-07, a 36 per cent increase from the previous year in real terms
• Forty four per cent of all young people admitted to secure accommodation during 2006-07 were 15 years old
• On March 31, 2007, there were 596 staff working across the secure estate, of which 15 were temporary. There were 18 vacancies, of which seven had been vacant for more than three months